He Wants An Open Marriage? Done!

Christian’s face twisted in sheer disbelief. "You don’t mean that!" he snapped, his voice cracking as he looked frantically at the judge. "She doesn’t mean a single word she’s saying, Your Honor!"

"I want to be rid of him," Roxanne repeated, her tone steady and sharp as broken glass.

Christian’s wild eyes darted from the bench to Roxanne. "Stop lying, Roxy! You know that’s not what you really want. Look at me!"

Harry took a step forward, turning his head to look Christian up and down. "You were quick to present video clips earlier, Mr. Westbrook. My client didn’t bring a media circus because we already know there is no winning against the endless mind games of a narcissist."

Roxanne nodded slowly, relief washing over her tight chest as Harry spoke her truth.

"Stop talking nonsense! I love my wife!" Christian shouted, his jaw working as his anger spilled over.

"Your Honor, we cannot allow the petitioner to slander my client in this court," Mark interjected, stepping forward to shield Christian. "You can clearly see how deeply my client loves his wife and how much distress this false narrative is causing him."

The judge remained motionless, her sharp eyes narrowing as she observed the meltdown at the defense table.

Harry turned back to face the bench. "There is only one video this honorable court truly needs to see today," he said smoothly. "It is currently trending online with over five million views, showing the exact moment Mr. Westbrook was forcibly removed by law enforcement after attempting to steal my client’s home. The only piece of real estate left to her by her late father."

The judge’s brow furrowed deeply.

"Your Honor, with the court’s permission, I’d like to submit one additional exhibit," Harry said.

The judge nodded, and then the bailiff played the video on the large monitor.

Then the harsh, unmistakable video of Christian screaming on the lawn echoed from the speakers. Whispers erupted immediately, people craning their necks to gawk at Christian, shaking their heads in disgust.

THUD. The judge struck her gavel hard. "Order in the court!"

Silence slammed down like an iron curtain.

Roxanne sank back into her chair, her mind replaying the moment. Beside her, Theodore’s warm fingers gave her hand a gentle, grounding squeeze. She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with a soft wave of gratitude.

"Thank you," she breathed, the words barely audible.

Theodore gave her a quiet nod, his eyes reassuring as they both turned back to Harry.

Harry addressed the entire room, his voice resonant and commanding. "With everything presented today, I ask this court to decide: are these the actions of a man who genuinely loves his wife?"

He paused, letting the heavy question hang in the quiet chamber. "Or are these the desperate tantrums of a controller who simply cannot stomach losing his grip over her?"

With a clean bow to the bench, Harry pivoted and walked back to his seat.

For several agonizing seconds, no one moved. No one breathed. The walls seemed to hold their breath alongside the court.

Then, the sharp scrape of a chair against the floorboards cut through the silence.

Christian slammed his hands on the table, standing up so fast his chair nearly tipped over. "Lies! That is all absolute garbage!" he barked, his face flushing dark red.

The judge tilted her head, her gaze piercing. "Including the video of your arrest, Mr. Westbrook?"

Christian swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his eyes darted nervously to Roxanne, then back to the bench. "Fabricated! That video doesn’t show what really happened."

Roxanne’s brows lifted in absolute shock. A bitter laugh almost escaped her throat. He really has no scruples, she thought, shaking her head.

The judge leaned forward, interlacing her long fingers flat on the desk, her expression dark.

Christian jabbed a trembling finger straight toward Roxanne. "They are all lying against me! Roxanne is the unfaithful one! I brought you hard proof!" He turned aggressively toward his own lawyer, who was staring down at his legal pad in sheer embarrassment. "Don’t just stand there, Mark! Do something!"

Mark let out a silent sigh, adjusting his coat as he stood up to salvage what was left. "My client has a valid legal point, Your Honor," he argued, stepping toward the center aisle. "The defense presented physical, recorded evidence. Justice is blind, and this honorable court cannot weigh unproven emotional claims against documented facts."

Christian nodded rapidly, leaning over his table. "Exactly. Listen to him."

The judge remained completely still, her eyes brimming with cold disapproval as she shifted her focus from Christian’s flushed face over to Harry.

Mark pressed harder, looking around the gallery. "This is a court of law, not a marital counseling session. If the petitioner respected this institution, she would have brought actual evidence to substantiate her wild claims. Without proof, her accusations cannot stand."

Roxanne felt a sudden spike of panic in her chest, her mind spinning. She couldn’t hold it in any longer.

"Your Honor," she pleaded, her voice cracking with raw emotion as she looked up at the bench. "I know I shouldn’t interrupt, but I don’t want revenge. I have lived in an invisible prison for six years. All I want is my life and my freedom back."

The judge narrowed her eyes slightly, studying the genuine anguish on Roxanne’s face before slowly looking away.

"I am not losing you to Richard Vance! That is never going to happen!" Christian roared, his venomous outburst shattering any remaining illusion of composure. His chest heaved as if the mere thought of her being happy with another man was suffocating him.

"You belong to me, Roxanne! Me alone!" He fell back into his chair, his leg bouncing in a manic rhythm as he tried to regain control of his exploding temper.

Harry leaned back, a slight, mocking curve to his mouth. "Counsel, perhaps you should remind your client that he is not the one holding the gavel."

Mark’s jaw clenched tight with tension. He leaned in close to Christian, whispering frantically, trying to force him to sit down and be quiet. But Christian violently swatted his lawyer’s hand away.

"I’m not losing," Christian hissed under his ragged breath, his knuckles white against the table. "I’m not losing."

Then the judge struck her heavy gavel down, and every eye in the room snapped directly to the bench.

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