My Husband's Family Puts Me on the Marriage Tribunal

On our tenth wedding anniversary, my husband and his family dragged me to the Marriage Tribunal.

When Jake Morris accused me of the various abuses he'd endured over the past ten years, everyone in the courtroom was shocked.

Outraged, they attacked my character, eager to see me brought down.

But when the verdict was announced, the entire room fell silent.

On the day that should have marked a decade of marriage, I didn't receive flowers or embraces.

Instead, Jake brought me to court, demanding a thorough investigation of my financial situation.

He even claimed I should repay every penny he'd ever spent on me during our marriage.

I was blindsided and dragged to the courtroom without warning.

As I stood there, facing the accusations, I turned to Jake.

He had even brought his relatives, who were more than willing to vouch for my supposed cruelty.

"You'll die a terrible death for what you've done to Jake, Elena Mann."

"You heartless woman. You even abandoned your own son. He's only eight years old, for God's sake."

Before the judge could say a word, Jake and his family had already launched their attack.

His mother sat in the audience, bawling hysterically, while she loudly recounted my alleged misdeeds.

I stared at them and sank into thought.

The spectators, too, glared at me with fury.

They acted as if I had wronged each of them.

And then, the trial began.

I was led to the defendant's stand, just behind the memory extraction device.

The judge turned to me, her voice stern. "Defendant, based on the plaintiff's accusations, we will now proceed with a memory extraction for truth verification.

"If everything aligns with the plaintiff's claims, you will be convicted."

I glanced at Jake.

Beside him were his sister, his mother, and our eight-year-old son.

They stood there, smug.

I asked, "Are you sure this trial will be one hundred percent fair? No favoritism?"

A murmur ran through the audience, shocked by my question.

Just a week ago, Jake had teamed up with his mother and sister to post a plea for help online.

They announced that they were taking me to court because I wanted a divorce.

Now, this wasn't any ordinary court. To ensure absolute fairness, both the plaintiff's and defendant's memories would be extracted and reviewed.

The judge, along with the Scales of Justice, would determine the verdict.

The post had caused an uproar, even making it to the city's trending topics.

He painted me as a cold-hearted woman who had abandoned her husband and son, abused the elderly, and treated her family with utter indifference.

He claimed that his mother had treated me like her own daughter and tended to my every need.

But I had thrown tantrums and even thrown out meals she cooked for me.

He went on to say that our son had ended up in the hospital multiple times due to my neglect and that when he was sick, I didn't care at all. I even went on a vacation.

As for himself, Jake claimed he had been the one taking care of all the housework, handing over his paycheck to me, and doing part-time jobs to make sure I had everything I wanted.

Instead of gratitude, I responded with verbal and physical abuse.

According to him, I had demanded a divorce, leaving him and our son penniless.

Because the house was in my name, Jake stood to lose everything.

He had turned to the internet, fishing for sympathy. He hoped to get the compensation he believed he deserved.

In no time, I was inundated with hate from countless strangers online.

Some even went to my workplace and threw rotten eggs at the building.

Jake's mother, his sister, and our son had even gone as far as to bow outside my office, begging me not to divorce him.

Under the pressure of public opinion, my company fired me.

It seemed like the whole world was against me.

"How can there be such a vile woman like Elena in this world?"

"If I had a son who was treated like that, I'd have sliced her into pieces by now."

"Poor old lady, this world is so messed up."

"They should drag her to the Tribunal of Morality and make sure she never rises again."

And so, here I was, standing trial, condemned by both the court and public opinion.

The judge interrupted my thoughts.

She said, "Before we begin, both parties must sign a fairness agreement. Once the trial concludes, the decision will be executed immediately."

I snapped out of my daze and looked at Jake.

He flinched but managed to speak up.

He said, "Your Honor, there's no need to make this more difficult. As long as Elena compensates me for the losses, I'm willing to let this go."

I laughed coldly.

