Court Room

Inside the courtroom, Martha Charles, Cynthia's mother, paced back and forth, trying her son's phone. "Why isn't he picking up?"

[The number you are calling is not answering. Please call sometime later.]

Samantha Poivre, Martha's blood sister, calmed her down. "Sister, just wait for some time. Nephew must be busy somewhere; he'll be back in no time. Stop worrying."

Martha looked at her sister, concern etched on her face. "How can I not worry? My daughter won't listen to me, and my son can't even follow a single instruction."

"I told him to inform his sister about the divorce, but he not only failed to deliver the message but also forgot to tell me he couldn't reach her. At least I would have told her in his place."

Her anger flared up. "And that bastard intentionally did that accident to avoid the divorce. I'm 100% sure he's faking everything."

"I also think he's faking it, Mother."

Just then, Matthew Charles, Cynthia's younger brother, entered. Martha looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"Where were you, and why aren't you answering my calls?"

Matthew replied, "Mother, I was talking to someone."

As he finished, a young white-haired man entered, tall and dressed in a white tusk suit.

Martha's eyes sparkled. "Andrew? Is that you?"

The white-haired guy smiled and nodded. "Yes, Aunt Martha, it's me."

Martha inquired, "Andrew, how come you're here suddenly, and where are your parents?"

Andrew explained, "I'm here on a business trip, so I thought I'd meet up with old friends. Then I met Matthew."

He asked, "Where's Cynthia? I heard she's getting a divorce? How did you let her marry a nobody? How did she even fall for some no-name guy?"

Martha smiled wryly. "Ah, Andrew, she hired someone to pretend to be her husband. He's not her real husband, but a hired guy."

Andrew's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait! A hired guy as a husband? Why would she do something like this?"

Martha revealed, "Well, the family wanted her to marry, but she was busy with her projects, so... she hired that good-for-nothing to pretend to be her husband."

Andrew nodded knowingly. "Huh, and here I thought she fell in love with some random guy."

Martha clarified, "Nah, how can that be? At first, we thought the same, but later we found out about her fake husband. So, here we are at court for the divorce."

As they discussed, the trio entered the building—Cynthia leading, followed by Lana and Noel, with Lana assisting Noel.

Martha approached, "You're finally here. I thought you'd really miss this chance."

She turned around, "Cynthia, look who's here."

Andrew smiled, waving at Cynthia. "Hello, Cynthia. How are you?"

Cynthia looked at Andrew, surprised. "You're... Andrew. Hey, how come you're here?"

She glanced at her mother, suspecting she wanted to force her into a relationship with Andrew.

Martha sensed Cynthia's doubt and spoke up, "I just met Andrew here. It seems he was in talks with Matthew."

Matthew explained, "I received a call from an unknown man who wanted to meet me. I thought, 'Who is this guy?' Then I found Andrew, and I drove him here with me."

Cynthia nodded and looked back at Noel. "Do you think you can do this right now?"

Noel nodded resolutely. "We're already here, so it's better we finish the procedure. I can handle this."

Martha reprimanded Noel, "Huh, you think you can handle this? You think we don't know about your fake accident?"

Noel, Cynthia, and the others looked at her.

"Fake accident?" Noel's eyes narrowed at Martha.

He wanted to slap shit out of her, but his current condition restrained him. Instead, he asked Lana to move toward the courtroom.

Cynthia intervened, "Mother, what are you talking about? This fake accident?"

Martha spoke loudly, "He's faking his accident to avoid the divorce so he can live as a freeloader for the rest of his life."

Noel clenched his fists, thinking, "Damn bitch, here I am, in court, ready to divorce your daughter, and you're claiming I'm faking my accident."

Cynthia tried to correct her mother, "Mother, how can that be? We came from the hospital; we saw his injuries. Although not serious, he's injured."

Martha humiliation attempt continued, "Cynthia, you don't know about these freeloaders; they'll stick to you like leeches till their last breath."

Andrew fueled Martha's words, "Aunt is right, Cynthia. Why don't we end this divorce and hand him to the police? I know someone who can handle this matter."

Noel looked at Andrew, unfamiliar with him as he searched in his memories but found nothing about him. "Who are you, and what crime have I committed?"

Matthew chimed in, "He's our childhood friend and sister's good friend, not a fake guy like you."

Andrew introduced himself, "I'm Andrew Blackwood, Cynthia's childhood friend. Your crime is manipulating her into a fake marriage. Otherwise, how could a girl like her make such a stupid decision?"

Noel chuckled, noticing Lana's angry face. "Stupid or not, an outsider doesn't need to meddle between husband and wife."

Andrew glared, his eyes glowing white slightly, noticeable only to Noel, Cynthia, and Lana.

Andrew controlled his anger, patting Noel's shoulder. "You'll know soon who's an outsider and who's not."

As he squeezed Noel's shoulder, Noel felt pain, his muscles cramping and bone crushing beneath Andrew's grip.

Andrew removed his hand, smiling at Noel's pained expression. "It seems he's not faking his accident. Look how painful his expression is."

Lana glared at Andrew, angry at him despite not caring about Noel, due to Andrew's rash personality.

She supported Noel, whose face showed pain, but anger brewed inside him. "Wait for the right time, you bastard; I'll roast you and skin you alive, feeding your flesh to wild dogs."

They entered the courtroom, and the court lady looked at the couple. "What's the reason for the divorce?" she asked.

Martha interrupted, her tone abrasive, "He's not good for our daughter. Can't you speed up the process instead of asking stupid questions?"

The court lady's expression showed displeasure at Martha's behavior. Just as she was about to respond, Cynthia intervened.

"Miss, we'd like to keep this private. I don't think it's mandatory to disclose the reason," Cynthia said apologetically.

The court lady looked at Noel, who nodded in agreement.

She prepared the documents and asked them to sign.

Cynthia and Noel signed the papers without hesitation. 

The court lady declared, "From this day forward, you are officially divorced."

The room fell silent, the only sound the rustling of papers.

Noel felt a mix of emotions: relief, sadness, and uncertainty. The court lady declared, "From this day forward, you are officially divorced."

The room fell silent, the only sound the rustling of papers.

Noel felt a mix of emotions: relief, sadness, and uncertainty.