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ABC Full [10-22-2025] General Hospital_ Michael Drops a BOMB in Court—Willow Can
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00:11The courtroom was packed, the tension so thick it was almost suffocating.
00:16Everyone had gathered to witness what was supposed to be a routine hearing, one that Michael Corinthos had prepared for with icy determination.
00:23But deep inside, his heart was pounding, and every glance toward Willow made his chest tighten with guilt.
00:28The judge's gavel echoed, silencing the murmurs as Michael rose from his seat.
00:34His eyes darted toward his wife, who looked confused yet supportive, unaware that everything she believed about their life was about to change.
00:42Willow smiled softly at him, that same gentle, trusting smile that had always grounded him, and that was what made this moment unbearable.
00:50Michael took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly as he stood before the court.
00:54Your Honor, before we proceed, there's something I need to say, he began, and the room instantly fell silent.
01:02Diane Miller, his attorney, shot him a sharp look, whispering, Michael, now's not the time, but he ignored her.
01:09His mind was made up.
01:11He couldn't carry the weight of the secret any longer.
01:14He looked over at Nina, who was sitting at the other side of the courtroom, her expression guarded but curious.
01:21She didn't yet know that the storm about to hit would tear through both of their lives.
01:26Willow's fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
01:29Michael, she whispered softly, fear flickering in her voice.
01:33She could sense something wasn't right.
01:35She'd seen that look in his eyes before, the same haunted, restless look he'd had after the truth about Nina being her biological mother had come out.
01:44Michael's gaze flickered toward her, and for a fleeting second, he thought about stopping, about burying the truth again.
01:51But the guilt had been eating at him for months.
01:54Lies had already poisoned too many lives.
01:56I can't keep this secret anymore, he said aloud, his tone filled with anguish.
02:02I've been living with something I should have told everyone a long time ago.
02:06The judge frowned, exchanging glances with the attorneys.
02:10Mr. Corinthos, if this pertains to the case, proceed.
02:15But if not, Michael interrupted, his voice breaking, it pertains to everything.
02:20It pertains to my wife, my family, and what I've done.
02:24Willow felt her stomach twist.
02:27Michael, what are you talking about, she said shakily.
02:30The courtroom buzzed with whispers.
02:33Carly leaned forward from the gallery, her eyes wide with alarm.
02:38Michael, don't do this, she mouthed, but it was too late.
02:42He looked at her, silently apologizing.
02:45He'd learned from her that sometimes, protecting family meant hiding the truth.
02:50But now, he was realizing that those lies had consequences, consequences that were about to explode.
02:56Michael swallowed hard.
02:59The truth is, his voice trailed off for a moment as emotion choked him.
03:03The judge prompted him again, and he forced himself to continue.
03:07The truth is that I knew what Nina did before the SEC charges were filed.
03:11I knew she was the one who turned in Carly and Drew.
03:15The courtroom erupted in gasps.
03:18Nina's eyes went wide with shock, her face turning pale.
03:21What are you talking about, she shouted.
03:25That's not true.
03:27But Michael didn't back down.
03:29It is true.
03:31You turned them in, and I found out months ago.
03:34I confronted you, but I didn't say anything.
03:38I let everyone believe someone else was responsible.
03:42Willow's face drained of color.
03:44She stared at him, her mind struggling to process his words.
03:49You, you knew, she whispered, barely audible.
03:52You knew what my mother did, and you didn't tell me?
03:55Her voice trembled with disbelief.
03:59Michael's lips quivered.
04:00I was trying to protect you, Willow.
04:03You had just gone through your transplant, you were recovering.
04:07I couldn't risk your health by putting you through more stress.
04:11Willow stood, shaking her head in confusion and pain.
04:15So you lied to me.
04:17All this time, you looked me in the eyes and let me think Nina was being unfairly treated?
04:22You let me feel guilty for cutting her out of my life?
04:26Michael tried to reach for her hand, but she pulled away.
04:29I did it for you, he pleaded.