I said, "Don't hold back. Let's make this trial as thorough as possible.

"No mercy, Jake. And don't come crying later."

My words ignited the fury of the audience.

"Can you believe the audacity of this woman?"

"Just wait. She's about to get what's coming to her."

"She's just putting on a brave face before the inevitable."

The noise grew louder and louder until the judge had to bang her gavel to restore order.

"Silence in the court.

"For the sake of expediency, both parties must sign the agreement now."

Soon, an electronic document appeared before Jake and me.

His accusations were clear.

First, I had been unfilial, driving his mother to illness through my disrespect.

Second, I had bled him dry, forcing him to buy luxury items that had left him in debt.

Third, I had neglected our son, going on a trip while he was sick.

I signed without hesitation, while Jake hesitated.

His mother and sister urged him to sign it.

His mother whispered, "What are you afraid of? Sign it and make that bitch pay.

His sister echoed, "Yeah, she's done us wrong so many times. Just sign it."

Gritting his teeth, Jake finally signed the agreement.

And with that, I was fitted with the brainwave transmission system to extract my memories.

My past would now be broadcast on the courtroom screen for all to see.

The judge spoke again.

"The first charge: unfilial conduct toward the plaintiff's mother. The plaintiff claims that she treated the defendant like her own daughter, but the defendant showed no gratitude and disrespected her.

"We will now extract the memories of their interactions."

A tingle of electricity surged through my brain as I was plunged into a memory.

The judge's voice echoed in my mind. "Recall your wedding to Jake. Let's verify if his claim about your treatment of his mother is true."

The memory played before the court.

It was our wedding day. The venue was modest, and we had a traditional banquet in the village.

I wore a white wedding dress, my face clouded with worry.

Jake's mother approached me with a smile, taking my hand. "Elena, you're part of our family now. I swear, as your mother-in-law, I'll never treat you badly."

With that, she slid a gold bracelet onto my wrist.

She continued, "I sold two of our pigs to buy this for you. Wear it, and may you and Jake have a long and happy life together."

The scene looked harmonious enough, with no sign of any strife.

But then, the memory shifted to later that night. I returned to my room alone, coldly tossing the bracelet into the trash.

"What kind of junk is this? She has the nerve to give it to me. Disgusting!" I muttered.

The audience exploded in outrage.

"How could she be so ungrateful? Her mother-in-law was so kind to her."

"That bracelet came from selling two pigs. Elena has no heart."

I remained silent, letting them curse me.

As long as the gavel hadn't fallen, none of their words mattered.

Jake's family seemed to relax.

His mother looked at me with smug satisfaction.

Then the verdict came.

The judge checked the results, looking surprised.

She read it out, "The accusation of Elena being unfilial toward the plaintiff's mother is not substantiated. Elena is acquitted of this charge."

The courtroom fell into stunned silence.

The spectators gawked, unable to believe what they'd just heard.

They began whispering amongst themselves.

Jake's mother turned pale. "How could they say that? She clearly disrespected me."

The judge sternly banged the gavel once more, silencing the room.

"The trial proceeds. Extract the next memory," she said.

This time, the memory belonged to me and Jake.

The screen flickered to life, showing Jake with a broad smile, holding out two large gift boxes to me.

"Honey, take a look. Aren't these exactly what you wanted?" he asked.

I opened the boxes, revealing the logo of a luxury jewelry brand inside.

Startled, I questioned him, "Where did you get the money to buy such expensive things?"

Jake gazed at me lovingly.

He said, "Sweetheart, you deserve this. You're the love of my life. How could I let you go without jewelry?

"Even though I had to take out a loan for them, I'll work hard to pay it back."

I glanced at the jewelry with disdain, tossing it back into the box before hurling the box onto his chest.

I spat, "Jake, you make me sick.

"Talking like that while using these things to humiliate me. Aren't you afraid of karma?"

