Chapter 157 Talia
Chapter 157 Talia
Talia's POV
It was such a small gesture, yet somehow… It made me feel protected.
It made me feel safe.
When we reached the entrance of the courthouse, he finally turned to look at me.
“Are you nervous?”
A small smile touched my lips.
“A little bit.”
His expression softened.
“You don’t have to go through this alone today.”
I looked into his eyes and nodded.
“I know.”
“I’ll be inside.”
My smile became a little warmer.
“Thank you.”
I paused for a moment before quietly adding,
“For everything.”
Courtroom Three was already packed by the time we entered.
Every seat in the public gallery was occupied by journalists eager to report every word spoken during the hearing.
Several executives from Howard Group sat quietly behind Alexander, their faces unreadable.
The air inside the courtroom felt so tense that even breathing seemed difficult.
I walked to my seat beside my lawyer, Mrs. Bennett.
Across the room… Alexander was already seated, he was alone.
Emma wasn’t anywhere in sight. For the first time since this nightmare began…
He didn’t look confident, he didn’t look proud.
He simply looked exhausted.
Dark circles rested beneath his eyes, and the usual confidence he carried had disappeared.
When our eyes briefly met, he gave me a small nod.
There was hope in it.
Almost like he still believed something could change.
I quietly looked away.
A moment later, the courtroom doors opened and the judge entered.
“All rise.”
Everyone stood until he took his seat.
After the usual formalities, he adjusted his glasses and opened the case file before him.
“We are gathered today to continue the divorce proceedings between Mr. Alexander Howard and Mrs. Talia Howard.”
He looked toward my lawyer.
“Counsel for the petitioner, you may begin.”
Mrs. Bennett rose confidently.
“Thank you, Your Honor.”
She walked calmly to the center of the courtroom.
“My client is not standing before this court out of revenge.”
She paused.
“She is here because she wants her freedom.”
Her calm, steady voice echoed throughout the silent courtroom.
“For many years, Mrs. Howard endured emotional neglect throughout her marriage.”
She placed the first folder before the judge.
“Exhibit A.”
Inside were phone records, travel schedules, and calendar entries.
She continued,
“These documents clearly show that Mr. Howard repeatedly chose personal engagements over important family responsibilities, despite claiming he was busy with business matters.”
Another folder followed.
“Exhibit B.”
She opened it, and it carried photographs.
Noah’s birthday celebration, the school recital, and the family charity banquet.
Each picture told the same painful story.
There was always one empty chair.
The chair where Alexander should have been.
My throat tightened as memories I had tried to bury resurfaced.
Mrs. Bennett continued speaking.
“Being physically absent does not automatically destroy a marriage.”
She paused before opening another file.
“But repeated humiliation certainly can.”
The courtroom fell completely silent.
She displayed several news articles on the large courtroom screen.
Headline after headline appeared.
Television interviews, Press statements.
Every report documented Alexander’s public announcement about having an open marriage.
Some articles even showed photographs of him attending public events with Emma while I was still legally married to him.
Quiet whispers spread throughout the gallery.
Mrs. Bennett remained composed.
“My client was expected to silently endure public humiliation while continuing to play the role of the perfect wife.”
She turned toward the judge.
“This arrangement was never mutual.”
“It was forced upon her.”
She handed over another folder.
“Financial records.”
My eyes drifted toward Alexander, he wasn’t studying the evidence, he wasn’t watching my lawyer.
He wasn’t even looking at the judge.
He was looking only at me.
Mrs. Bennett continued.
“Throughout the marriage, Mrs. Howard’s personal bank accounts were repeatedly restricted.”
“Even ordinary household expenses required approval.”
She paused.
“Meanwhile, enormous amounts of money were freely spent on Mr. Howard’s mistress.”
A soft gasp echoed somewhere in the gallery.
The judge carefully examined every document.
Finally, he lifted his head.
“Mr. Howard.”
Alexander slowly looked up.
“Do you dispute any of these claims?”
The courtroom became so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat pounding inside my chest.
Slowly, Alexander stood.
“No, Your Honor.”
Everyone in the courtroom was surprised.
Even Mrs. Bennett briefly turned toward me. She clearly hadn’t expected him to admit it.
The judge frowned slightly.
“You admit that these events occurred?”
“Yes.”
“You admit that you publicly humiliated your wife by announcing an open marriage?”
Alexander lowered his head.
“…Yes.”
“You also admit that you neglected your responsibilities as both a husband and a father?”
His voice became barely audible.
“Yes.”
There were no excuses or arguments.
No attempts to defend himself.
The man who had spent years trying to control every situation, finally accepted the truth without resistance.
The judge leaned back thoughtfully.
“Then before these proceedings continue, is there anything you wish to say to this court?”
Alexander slowly lifted his eyes, not toward the judge or the lawyers, but towards me.
His eyes were bloodshot from countless sleepless nights.
His shoulders seemed weighed down by regrets he could no longer hide.
He stepped forward slowly.
“Your Honor…”
His voice trembled.
“I know I failed my wife.”
“I failed my son.”
“And I failed this marriage.”
No one interrupted him.
The courtroom remained completely silent.
“I can’t undo the mistakes I’ve made.”
“I can’t erase the pain I caused.”
He swallowed with difficulty before continuing.
“But…”
His eyes locked onto mine.
“I don’t want this marriage to end.”
A painful knot formed in my throat.
“I respectfully ask this court…”
His voice cracked as he struggled to stay composed.
“…to give me more time.”
“Time to make things right.”
“Time to try to repair what I’ve broken.”
“I know I don’t deserve another opportunity, but I’m asking for one anyway.”
His words hung heavily in the courtroom.
No one spoke, no one even moved.
For a brief moment, it felt as though every person in that room was waiting for my answer.
Mrs. Bennett turned toward me.
The judge adjusted his glasses before speaking.
“Mrs. Howard.”
“Would you like to respond?”
I slowly rose to my feet.
Every eye in the courtroom followed me.
Alexander looked at me with hope shining through his exhaustion.
Seeing that expression hurt more than I expected.
Not because I wanted him back.
But because I finally understood something I had spent years waiting to see.
He truly regretted losing me.
The tragedy was… He only realized my value after I stopped begging him to notice it.
I looked into his eyes one final time.
When I spoke, my voice remained calm and steady.
There was no anger or hatred left in it, I was only being certain.
“No.”
That single word shattered the fragile hope filling the courtroom.
Alexander’s shoulders slowly dropped.
His eyes closed for a brief moment.
It was as if he had already known what my answer would be… Yet hearing it spoken aloud still broke whatever hope remained inside him.
The judge looked from Alexander to me before giving a slow nod.
“The court acknowledges Mrs. Howard’s decision.”
He lifted the case file and prepared to move forward with the next stage of the proceedings.
No one sitting in that courtroom truly understood what had just happened.
They believed they had only witnessed another step in a divorce case.
But they were wrong.
They had just witnessed the moment Alexander Howard finally accepted a painful truth…
Some doors, once they are closed, can never be opened again.