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Chapter 114

last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-09-30 23:58:00

The judge gave a short recess after Carter’s testimony, but the air in the courtroom remained thick, charged with something no whispered conversation could release. Richard had barely moved. His son’s words still echoed in his ears—She’s still a mom.

Monet sat beside him, her fingers clasped so tightly in her lap that her knuckles gleamed white. He wanted to reach for her hand, but the walls between them—the argument, the jealousy, the silence—still loomed.

The bailiff’s voice broke the tension. “Meredith Abbott.”

Every head turned.

---

The Entrance

Meredith was only six. The hem of her dress brushed her knees, her braid slightly lopsided from where she’d tugged at it nervously. She clutched a small stuffed bunny—Judge Morales allowed it, nodding once at the clerk.

Richard’s chest squeezed painfully. She looked so small against the pale wood of the courtroom.

The clerk leaned down. “Do you promise to tell the truth, Meredith?”

Her voice was soft, but clear. “I promise.”

She hugged the
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  • Lawfully Wedded Nanny (BWWM)   Chapter 116

    The courtroom felt different that morning. Not louder, not brighter—simply heavier, as though the very air had grown thick with all the words, accusations, and truths already spoken within these walls.The benches were full. Reporters had somehow wedged themselves in the last row despite the judge’s clear warning against turning the case into a spectacle. Lawyers whispered in low tones, papers rustling like dry leaves. The bailiff stood by the door, his posture rigid, as if guarding against the emotions about to erupt once a verdict was read.Richard sat at the respondent’s table, his jaw a hard line, his hands flat against the wood. He had not slept. Not really. He’d closed his eyes for two hours at most, and in that time, dreams had come—dreams of Carter’s small hand slipping from his grasp, dreams of Hannah’s laughter turning into Juliet’s icy voice, dreams of Monet walking away from him, her face unreadable.He forced the images back now. Today wasn’t about fear. Today was about h

  • Lawfully Wedded Nanny (BWWM)   Chapter 115

    The courtroom felt different when they reconvened the next morning.Not lighter—never that—but shifted, as if Carter and Meredith’s small voices still lingered in the air, invisible witnesses to the truth no gavel could erase.Richard sat straighter at the table, his lawyer flipping briskly through notes beside him. But his eyes strayed, again and again, to the gallery where Monet sat between Florence and Maxwell. She hadn’t slept, that much was clear. Her face was pale, her eyes rimmed in shadows, but when Meredith leaned against her shoulder before court was called to order, she had smiled. Soft, unguarded.That smile alone was enough to steady him.Juliet’s attorney rose first, voice polished to perfection. “Your Honor, no one here questions Mr. Abbott’s love for his children. But love alone does not equal stability. Love alone does not erase reckless decisions.”He moved with measured steps across the aisle, his words rising in tempo.“We have heard the testimony of the children—t

  • Lawfully Wedded Nanny (BWWM)   Chapter 114

    The judge gave a short recess after Carter’s testimony, but the air in the courtroom remained thick, charged with something no whispered conversation could release. Richard had barely moved. His son’s words still echoed in his ears—She’s still a mom.Monet sat beside him, her fingers clasped so tightly in her lap that her knuckles gleamed white. He wanted to reach for her hand, but the walls between them—the argument, the jealousy, the silence—still loomed.The bailiff’s voice broke the tension. “Meredith Abbott.”Every head turned.---The EntranceMeredith was only six. The hem of her dress brushed her knees, her braid slightly lopsided from where she’d tugged at it nervously. She clutched a small stuffed bunny—Judge Morales allowed it, nodding once at the clerk.Richard’s chest squeezed painfully. She looked so small against the pale wood of the courtroom.The clerk leaned down. “Do you promise to tell the truth, Meredith?”Her voice was soft, but clear. “I promise.”She hugged the

  • Lawfully Wedded Nanny (BWWM)   Chapter 113

    The fifth morning of hearings began with a kind of restless unease. The benches were full; whispers hummed like bees in a hive. Richard sat rigid beside Monet, the cuff of his suit jacket brushing hers, though neither spoke.Judge Morales adjusted her glasses, the rustle of her papers loud in the silence. “This court has heard from guardians, caretakers, and extended family. But the children themselves are central to this case. Today, we will hear from Carter Abbott.”Richard’s chest tightened. He wanted to rise, to object, to shield his son from the cold authority of the courtroom. But Kessler had warned him: Children’s testimony often decides custody disputes. Trust him to speak his truth.The bailiff guided Carter to the witness chair. He was only nine, yet his jaw was set, his tie slightly crooked but bravely worn. His small hands gripped the arms of the chair like he’d seen adults do.The clerk swore him in gently, substituting simpler language. “Do you promise to tell the truth?

  • Lawfully Wedded Nanny (BWWM)   Chapter 112

    The courthouse steps spilled into the street like a stage set for judgment. Reporters clustered at the bottom, their cameras forbidden but their pens merciless. Voices rose in a low hum, the same question repeated in different mouths: Will the Pendletons win custody? How much did the new wife know? What about Kyle Benson’s testimony?Richard kept his gaze forward, one hand gripping the railing as though it alone tethered him to the ground. He felt Monet’s presence just behind him, her steps light, careful—as though even the click of her shoes might be misinterpreted.“Mr. Abbott, comment on your wife’s infertility—”He didn’t flinch, didn’t answer. His attorney Kessler swept them past the reporters with curt words and the promise of “no comment.” But the words lingered like grit in Richard’s chest. Infertility. As though that one fact stripped Monet of every tender thing she had given his children.Florence was waiting by the car, her cane planted firm against the pavement. Maxwell st

  • Lawfully Wedded Nanny (BWWM)   Chapter 111

    When the court reconvened, the atmosphere was sharper, tighter, as though the air itself had listened in on every whispered hallway conversation. The gallery had filled again—faces leaned forward, hungry for spectacle. Reporters scribbled at the back, though the judge had barred cameras.Richard sat straighter than before, though the tension in his shoulders refused to ease. He’d barely looked at Monet during the recess, afraid of what he might see reflected there—hope, or worse, doubt.Judge Morales tapped her gavel lightly, calling for order. “We’ll resume with cross-examination. Counsel?”Juliet’s attorney, Mr. Langley, rose with smooth precision. His voice carried the kind of practiced ease that cloaked barbs in politeness.“Mr. Abbott,” he began, “you’ve testified with great conviction that your wife—Mrs. Monet Abbott—functions as the children’s mother. Correct?”Richard’s throat worked. “Correct.”Langley clasped his hands behind his back, strolling a step closer. “And yet, not

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