The memory abruptly cut off.

In the courtroom, the audience gasped collectively.

"How ungrateful can she be? Jake went into debt to buy her those gifts, and she didn't even appreciate it?"

"She's such a bitch. If I had a husband like Jake, I'd count my blessings."

"Someone ought to slap some sense into her."

The audience cursed at me.

Jake grew more and more smug.

The judge, receiving the verdict, struck the gavel once more.

She said, "Regarding the accusation that Elena forced Jake to spend money, the court finds it unsubstantiated. Elena is not guilty."

I couldn't help but let out a derisive laugh. In an instant, Jake and his family's triumphant expressions froze.

The crowd erupted again.

"This is twisted."

"Unbelievable. Is this court rigged?"

"Elena deserves to rot in hell."

The judge had to restore order.

Then the trail continued.

The next charge was that I had abused my son.

The memory shifted to three years after I married into the Morris family.

I had just given birth to my son.

In the delivery room, I weakly opened my eyes and saw Jake and his family, all beaming.

My mother-in-law, Dana Morris, held the baby joyfully. "Elena, you've given our family a big, healthy boy. Thank you."

Jake squeezed my hand. "Honey, thank you."

His sister, Nicole Morris, chimed in sweetly, "Elena, don't worry about a thing. I'll handle all the housework while you recover."

Everything seemed harmonious.

But the moment I laid eyes on the baby, my expression darkened.

"This isn't my child. Where's my baby?" I demanded.

The courtroom gasped in unison.

On the screen, Dana and Jake exchanged a nervous glance.

"What are you talking about? This is your baby," Dana stammered.

I grabbed her hair, screaming, "You witch. This isn't my child. Do you think I wouldn't recognize my own baby?

"Give me back my child."

My shrill voice seemed to tear through the courtroom ceiling as I yanked several strands of hair from her head.

Dana cried out in pain, and Jake hurriedly led her and Nicole out of the hospital room.

Later, after I was discharged, I remained distant from Billy Morris.

I rarely held him, and we never bonded.

In the next scene, Billy was crying, burning up with fever.

But I barely glanced at him before slinging my bag over my shoulder and walking out the door.

Jake called me, his voice sharp with accusation. "Our son had a fever, and you just left? Where are you?"

I answered coldly, "If he's sick, take him to the hospital. Don't call me."

Without another word, I boarded a plane and flew out of town.

My indifference, mixed with the sound of Billy crying, echoed through the courtroom.

The audience's fury reached a fever pitch.

Jake and his family looked more victorious than ever.

But just then, the judge received the next verdict.

The audience held their breath.

"How could she deny her own child?"

"She's a monster in human skin."

"Judge, convict her already. I can't stand it."

Everyone raised their voices.

Jake and his family grew even more complacent.

The verdict for this session was then delivered.

I was still found not guilty.

The audience below began to shout, claiming the trial was unfair.

The judge began to announce the decision.

She said, "The court will now announce the verdict of this trial."

Jake, along with Dana and Nicole, arrogantly lifted their heads.

The audience below chanted in unison, "Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!"

But after a brief pause, the judge's deep voice cut through the noise.

She said, "After reviewing the evidence, the court finds the defendant, Elena Mann, not guilty of all three charges."

A dead silence fell over the courtroom.

I allowed myself a small smile, and it seemed to cut Jake like a blade. The anger on his face was unmistakable.

"This is impossible!"

"How can a woman like her be innocent?"

"The judge is corrupt. This court is a sham."

Cries of outrage filled the air.

Jake shouted about the injustice, threatening to destroy the judge's stand.

Dana and Nicole wept, claiming it was all a conspiracy.

The reporters raised their cameras, ready to capture this historic moment.

I remained calm. "You haven't seen all of my memories yet. You should keep watching.

"But be warned. The next scene might be a little too much for some.

"Hold up your cameras and record all this.

"I'm about to show you the truth."