Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-Chapter 17: Divorce Trial

As two weeks passed, Charlotte finally had to attend the hearing. She hadn’t expected Damon to come with her because of his busy schedule, but he decided to drop all his workload for one day to accompany her.

"You really don’t have to do this." Charlotte lowered her head and looked at her shoes on the ground. "Mr. Hale and his team will accompany me into the courtroom."

"They’re your legal team, while I’m your mate. We’re not the same," Damon replied firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Charlotte felt a warmth creep up her cheeks. His words were simple, but they were enough to let her know that someone cared about her and would be sitting behind her in the courtroom the whole time.

As they approached the courthouse steps, Damon gently placed a hand on her back, guiding her forward. "Listen, Charlotte," he began, his voice softer now, "I know it will be hard for you to face your abuser again, but I need you to stay calm in the courtroom."

"Don’t let your emotions control you, so he has no chance to manipulate you." Damon turned her around to face him. "But if he does, remember that you’re not alone. He can’t hurt you as long as I’m with you."

She wasn’t alone.

Her mate was protecting her, so whatever happened, Julian would never be able to touch her again.

She looked up at him, her blue eyes meeting his gray ones. "Thank you," she said softly. "For giving me a second chance."

If Damon had refused Charlotte’s request to renew their bond, she might not have had a chance to escape Julian’s cage.

Because of him, Charlotte found a new purpose in life.

Damon smiled faintly. "Anytime."

After strengthening her heart, Charlotte entered the courthouse with Damon. Her legal team was waiting for her in the lobby.

Victor stepped forward with a broad smile. "Good morning, Mrs. Dawson," he said. "Are you ready to win your case?"

Charlotte nodded and smiled. "More than ready."

Sophie informed her, "The trial will begin in five minutes. We may enter the courtroom now."

As they entered the courtroom, Charlotte felt her heartbeat quicken. Although she tried her best not to show her emotions, the thought of facing Julian again made her feel nauseous.

Her hand suddenly moved, searching for Damon’s hand as he walked behind her. She gripped it tightly as if she wanted to find a solace for her fear.

"You’re going to be okay," Damon whispered into her ear.

Charlotte took a deep breath before turning her gaze to Julian, who was already sitting at his table.

Unexpectedly, Julian turned his head so he could see Charlotte clearly. He gave her a crooked smile, the kind of smile he always showed when Charlotte did something wrong.

Julian’s eyes narrowed when he saw Damon’s presence. He clenched his jaw, looking angry that his own uncle had stolen his wife.

Priscilla sat behind Julian, her sharp gaze fixed on Charlotte. It was clear that she was ready to support her son no matter what.

"I’ll be here." Damon couldn’t follow her to the plaintiff’s table, but he made sure to sit right behind her. "Whatever happens in court, remember, I’ll always support you."

Charlotte nodded and smiled at him. "I know."

Soon after, the judge entered the courtroom and everyone rose. After the formalities, the trial began.

Victor Hale spoke first and presented the evidence of Julian’s physical abuse of Charlotte. The pictures of her bruises and severe wounds were plastered across the projector, causing the people in the courtroom to grimace.

"Your Honor, as you can see, Mr. Warren has abused my client, Mrs. Dawson, on multiple occasions," Victor Hale continued, "These photographs are evidence not only of physical harm but also of the emotional and psychological trauma she has endured in their marriage."

Julian’s attorney, Mr. Anders, stood up to object. "Your Honor, the defense contends that these photographs lack proper context. Based on my client’s testimony, Mrs. Dawson’s mental state was unstable and she would hurt herself to get her husband’s attention."

Charlotte’s jaw dropped after hearing Julian’s lawyer’s statement. Her mental state was unstable, he said. She occasionally hurt herself.?

Like hell, she would do that to herself.

If he said her mental state was unstable, it was because her husband had abused her every single day!

"Objection, Your Honor!" Victor defended her, "Mr. Anders’ allegations are baseless and deeply offensive. My client has no history of self-harm. Furthermore, the majority of these wounds are in areas that Mrs. Dawson could not reach by herself."

Julian liked to use a belt or whip to punish her, so most of her injuries were on her back.

It truly didn’t make sense for her to cause whiplash wounds on her own, and it made even less sense for her to ask someone else to whip her.

Mr. Anders responded to him, "Your Honor, we argue that they lack proper verification of their evidence."

"The wounds have not been examined or documented by a licensed medical professional. Without proper examination, the authenticity of these injuries remains speculative."

Victor’s expression remained calm. "Your Honor, Mrs. Dawson is a werewolf, a supernatural being with the ability to heal quickly. Hence, she took the photos of her injuries immediately after the abuse occurred."

He continued, "Also, Mr. Warren forbade my client from leaving the house, so she was unable to seek immediate supernatural medical help."

Mr. Anders smiled. "A werewolf’s ability to heal depends on the individual. Some werewolves need only minutes or hours, but others need days to fully recover from serious injuries."

He continued, "If we want to know how fast Mrs. Dawson’s healing ability is, I suggest we do a live demonstration in court. Have someone inflict a minor wound on Mrs. Dawson and observe how quickly it heals."

Damon immediately turned his sharp gaze on Julian. He clenched his fists tightly and whispered to himself, "Julian, you bastard."