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No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return
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.Lia sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her reflection in the large mirror in the corner of the guest room. Her eyes were filled with tears, but her lips curled into a bitter smile. Tonight like the previous nights, David will come. Her brother-in-law, Rina's husband, her older sister whom she loved very much. Lia is trapped in a difficult situation, between financial needs and the guilt that haunts her every night.
David is a man in his early thirties, with an always neat and charming appearance. Since the first time they met, Lia had felt a different attraction. But he never thought that their relationship would develop into something darker and more complicated.
"Lia, are you ready?" David's deep voice startled Lia from her reverie.
Lia took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "Yes, come in, David," he answered weakly, but his eyes still flashed with confusion.
David entered with steady steps, wearing a black suit which made him look even more dignified. He approached Lia and sat beside her, touching her cheek gently.
“Why do you look sad, darling?” David asked in a gentle tone, but there was a tone of authority that couldn't be hidden.
Lia shook her head. "I'm just tired, that's all," he answered quietly, avoiding her eyes.
David nodded, understanding without needing to ask much. He knows that this situation is difficult for Lia, but he also knows that Lia needs him, just as he needs Lia. In silence, they both knew that this bond could never be revealed to Rina.
Every night, when Rina was asleep, David would sneak out of their room and go to the guest room where Lia was waiting. There, behind closed doors, the two of them will spend a night full of passion, but also full of guilt. Lia knew that this was wrong, but she also couldn't escape David's charm and financial support.
Tonight was no different. After a few words of encouragement, they both plunged into the maelstrom of emotions and passions they had been living in for the past few months. Lia tried to enjoy every moment, even though there was a part of her heart that always cried silently.
The next morning, Lia woke up alone. David had returned to Rina's room, leaving a trail of expensive perfume on the pillow and a feeling of emptiness in Lia's heart. With a heavy heart, he got up and prepared himself to face the day. Every morning, he has to hide his guilt behind the smile and laughter he always shows Rina.
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