The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 479

Seeing Helena trembling so hard she was about to lose her mind, Winona gripped her arm tightly. "Aunt Helena, look at me! Think of Greta. If you snap and attack him in here, you give him exactly what he wants."

Helena took a shaky breath, the red haze clearing from her vision. Matteo was trying to goad her into proving she was unhinged. She forced herself to sit perfectly still. Relieved, Winona glanced at Hayes Yarwood. The elite lawyer gave her a relaxed, confident smile. He was more than prepared for this kind of gutter trash.

Hayes stood up and formally requested a forensic examination of the defense's "evidence," explicitly stating they were clumsy forgeries. Then, he went on the offensive. He played pre-recorded testimonies from Helena's neighbors, colleagues, and Greta's teachers, all proving Helena was a devoted, loving mother who didn't touch alcohol or gamble. He submitted years of daily photos, medical records, and school pickup logs. In stark contrast, Matteo couldn't produce a single photo of himself spending time with his daughter.

"Men are the breadwinners!" Matteo barked from his wheelchair. "I was busy working to support the family. Of course I didn't have time to take pictures!"

Hayes calmly pulled up Helena's bank statements during the marriage. Line by line, it showed Helena paying the mortgage, Greta's tuition, groceries, and medical bills. Aside from a few meager payments in the first six months of their marriage, Matteo had contributed absolutely nothing.

"That's a lie!" Cynthia screamed from the gallery. "My son gave her plenty of money! He must have given it to her in cash!"

Hayes didn't even blink. He smoothly submitted a court-ordered subpoena of Matteo's bank records. The documents showed exactly where Matteo's money had gone: massive transfers to his mistress, luxury expenses, and a massive, continuous flow of cash straight into Cynthia Sutton's bank account.

The entire courtroom turned to look at Matteo and Cynthia with profound disgust.

Backed into a corner, Cynthia shrieked, "A son should provide for his mother! What's wrong with that?!"

"You chose her over your wife, and she's ready to leave you to rot in the streets. If you don't sue her to get your money back right now, you'll be dead in a year."

Matteo's head snapped toward his mother, his sunken eyes suddenly filled with dark, murderous realization.

"Don't listen to her, Matteo!" Cynthia panicked. "I'm your mother! I would never hurt you!"

But Matteo had nothing left. If he wanted to survive, he needed the money he had blindly handed over to her.