His Betrothed

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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AUTHOR'S NOTE: EXPECT SHORT CHAPTERS. XO

***

"SHAYENNE!" Josh called angrily from the living room. I came running in.

"Y– yeah?" I stammered.

"Who was the guy I saw you talking to today?" he asked angrily, his face becoming red.

I loved Josh a lot and he loved me too. The only problem was, he was the insecure and jealous type. He was overprotective and sometimes would overreact or get angry for nothing.

"That was my highschool classmate, honey. Why do you always get jealous? Learn to chill."

He nodded a little and rubbed his forehead, uncomfortably. He was standing now.

"I'm sorry," he started, "I just fear the fact that you might might leave me some day".

"I won't, Josh. I've already told you this. You're a grown man with a job. Stop behaving like a teenager. You ain't one".

He ran his fingers through his hair and sat down once more.

"I know dear. It's just that I always have a feeling that one of those young boys would set their eyes on you".

Josh was exaggerating and it annoyed me. Yet I tried to understand him. Most boys wooed me because I was actually a girl with assets. Plus, near Josh I seemed to be with an uncle from a certain white part of my family, or with my father's colleague.

Josh wasn't Mr sexy. He was overweight and round. My friends didn't find him that handsome but he was okay to me. I loved him even with his flaws. Like the fact that he drank too much.

I was still trying to change him.

I was presently contemplating on how to tell him some news.

"Um, josh?"

"Yes?" he looked up at me.

"I've already made it clear with my parents and they've agreed, and so, I thought of telling you about my plans too".

"What plans?"

"I want to specialize in cinematography and scriptwriting. I've already found a university and I already sent my application. The specialization takes 3 years."

Josh looked at me in disbelief. I knew he wouldn't approve it and that's why I'd already done everything behind his back.

"What? Shayenne, why?? You know I want you here till we get married".

"That's next year, Josh. You have a job and I'm trying to specialize in order to get one."

"I proposed a job to you in my company".

"I want to be involved In film production, scriptwriting and everything else that has to do with cinematography. I was accepted."

"But–"

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