I Refuse to Divorce by Light Breeze

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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In the middle of the night, the villa area of Los Angeles, California, was brightly lit. The Christmas trees in front of each house made the villa area look much more welcoming. A little white snow fell slowly from the sky. The whole area was as beautiful as a painting, except for the Steel family's villa, which was out of place in this scene.

It was a little difficult to see Astrid's face clearly; she only saw the piece of paper in front of her, the words that said "DIVORCE AGREEMENT" stinging her beautiful green eyes.

In front of her was the firm body and handsome face, the man who still made her heart ache, the man who took over every cell in her body the moment they met.

It took her a while to gather the courage to speak.

"Why?" She forced a trembling voice to ask Joshua. She didn't even have the courage to look at him, so she just kept her head bowed in silence.

He pierced her with a cold stare. "It was my grandfather who forced me to marry you in the first place, and now that my grandfather has died, there is no need for you to stay with me."

Astrid's breath seemed to catch in her throat at that moment, and she looked at Joshua pleadingly. "Don't leave me."

When she saw Joshua's cold face, her nose hurt. Although Joshua was indifferent, he had never looked at her so coldly, as if he were looking at a toy he was tired of. She could even say she saw something like disgust in his beautiful eyes.

Astrid tried to hold back her tears.

Joshua had told her he hated it when she cried, but no matter how hard she resisted, her eyes remained red. She hugged Joshua's thin waist tightly, fearing that if she let go, she would lose him forever.

"Please don't leave me," Astrid looked at Joshua pleadingly, like an abandoned cat. How she wished this were a nightmare, that Joshua would rub her cheeks and say it was a joke and that he had lied to her.

For three years, Joshua Steel had never asked for her opinion. She had obediently listened to Joshua's every command, even if she didn't like something; as long as Joshua liked it, she would do it for him.

And this time, she didn't want to listen to Joshua's orders either. This was the first time she had tried to resist Joshua, even though he made a disgusted expression. She forcefully broke free from the arms around her waist. This sudden force was like trying to break Astrid's arms, so Joshua spoke in an extremely cold tone, "You have no right to refuse!" Ignoring Astrid's plea, he forced the pen into her hand.

A tear fell on the divorce agreement, and Astrid's tears finally flowed down her cheeks as she looked at Joshua's clear name on the divorce agreement, a name that made her heart ache so much she could barely breathe. The pen was smooth, and she almost signed her name without hesitation. Joshua, the man she had loved for three years, said he didn't want her.

No, she mustn't let this happen. Joshua was her life. She couldn't imagine a day without Joshua, even if he didn't like her.

Only this time, she couldn't listen to Joshua.

"I'm sorry!" As if it were her last fight, Astrid reached out and grabbed the divorce agreement, quickly crumpling it into a ball and putting it in her mouth. She really couldn't think of any other way to keep Joshua from leaving, could she?

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