Rise Of The Wasted Shadow Wife

Chapter 18

Chapter 18.

The courtroom that day was full of curiosity. Media cameras were not allowed in, but dozens of reporters stood guard outside, waiting for moments and statements. Inside, the courtroom lights highlighted the judge's table and the chairs in the front row, where the two main characters, Laura Smith and Axel Anthony, sat far away from each other.

This is their first official legal meeting.

Laura sits quietly, her work suit neat, her hair in a low bun. Her eyes are sharp, not full of anger, but full of conviction. Axel, on the other hand, sat with a hardened jaw, his hands folded on the table like he was holding back something that wanted to explode.

When their names were called by the judge, Axel turned his head. Just a glance. But in a split second, his eyes met Laura's gaze.

And there, behind Laura's firmness, Axel saw a wound that never healed.

No words were spoken, but the whole room felt like it was being pulled into a deep vortex. Everyone knew that this was no ordinary trial.

This was a battlefield of emotions, betrayals, and truths that could no longer be covered up.

---

To the surprise of many, at the end of the first hearing, Axel stood up and said in a loud voice:

"I don't need legal representation."

Everyone, including the judge and his own legal team, turned to him.

"I will handle this case myself. I want to hear directly from him. I want to know who this woman is who dragged me to court."

Laura wasn't surprised, she had expected Axel to try and take over the game. But she knew one thing Axel had forgotten: this wasn't a game anymore. This was a reality that he had carefully constructed.

"Very well," said the judge, though with a suspiciously furrowed brow. "Mr. Anthony, you take full responsibility for the consequences."

Axel just nodded, his eyes not leaving Laura. But Laura looked at him coldly.

She was no longer the woman who used to beg for confession. She was now someone who would drag him out of his golden palace, stone by stone.

---

That night, Axel sat alone in his library. Law books were scattered around him, but his mind was not focused. He opened a small drawer in an old cabinet and took out a black velvet box.

What did it contain? Alessia's photographs.

Not just the photos of them pretending to be happy, but also the candid ones taken on the sly-when Alessia was reading on the balcony, smiling at the maid, or clutching her stomach when she found out she was pregnant.

Axel looks at each photo with an expression that is not easily interpreted. There is regret, there is longing, and there is anger-not at Alessia, but at himself.

He realized one painful thing: he never stopped loving her.

But now, that love could no longer save anything. He had walked too far, and there was no way back that was clean enough to walk.

---

The second trial was held with more reporters outside. The rumors of embezzlement, confinement, and marriage forgery had rocked the media and made the public thirsty for the truth.

Today, Laura brought the first piece of evidence.

She stood quietly, handed the judge a file and said:

"This is a copy of the marriage contract that was given to me seven years ago-all signed, stamped and notarized by an institution that turned out to be a fake."

He then handed over the second piece of evidence.

"And this is evidence that Axel Anthony directly ordered that Nadine Laurent, his legal wife, be legally manipulated out of his home, complete with transcripts of conversations and transfers of funds to a fictitious notary."

The room rumbled. Axel just sat there in silence.

There was no rebuttal.

Laura looked at the judge. "This is not about money. It's about lives being destroyed, dignity being taken away, and the law being played with."

And for the first time since the trial began, Axel seemed at a loss for words.

---

A few days after the trial, Axel sat with the only lawyer left on his team. The man asked quietly, "Do you really want to continue this alone?"

Axel looked down at the table. He looked tired but also honest.

"I need to know... whether I'm fighting an enemy or someone who once loved me."

He sighed. "I knew she was Alessia from the first time I saw her eyes in the courtroom. But I also knew she wasn't the Alessia of old."

He paused for a moment. "I really fell in love with her again when she became Laura."

The lawyer fell silent.

Axel continued, his voice soft but sure, "But maybe love isn't about possession. Maybe... the only thing I can do is let her destroy me because I deserve it."