THE BILLIONAIRE SURROGATES BABY

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

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Dr. Aaron's words hung in the air like a guillotine, poised to drop and sever all hope. Emma's heart raced as she clutched the armrests of the worn hospital chair, her knuckles weak with desperation.

"Hold on...Let me get this straight, Doctor," Emma said, her voice trembling. "You're telling me that my mother's surgery, her only chance at survival, depends on me finding a huge sum of money? And without the money there will be no treatment for her? Even if she dies right in front of you?"

Dr. Aaron's expression was a mask of sympathy, but his eyes betrayed a hint of impatience. "I'm afraid so, Emma. The hospital's policy is clear: payment upfront or no procedure. Your mother's condition is critical, and time is running out."

Emma felt like she'd been punched in the gut. She thought she'd been prepared for anything, but this...this was a nightmare. "How much money are we talking about?"

"Thirty thousand dollars," Dr. Aaron replied, his voice firm but not unkind.

Emma's mind reeled. Thirty thousand dollars might as well have been thirty million. She was a struggling club worker, doing multiple jobs just to make ends meet. Where was she supposed to find that kind of money?

"What about financial aid or assistance programs? Or anything just to save her right now" Emma asked, grasping at straws.

Dr. Aaron shook his head. "Your mother's condition doesn't qualify for priority funding. I'm sorry, Emma. Time is running out, this is the only advice I can offer you and that is for you to be very quick,she can not survive it without undergoing a surgery"

Emma's eyes welled up with tears as she thought of her mother, lying in the hospital bed, fighting for her life. She felt a surge of determination. She would find a way, no matter what it took.

"I'll do it," Emma said, her voice firm. "I'll find the money."

Dr. Aaron's expression softened. "I'm sorry, Emma. I truly am. But I know you'll do everything you can. You just have to try." And with that he walked away

Emma nodded multiple times, it was as if she was growing crazy "I can do it.. I must do it." She murmured to herself.

Emma's feet felt heavy as she trudged through the hospital corridors, the antiseptic scent and muted beeps of machines her constant companion. She turned a corner, and her heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of her mother's frail form,her body weak as she lay on the bed, surrounded by the sterile glow of medical equipment.

Her mother's eyes, sunken and weary, met Emma's, and a faint smile flickered on her lips. Emma's throat constricted as she forced a smile back, trying to hide the desperation clawing at her insides. She approached the bed, her gaze drifting to the oxygen mask covering her mother's mouth, the soft whoosh of the ventilator scares her.

With a heavy heart, Emma turned away, her eyes drawn to the window. The view was breathtaking, a tapestry of city lights and stars twinkling like diamonds scattered across the velvet expanse. But the beauty was lost on her. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of hopelessness.

Sinking into the chair beside her mother's bed, Emma let out a shuddering sigh. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she whispered, "I'm only 21...and yet I'm suffering like I've done something wrong for being in this world, cant I just be at peace for once? Why didn't he create me into the world of the rich? Why did he create me just to suffer and cry my eyes out." Her voice cracked, and she felt the dam break. Tears streamed down her face, hot and relentless.

"Oh God...what should I do? Thirty million dollars is beyond me, so beyond me" she said with tears, her head thrown back, as if expecting a miracle to descend from the heavens. Her body shook with sobs, the weight of her responsibilities crushing her.

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