The battered wife

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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"Mina!!!" screamed our neighbor as she approached me while I was towing the leash of the carabao. "You're really something, huh?"

"Why, Lily?" I'm wondering as I questioned her.

She rolled her eyes while she crossed her arms. "Duh? Don't get to innocence there. Everyone already knows you're about to marry Tranz Fernandez Ratcliffe! The sole heir of the Fernandez and Ratcliffe Groups of Companies! Does he already taste your oyster or what? Gosh! I didn't know that Tranz would notice you. What potion did you use, girl? Look at you. You look like an eggplant exposed to the sunlight. Gosh! Are you still a virgin, huh?"

What is she saying?

"I'm sorry, Lily, because I'm still working, eh." I pulled the carabao's rope, but she stopped me from walking again.

"Why don't you tell me." I really can't understand her. "Telling the truth won't harm you." I just stared at her. "Why? Don't you know what I'm talking about? Gosh! Stupid!" she whispered softly, but I still heard what she said. "What did you do to make Tranz fell in love with you? Why would he marry you?"

"Do you know him personally?"

"Of course, why not coconut. He used to be my customer at the club. We ate suman and bibingka twice. That's why I know that his is very, very big and very, very fat. I even choked when I ate him."

I’m not really affected by what she says, so I don’t know why she's telling these things to me.

"When did you meet?" I just asked while walking again.

I need to feed this carabao if I don't want to spend my night here in the rice field.

"Before he met you. I thought we were forever's not enough, but when he met you, he has already forgotten about me." When I looked at her, she was sulking and seemed to be crying. "How much does your ring cost?"

I faced her again. Haist. We're in the mountains, but here she is, with her hanging tube and micro mini skirt.

"It's not my fault that he likes me, Lily. Tranz and I met when I was still in college. He flirted with me before, but I didn't entertain him, but when we met eight months ago, and he courted me formally, I said yes to since I like him too. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

I don't know why I have to explain myself to her. I feel sorry for Lily, honestly. She's alone in life because her parents died years ago, and because of that, she wasn't able to attend school. She didn't have the time to study, that's why she has to work at the club.

"It's okay—no hurt feelings. Just be careful. I heard you're going to Manila after your wedding."

Lily was kind but too noisy sometimes.

"Thank you."

"Invite me to your wedding so that I can eat something delicious. Don't just me but all the villagers, invite them so we can eat something delicious. Is it okay?"

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