Paramour

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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"Edmund, you have been married to Chelsea for three years. It's high time you had a child. I want to meet my great-grandchildren before death comes for me."

An old man's earnest voice came from the study through the slightly opened door.

A young man replied coldly, "Why should I have a baby with a woman I don't love?"

Chelsea Williams was about to knock on the door to inform them that dinner was ready. But when she heard their conversation, she froze. Her face turned pale in a split second.

The young man's voice sounded again. This time it was firmer and dismissive. "Grandpa, just so we are on the same page, you'll not be getting any great-grandchildren from me as long as I'm married to Chelsea. I don't want her to be the mother of my children. So, don't pester me about this issue again!"

"You brat!" the old man shouted angrily. The next second, the sound of a cup being shattered on the floor was heard. This was followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.

Chelsea hurriedly went into the bathroom next door to hide. In the process, the sharp edge of the wash-hand basin scratched her waist.

An intense pain shot from her waist to her heart. It then swept through her entire body. She trembled and bit her lower lip hard. Tears of agony soon welled up in her eyes.

Only a few days ago, she had received a pregnancy test result from Diane Stevenson, the mistress of her husband, Edmund Nelson.

Along with the test result came harsh mockery.

"Chelsea, what a miserable woman you are! Although you have been married to Edmund for three long years, he still hasn't fallen in love with you.

You live under the same roof with him, but he hates you with every fiber of his being. Don't you have any shame? How could you stick with a man whose heart belongs to someone else? Gosh! If I were you, I would have died of shame long ago."

Chelsea didn't know of Diane's existence before she got married to Edmund.

On their wedding night, Edmund didn't stay at home. He left her as soon as the ceremony came to an end. The next morning, Chelsea woke up to a piece of shocking news. Her husband was sighted entering and leaving a hotel with a popular female star the night before. The news was the talk of the town.

It was on that day that Chelsea realized that her husband's heart belonged to someone else.

Not willing to give up on her new marriage, Chelsea decided to stay. She hoped that Edmund would fall in love with her someday. She resigned from her job and became a full-time housewife.

Unfortunately for her, nothing changed even after three years.

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