Broken Bond: Claimed by My Ex-Husband's Alpha Billionaire Uncle-Chapter 24: The First Step of Freedom

"Charlotte, are you awake?" A loud knock rattled her door in the early morning.

Charlotte groaned and rubbed her eyes to shake off the lingering sleepiness. Glancing at the clock on her bedside table, she sighed in exasperation. It was barely 5 a.m.

She had stayed up late practicing her script and had only managed to fall asleep around 3 a.m. Now, irritation simmered beneath her exhaustion as the relentless knocking continued.

"What’s going on?" she yanked the door open, but still tried to maintain her politeness.

She was surprised to find Vera standing behind the door. Since Carmen and Mona had returned to the manor, they had been spending more time together and had become closer than before.

But even though their relationship had become good, it didn’t mean that she had to wake up Charlotte before sunrise. Besides, she had to be at the courthouse by nine, so Charlotte wanted to use the remaining time to sleep.

Before Charlotte could say another word, Vera shoved her phone screen in her face. "The news. Have you seen the news?"

Charlotte creased her forehead and took the phone from Vera’s hand. "What news?"

"Charlotte," Vera said excitedly, "I think you’re going to win your case today."

Charlotte’s eyes darted to the screen, her stomach churning as she read the headline:

[Noire Bloom Perfume: Toxic Ingredients Cause Severe Skin Burns in Customers].

Charlotte held her breath for a moment. Many customers who had suffered skin burns from Noire Bloom products had come together to make a statement.

Back then, only small news portals carried their stories, but now there were at least five major news portals that had reported Noire Bloom’s infamy.

[A Small Perfumery Has Files Lawsuit Against Noire Bloom Due to Copied Formula!]

Aroma Haven did not dare to take the case to court because they were sure that Julian would win the case with his money.

However, based on the current situation, Charlotte suspected that Damon must have contacted Aroma Haven and offered them a great deal of help.

She knew that Damon had been trying to wreak havoc on Julian’s business, but she hadn’t expected him to drop the bomb on the day of the trial.

"With a case like this, Julian definitely won’t be able to come to court, right?" Vera said confidentially.

Charlotte nodded. "I hope so."

The trial would still go on even if Julian didn’t show up, but at least Charlotte had a chance to win her divorce case faster.

"I really hope I can divorce him today," she whispered.

• • •

As she suspected, Julian didn’t attend the court, leaving his attorney to handle their divorce case.

"I don’t see his mother either," Charlotte said, glancing around the courtroom.

"That’s good," Damon replied calmly, standing close to her. "Less drama to deal with."

"Did you do something to her, too?" Charlotte asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"I did nothing," Damon replied with a slight smile. Then he added, "But her mother did."

Charlotte’s mind raced. Carmen?

No wonder she hadn’t received any vile messages or threats from Priscilla in days. The woman who had once made it her mission to torment Charlotte had seemingly disappeared into silence.

Charlotte didn’t ask what Carmen had done to her daughter, because the important thing was that her life was getting calmer these days.

"Hey, Charlotte." Damon held her hand before she walked over to the plaintiff’s table. "You will officially be a divorcee today."

Any other woman might have found those words offensive. But for Charlotte, the word "divorcee" had a different meaning—it meant freedom.

The beginning of a new life.

She couldn’t help but smile. "Oh, I can’t wait."

The younger version of herself would have been terrified at the thought of becoming a divorcee, seeing it as a symbol of failure and shame. But the woman she was now?

She’d throw confetti in celebration.

More than that, this moment meant something even greater. Once she broke free of Julian, she could finally register her name as Luna of the Crimson Moon Pack. freewēbnoveℓ.com

And with that, she would be able to sign the marriage certificate with Damon.

Ah, marriage?

She hadn’t thought about it much further and Damon had never brought it up either.

Actually, the marital status between two werewolves wasn’t that important as long as they were already registered as mates, especially if she mated with an Alpha.

The reason most werewolves chose to marry in the modern world was to gain legal recognition of their relationship and benefit from practical advantages, such as reduced taxes by living together as a married couple.

But in Damon’s case, Charlotte was sure he had no concerns about taxes at all.

"Mrs. Dawson," Victor greeted her, interrupting her random thoughts. "I have news. Mr. Warren officially did not attend the hearing today."

"Great." Charlotte smiled. "I don’t know what will happen in court today, but at least I won’t have to see his face."

A few minutes later, the judge entered the courtroom. He knocked his gavel once. "Good morning, everyone. We reconvene today for the continuation of the divorce proceedings between Mrs. Charlotte Dawson and Mr. Julian Warren."

"The court has reviewed the newly submitted evidence as well as the written responses from the legal representatives of both parties."

The judge looked around the courtroom, pausing for a moment to ensure proper attention.

"After so much reconsideration of the new evidence, and after considering the testimony and financial documents, I find that there are sufficient grounds to proceed with the divorce."

Charlotte’s eyes lit up with excitement. The words she had been dying to hear were finally coming out of the judge’s mouth.

The judge continued, "I do not find it necessary to hear further arguments from counsel at this time."

He lowered his head to look at the papers in his hands. "And the matter of Mr. Warren’s conduct with many female humans will be dealt with in a separate hearing."

Charlotte couldn’t believe that the trial was going so smoothly. If she had known it would be like this, she would have been thrilled to see Julian’s expression when he failed to defend their marriage.

The matter of her fortune had not yet been resolved, but at least she could finally escape the status of being Julian’s wife.

Charlotte immediately turned to look at Damon. She smiled brightly and mouthed without making any sound, "I’m free."