Back for Her

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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“Congratulations, Anna, your dream has finally come true!”

The applause of colleagues rang out in the scientific research room. Anna smiled. Today, she just completed her research on CL12, a time travel machine. Anna is a young scientist and this is her greatest success at the age of 25. Soon she will announce it to the world.

“It hasn't been announced yet. Thanks, everyone, anyway.” She said and waved her hand to tell everyone to continue their work.

When everyone had gone out, one of her close assistants walked up to her, holding a glass of wine in her hand, "Anna, you're too strict with yourself. At least give a toast! This drink is for you!”

Because this girl enthusiastically invited her, Anna took the glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp. When she was about to return to work, her vision suddenly blurred, her mind was dizzy, and the wine glass in her hand fell to the ground, shattering.

“Clark!”

“Anna, are you okay?” The assistant held her hand and asked.

"I... The glass of wine..." Anna muttered, trying to hold on to her assistant's hand to stand steady but could not, her body collapsed, and everything around her became blurry and then black.

She wasn't sure if she had fainted or not, but in her unconsciousness, she heard her assistant's voice telling someone, “This is the finished version of the time machine. You can use it.”

The woman's voice replied: "Good job."

“What should I do with her?”

“After I leave, kill her.”

At this point, Anna understood the situation. Damn it. Her assistant betrayed her. No, someone wanted to kill her to steal this machine from the beginning.

“I can't die here,” thinking so, Anna tried to grope around. Grabbing a piece of glass, she used it to cut her skin. The pain made her a little more alert. She tried to crawl towards the sound of the engine. The thief was starting up the time machine. This machine had a cockpit attached to the power source. When Anna climbed into the cockpit, the thief was holding the control machine. Anna's eyes were blurry so she couldn't see the person's face clearly, but she still tried to rush to stop her.

"Get out!" That woman pushed Anna away, but she still tried to grab the controller. The two of them struggled. In the end, Anna was pushed hard against the cabin wall, her head hitting it painfully.

The wind whistled in her ears. Anna reached out to the woman, feeling herself being sucked into a black hole. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she was exhausted and fainted.

***

The hot and heavy feeling like a large rock was pressing on her made Anna wake up. Her head was lightheaded, she vaguely realized she was lying on a large bed that was so soft and comfortable that it was unfamiliar. Immediately after, the unfamiliar scent of a man entered her nostrils, and a hot feeling slid across the skin of her neck. She opened her eyes in panic, pushing the man lying on top of her away.

"Who are you?" She exclaimed as she quickly jumped out of bed, grabbed a jacket, and put it on because she now only had a revealing strappy dress on her body.

“Good question.” The man responded after a few seconds of looking at her in surprise, the corners of his lips slightly raised. He sat on the bed, calmly lit a cigarette, and took a puff. Even though it didn't fit the situation, Anna couldn't help but mentally admire his attractive appearance, from his handsome face to his sturdy upper body without a shirt. But his face looked very familiar, she wasn't sure where she had seen him before.

“I know I'm handsome, you don't have to stare blankly like that, Tracy.” While she was bewildered, she heard him continue speaking.

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