STIGMA

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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I stared at myself in the mirror, rolling my eyes. I just couldn't believe that I would dress in such a revealing way, but I had no other choice.

Shane Hayes and I had been married for two years. Today was our wedding anniversary. He had been seldom in the mood to have sex. If I didn't take the initiative to seduce him, it worried me that I might lose him. Thus, I decided to go all out tonight.

Seconds later, I heard a noise outside the door.

I took off my coat and walked out of the room in a red slip dress.

"Honey, I really missed you!" I wrapped my arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips.

Shane pushed me away, eyeing me up and down. I noticed that he was in a trance for a moment.

Truthfully, I was happy, thinking that he might like seeing me in such an outfit.

"Why are you dressed like that?"

he asked, walking to the sofa to sit down.

"Do you remember what day it is today?" I asked, sitting next to him, hoping that he knew the answer.

For a few seconds, Shane contemplated before he said, "What day is it?"

Disappointment flashed through my heart, but I kept on smiling.

"Nothing special. I was just kidding." I threw myself into his arms, sliding my hand under his shirt and rubbing his chest. "Do you want to take a shower, honey? I'll prepare the water."

"That's not necessary. If you have nothing else to say, I'm going to head back to the study to get some rest."

He then pushed me away and walked towards his study.

As I sat on the sofa, I clenched my fists and felt my fingernails digging into my palms.

Ever since I got pregnant, he had moved into the study, because he said that he didn't want the baby to get hurt or something.

I was only twenty-six years old. I was married and pregnant, but I had to sleep by myself every single night. Nowadays, I had been living a lonely and miserable life.

I had once gone online to ask around in certain forums. One particular comment piqued my interest. Someone mentioned that my husband's lack of interest might stem from the fact that he had already seen lots of other women's bodies.

Shane was an obstetrician by profession, so this made sense.

But there was one tiny detail that kept nagging at the back of my mind.

Each time he stayed in his study, he would always lock the door. We were the only people in this house, so there was no need to lock the door. It made no damn sense! It made me wonder if he was hiding something.

I had been thinking long and hard about this for days, until it became my biggest concern. I was so troubled by it that it began to disrupt my daily life.

Not wanting to continue on guessing, I had installed a bug under his bed this afternoon.

As soon as I went back to my room, I put on earphones.

Once I had gained access to the bug, I heard the unmistakable sound of panting and moaning. I felt a lump in my throat, and my eyes welled up with tears.

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