Infidelity was one thing, but asking his wife to have their child adopted by the third party? Hamish remained calm, knowing that Elisa would release this video sooner or later.
Hamish’s gaze turned deep and curious. He glanced at Elisa and said, “What can a video prove? It was just a moment of anger on my part. Besides, the person standing next to me at that time was my younger sister. We grew up together, and my mother adopted her as her goddaughter. If the judge doesn’t believe me, I can have her testify in person. I’ve already brought her here.”
Elisa’s breathing became difficult, as if she had been deprived of oxygen in an instant. Her face appeared pale under the lights. She never expected that Hamish would bring Lila to testify that he hadn’t cheated, and using the excuse of being his “sister.”
At that moment, everyone noticed someone in a secluded corner. Lila stood up and cleared her throat, “Yes, we have no inappropriate relationship. It was just a moment of anger, and she imagined it herself.”
A cold smile lingered on Hamish’s lips. After Lila finished speaking, he continued, “As for domestic violence, I must clarify here that the child in Elisa’s womb was the result of her accidentally falling. She even admitted in the video that she killed the child herself…”
Elisa’s face turned frantic. “Hamish, you bastard! That’s nonsense! He’s completely distorting the truth, saying that I killed the child!”
The judge solemnly said, “Order in the court!”
“There’s something else I didn’t plan to mention…” Hamish looked at Elisa meaningfully, and his tone suddenly became heavy. “My wife suffers from severe mental illness, schizophrenia, and delusional disorder. I have hospital records and doctor’s certifications to prove it. It was even posted online.”
Coming to court while suffering from a mental illness, wasn’t that just a farce? As Hamish’s words fell, everyone looked at Elisa with astonishment and their gazes were as sharp as knives, as if they wanted to tear her apart.
The judge asked, “You said you didn’t plan to mention it, so why are you bringing it up now?”
Hamish replied, “I didn’t plan to mention it because of my wife’s reputation. But if I don’t speak up now, I’m afraid that in her confused state of mind, she will force a divorce upon me. I am her legal guardian and have a responsibility to take care of her. Besides, in terms of our relationship, we’ve known each other for six years and have been married for over four years. How could our relationship break irreparably because of a single statement she made?”
Mrs. Gordon and the psychiatrist who treated Elisa at the hospital came forward to testify for Hamish.
Finally, Mr. Hunter summarized, “During the existence of the marriage, the plaintiff, Elisa, suffered from a mental illness. Hamish, as the plaintiff’s legal guardian, bears a certain supervisory responsibility for the plaintiff.”
“Due to the plaintiff’s severe mental illness, she is considered legally incapacitated and completely lacks the ability to defend herself during an episode. The evidence she presented while suffering from the mental illness does not conform to legal procedures and facts, therefore it is invalid evidence.”
“The plaintiff’s requested claims do not align with the facts and legal basis. The content of the lawsuit is dismissed!”
“No…,” Elisa trembled as she tried to explain, “That’s not true. I’ve already recovered from my illness. I’m fully aware that I want a divorce, and there’s no love between me and Hamish! Your Honor, I appeal for the divorce, and I don’t want any share of the property.”
The judge looked at Hamish, “Does the defense have anything to say?”
Hamish sneered, his victory apparent. It seemed that he had everything under his control. He glanced sideways at Mr. Hunter, knowing that he didn’t need to intervene anymore.
Mr. Hunter cleared his throat, pushed up his silver-framed glasses, and his eyes sparkled with sharpness. “We have evidence that proves the plaintiff’s reason for filing for divorce is related to a significant amount of property.”
Elisa frowned. Property issues? She had been married to Hamish for so many years, and he had never spent a penny on her. On the contrary, he had ruined her life!
Mr. Hunter explained one by one and finally presented the evidence.
The content revealed that when Elisa was in charge of the South Water Island project at the Burns Group, she transferred a significant amount of property to the Baker family, amounting to eight billion.
The shock of such a huge sum of money spread among those present. The crowd looked at Elisa with different eyes. No wonder she said she didn’t want a single penny, as shehad already transferred eight billion.
If Elisa insisted on the divorce, she would have to settle this amount and compensate Hamish.
But eight billion… where could she get such a large sum of money? Even if it were eight million, she didn’t have it.
Elisa’s face turned pale, and she clenched her teeth. “You’re lying! I never transferred any money to your name!”
The judge said, “Order in the court!”
Mr. Hunter continued, “We have a witness.”
At that moment, a person walked out from behind. Elisa stiffened and her face froze.
After the initial shock, Elisa wore a sorrowful smile. The person who came forward was Joshua, Micah’s father, the person she considered family.
Betrayed time and time again, her heart had already been riddled with wounds. Elisa didn’t listen to a word Joshua said when he approached. She only saw his lips moving.
The words he spoke seemed so real, even though just last month she had helped the Baker family secure a deal worth fifteen billion.
“Does the plaintiff have anything else to say?” It was only when the judge spoke that Elisa snapped back to reality. She wore a bitter smile on her face, a smile that reached her eyes, filled with desolation. She choked out, “Why? Why are you helping Hamish too, Joshua?”
Joshua lowered his head and clenched his fist tightly against his thigh. After a while, he turned to look at Elisa, a gentle elder advising, “Elisa, you’re sick. There are many things you can’t judge. Mr. Burns truly loves you. Stop causing trouble and go back to him to live a good life…”
After hearing Joshua’s words of persuasion, Elisa couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Her eyes were burning hot, but tears refused to fall. She looked at everyone in the room, her once deep black eyes now bloodshot, making people feel a chill for no reason.
“Why…” She just wanted a divorce. Why was it so difficult? Why was right and wrong being twisted?
Could those in power really surpass the law?
Despair filled Elisa’s gaze as she looked around. She reached out and grabbed the fabric of her chest, crumpling it like her heart inside.
The cold judge, Joshua with a guilty expression in his eyes, the indifferent gazes from all directions were like shards of ice hitting her. It was only late autumn, but she felt like it was the depths of winter. She felt as if she had plunged into a freezing pond, losing all rationality.