The Gallery Waits in Silence

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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He's Dead.

"How is he dead?"

"Why is he dead?"

"Who killed him and why would they kill him?"

These questions kept running in my head as I sat at the corner of my room holding up my legs together. I couldn't cry anymore, tears stopped flowing. I couldn't feel anything anymore.

I heard the landline ring by 9pm on Tuesday. I just got back from school a few hours ago and I wasn't expecting anyone to call. In fact, who even calls landlines when you can call my cell phone, I thought we didn't use it anymore.

My parents were on a business trip and they won't be back till next Saturday. They traveled to South Africa, they had a business contract to seal there. It was just me and Bun, my dog. I picked up the phone and waited for the person to speak up.

"Hello. Good evening, am I speaking to Mr. Daniels?" A lady asks. She sounded older, in her sixties or so. I wondered why she was calling this late in the evening.

"Good evening ma, Mr. Daniels is my dad and he's unavailable at the moment." I answer politely.

"My name is Mrs. Alexa. I'm calling from Saints College in Australia. I am the Deputy Chancellor in the college. Hmm… I don't know if I can tell you this information, I'm supposed to tell it to his father first," she responds.

At this point I'm a bit weary. His father? What happened to my brother?!

Why would someone call from his college?

Why would the Administration call?

My brother is the best in his school work and everything so what happened?

I spoke to him three days prior and he sounded okay. He even joked about his friends and told me what had been happening.

"Excuse me ma, what happened to my brother? Is he okay? Please tell me. I'll let my dad know." The words left my mouth in a rush. I didn't even think, a lot of things were running through my mind.

She hesitated before saying "I'm sorry but Samuel Daniels is dead. He was found inside a burnt building. The laboratory building caught fire last night and he was there working on a project with his teammates. His remains will be sent.…"

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