Chapter 80: The first hearing pt 2
Arthur stood up again, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses with a calm, patient gesture.
"My young colleague makes a very clean, very persuasive argument," Arthur said, his voice dripping with mild, grandfatherly patience.
"And if this were a simple case of two people growing apart, I would agree with him entirely. But that is not the reality before this Court."
Arthur stepped out from behind the table, taking two slow steps toward the center of the room.
"My client is not objecting out of spite," Arthur said softly.
"He is objecting out of deep concern. We have serious, unresolved questions regarding the circumstances under which Mrs. Carter was taken from her home. We have questions about her sudden relocation to a foreign country, her current living conditions, and whether the decisions being presented in this court today are truly her own, or if she is acting under the heavy influence of third parties."
Niko’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t interrupt yet. He let Arthur walk deeper into the trap.
"My client’s wife is currently residing at the private estate of a man with whom she has publicly acknowledged an intimate relationship,"
Arthur continued, his voice lowering into a grave tone. He turned his head slightly toward Aaron. "That man is not an ordinary citizen. He is a foreign national with immense financial resources, significant private security, and considerable political weight."
Niko immediately raised his hand. "Objection, Your Honor. The personal life and financial standing of my client’s host are completely irrelevant to a standard divorce petition."
"The relevance, Your Honor," Arthur countered smoothly, turning back to the judge, "goes directly to the question of undue influence. My client has a right, and indeed a duty, to ensure that his wife is not being manipulated or coerced by a powerful figure while she is in a vulnerable state."
The courtroom fell completely quiet. Kian sat up a little straighter, his face grim.
That was the angle they had agreed on. Make Aaron look like a dangerous figure who was pulling the strings, and make Kian look like a worried husband trying to protect his wife from a predator.
Niko let out a soft, faint laugh. It wasn’t loud or rude, but it was enough to break the serious mood Arthur was trying to build.
"Undue influence?" Niko asked, stepping forward. "That is a very heavy phrase, Mr. Pendleton. So let us be precise. Are you alleging that Mrs. Carter lacks the mental capacity to make her own decisions?"
Arthur hesitated for a tiny fraction of a second. "We have not alleged mental incapacity."
"I see," Niko said crisply. "Are you alleging that she is being physically restrained against her will at Mr. Kazarov’s estate?"
"No," Arthur said, his tone remaining polite. "We are not making that claim."
"Are you alleging that she has been threatened, blackmailed, or forced to sign her petition under physical duress?"
Arthur paused, choosing his words carefully. "Not at this time."
"Then what, precisely," Niko said, his voice dropping its light tone and turning sharp as a razor, "is the legal basis for asking this Court to question a grown woman’s ability to decide where she lives and who she speaks to? You have no medical reports showing incapacity. You have no police reports showing restraint. You have nothing except the fact that Mr. Carter doesn’t like the man his wife chose to stand beside."
Silence covered the room.
On the public benches, a law clerk leaned over to his colleague. "The kid just completely wiped out Arthur’s argument. If they don’t have proof of coercion, they’re just blowing hot air."
Aaron sat quietly in his chair, his broad hands resting on his knees. His expression didn’t change, but his eyes followed Niko with quiet satisfaction.
The boy was sharp. He knew exactly when to play casual and when to drive a blade into the opposing side’s logic.
Judge Daniel leaned forward, resting his elbows on the wooden bench. He looked down at Isabella.
"Mrs. Carter," the judge said directly.
Isabella straightened her back, her fingers tightening around Aaron’s for a quick second before she let go and placed her hands neatly on the table. "Yes, Your Honor?"
"Do you understand the nature of the proceedings taking place today?"
"I do," she said clearly. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried through the quiet room without shaking.
"And is it your personal desire to proceed with the dissolution of your marriage to Mr. Kian Carter?"
The question hung in the air, heavy and absolute.
Isabella hesitated for a brief moment. It wasn’t because she was confused, and it wasn’t because she was afraid.
It was simply the sheer weight of saying it out loud in a room full of strangers, putting an official end to the years she had spent bound to Kian.
She felt Aaron’s presence beside her, steady and quiet, asking nothing from her, simply offering a solid wall at her back.
Isabella lifted her chin, staring straight toward the sound of the judge’s voice.
"Yes, Your Honor," she said, her tone firm and steady. "It is."
"Has anyone forced you to make this decision?" the judge asked.
"No."
"Have you been threatened or coerced by Mr. Kazarov or anyone else?"
"No," Isabella said, a faint, sad smile touching her lips. "I am here because I simply do not want to be married to Kian Carter anymore."
The simplicity of the answer seemed to settle over the courtroom like heavy dust.
There was no theatrical crying, no long-winded accusations, no dramatic speeches. Just a woman stating a clear, undeniable truth.
Kian’s face went pale. Hearing her say those words, so calmly, so directly, felt like a hand reaching into his chest and squeezing his heart until it couldn’t beat. He couldn’t stay quiet any longer.
"Your Honor," Kian said, standing up before Arthur could stop him.
Arthur quickly reached out to grab Kian’s sleeve, but Kian brushed his hand away, his eyes fixed entirely on Isabella’s profile.
"Mr. Carter," Judge Daniel warned, raising an eyebrow. "Your counsel is speaking for you."
"I ask the Court’s indulgence for one minute," Kian said, his voice tight, rough with emotions he was trying desperately to hide. He took a deep breath, smoothing his suit coat, forcing his tone into a reasonable, quiet pitch.
"I am not asking this Court to force my wife to love me. I know what has happened between us cannot be fixed in a day."
He looked directly at the side of Isabella’s face, though she didn’t turn toward him.
"I am simply asking the Court to ensure that the decision being presented here truly belongs to her," Kian said, his voice softening slightly.
"She has been through severe trauma over the last few years. Her sight was taken from her, her father died too and just a month ago, she was removed from her home under chaotic circumstances. I only want to be certain that she is making these choices with a clear mind, free from external pressure."