Bridging the Distance

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

Xiao Xiaosu

I went to the City Clerk’s office for a routine copy of my marriage license to finalize a trust fund audit. I expected a simple piece of paper, but the clerk’s pitying look told me my entire life was a lie. "The license was never finalized, Ms. Oliver. In the eyes of the state, you are single." The three-hundred-guest wedding at the Plaza and the Vogue features meant nothing. My husband, Gray Cooley, had intentionally filed the documents with a "procedural defect" so he could discard me without a legal divorce. Moments later, an iCloud invite titled "Our Little Secret" popped up on my screen. It was a photo of my best friend, Brylee, holding a positive pregnancy test at our Hamptons estate. Gray’s text to her was the final blow: "Happy anniversary, babe. This baby is the best gift. Once the trust unlocks today, we’re done with the charade." I soon discovered they were even stealing my career, reassigning my architectural masterpiece to Brylee while preparing my eviction notice. Gray's mother called me a "barren mule" in a leaked recording, mocking the infertility I suffered after saving Gray’s life in a construction accident. I wasn't a wife; I was a three-year placeholder used to secure his inheritance. How could the man I bled for treat me like a disposable prop? How could my best friend carry his child while pretending to comfort me through my darkest moments? The betrayal burned until it turned into a cold, hard stone of fury. I didn't cry. Instead, I walked into the penthouse of the Barretts, the Cooleys' most powerful rivals. I signed a marriage contract with Kane Barrett, the man the tabloids called the "Beast of Wall Street." "I want a wedding," I told his father, my voice steady and lethal. "Bigger than the one I had with Gray." If they wanted me gone, they would have to watch me become the woman who owns their world.

Modern Revenge Divorce Revenge Female-centered Divorce

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It was late at night. The colors of the neon lights were changing, which highlighted the prosperity of the city.

Inside the luxurious Vegas Hotel.

The luxurious presidential suite, on the top floor, was very quiet.

Suddenly, a sharp knock on the door, broke the silence.

"Help, is anyone there?" The sound of a woman gasping came in the silent room.

Wilfred Scott was never a stickybeak, but when he heard the woman's voice, he strode towards the door.

As soon as the door was opened, Ashley Lewis ran into Wilfred's chest. She was dizzy as if she had hit a brass wall.

Hmm..., Ashley whispered. She tried her best to keep her composure.

"Sir, help me. Many men are chasing me outside." Ashley blushed with apparent fear in her eyes.

"Don't be afraid, and I'm here."

Wilfred's voice was very gentle, like a spring breeze blowing away Ashley's gloom. Although it was a short sentence, it was like a warm current flowing through Ashley's heart.

The sound of footsteps outside the door stopped abruptly as they passed by the door of his room.

A man in black was about to knock on the door but was stopped, "Don't you know whose territory this is? Come back if you don't want to die!" One man intimidated them.

Realized the potential danger, they quickly disappeared.

Hearing them walk further and further away, Ashley breathed a sigh of relief.

The lights in the room lit up.

The man in front of her had a long straight figure, cold steely features, and a knife-like face. His deep eyes were as bright as obsidian. Standing here, he had the temperament of an emperor, looking down upon the world.

Ashley couldn't believe that the gentle breezy voice was his.

"Sir, thank you for saving me just now." Ashley was a little scared.

"You're afraid of me, aren't you?" His voice was very cold, without a hint of emotion.

"Hot, I feel hot." Ashley kept mumbling, hot and unbearable as if she was on fire. She kept taking off her clothes.

"Oh no, the medicine is working." Ashley cursed in a low voice.

She didn't hear what Wilfred had just said, and with her last shred of sanity, she said, "Sir, I'll repay your kindness later." After saying that she was going to open the door and leave.

Wilfred rushed over to stop her, "You want to leave this way?"

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