My Husband Prefers His First Loves Child

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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"Today I'm really happy, Mas. The dress is beautiful. I can't wait for it. I want to wear it soon, Mas."

"Yes, Dear. Me too. You looked beautiful earlier, and even more so at the reception. You'll be even more beautiful."

"Don't be like that, Mas. You know, I get shy when praised like that."

"But it's true, Dear. I'm not lying."

"Yes! Yes! But enough, don't praise me anymore. Are you trying to make me blush?"

The conversation between Elsa and Rio is filled with a strong atmosphere of love. The two humans have decided to end their single lives soon.

Preparations for the wedding have been carefully planned. They're just waiting for the big day, which is about two weeks away.

"It's even more beautiful when you're all shy like this, Love," Rio teases, gently pinching Elsa's petite nose.

"Mas! I'm embarrassed! Don't do that!"

Rio smiles as he watches his future wife become increasingly flustered.

"So adorable...."

Rio's gaze suddenly shifts as Vela walks not far from them.

"What are you looking at, Mas?" Elsa asks, following her fiancé's line of sight.

"Have you tried on the dress, Mbak? You'll surely look beautiful," Vela says.

"Oh, you, Vel. Yes, because the design was specially made for me."

Elsa's previously cheerful expression turns curt. The relationship between the stepsisters, though not related by blood, is quite strained.

Elsa was adopted by a wealthy business family from an orphanage when she was around seven years old. Vela, on the other hand, was born to a woman who had a secret relationship with Handi, Elsa's adoptive father.

As a result, Handi favors Vela more because she shares his blood. Additionally, instigations from his secret wife push him in that direction.

Handi decided to marry Nani, Vela's biological mother, officially when his first wife, Wulan, and their three-year-old child went missing.

The official marriage took place when Handi's family had given up searching for Wulan and her child almost six years later.

In fact, in order to find them, Handi's family agreed to adopt an orphan. It was believed that this act would lead them to discovering the whereabouts of the missing mother and child.

However, by the time Elsa is about to get married, there's no sign of Wulan and her child being found.

With each passing day, the affection Elsa receives diminishes further. The arrival of Nani and Vela adds to Elsa's misery. Handi trusts Nani so much that he entrusts Elsa entirely to his second wife.

As an adopted child, Elsa has had to endure a difficult life.

Nevertheless, Elsa perseveres into adulthood. The long-haired woman consistently demonstrates her dedication while working in her adoptive family's company.

Everything Elsa does shows significant progress. Eventually, her adoptive family has to acknowledge her competence.

"Sis, I did ask you nicely, why was your response so sarcastic? After all, I'm happy to see you getting married, Sis," Vela says.

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