04:32For us.
04:34Nina rose from her seat, tears welling in her eyes.
04:38You're lying to make me look bad, she snapped.
04:41You were blackmailing me, Michael.
04:44You said if I stayed away from Willow and Wiley, you wouldn't tell anyone.
04:49The crowd gasped again.
04:51Carly's face froze.
04:53You did what? she exclaimed.
04:56The judge slammed the gavel again.
04:59Order in the court.
05:01But it was no use.
05:03The room had descended into chaos.
05:06Michael turned toward Nina.
05:08Yes, I said that.
05:10Because I wanted to protect my family.
05:13I didn't want Willow hurt by your betrayal.
05:16But it was wrong, all of it.
05:19He faced Willow again, his voice breaking.
05:22I thought I was doing the right thing, but I became exactly what I hated.
05:27I manipulated, I lied, and I let you live in a lie because I was scared to lose you.
05:32Willow looked like she'd been punched.
05:34You don't get to decide what's best for me, she said, her voice shaking.
05:39You should have trusted me, Michael.
05:42You should have believed that I could handle the truth.
05:46She clutched her chest, her breathing quickening.
05:48I can't believe this.
05:51Michael's eyes filled with panic as he saw her sway.
05:55Willow, please, just listen.
05:58But it was too late.
06:00Her knees buckled.
06:01The room gasped as she collapsed, fainting before anyone could catch her.
06:07Willow!
06:08Michael shouted, rushing to her side.
06:11Diane and Carly ran forward as well, while paramedics were called in.
06:16Michael held Willow in his arms, tears spilling down his cheeks.
06:20Wake up, baby, please.
06:23I'm sorry.
06:25He stroked her hair, his voice trembling.
06:28I should have told you everything.
06:30I should have trusted you.
06:33Carly's voice broke with emotion.
06:36Michael, what were you thinking, she demanded.
06:39You blew up your marriage, your family, everything in front of the entire courtroom.
06:44Michael didn't answer.
06:46He just kept holding Willow's hand as she was loaded onto the stretcher.
06:51Nina stood frozen, her expression a mixture of guilt, rage, and confusion.
06:55I never wanted this, she murmured.
06:58But Carly turned on her, her tone sharp.
07:02You started this, Nina.
07:04You set off this entire chain reaction.
07:08You turned me and drew in, and now look what's happened.
07:11Nina's voice cracked.
07:13You think I wanted Willow to get hurt?
07:16She's my daughter, Carly, she cried, her tears streaming down.
07:21I've made mistakes, but Michael's been playing God with everyone's lives.
07:26As the courtroom cleared, Michael followed the paramedics out, his mind spinning.
07:31Every secret he'd buried was now exposed.
07:34The truth had finally come out, but at what cost?
07:37He sat in the waiting room of the hospital later that day, his head in his hands.
07:42Carly paced back and forth while Sonny arrived, his expression grim.
07:47What the hell happened?
07:49Sonny demanded.
07:51I heard the hearing went off the rails.
07:54Carly sighed heavily.
07:56Michael confessed that he knew Nina was the one who turned us into the SEC.
07:59He blackmailed her to stay away from Willow.
08:03Willow found out, and she collapsed.
08:07Sonny's jaw clenched.
08:09He turned toward Michael, his eyes cold.
08:12You crossed a line, son.
08:15I understand wanting to protect your family, but you played with people's lives.
08:20Michael looked up, eyes red.
08:22I know.
08:23And I'll never forgive myself if Willow doesn't wake up.
08:27Nina entered the hospital lobby quietly, escorted by a security guard.
08:32She approached Sonny and Carly cautiously.
08:35Is Willow okay?
08:37She asked softly, her voice cracking.
08:40Carly glared.
08:41You have no right to ask that.
08:44Sonny held up a hand, stopping her.
08:47Let her talk, he said flatly.
08:50Nina wrung her hands.
08:52I didn't mean for any of this to happen.
08:55I was angry when I turned you in, Carly.
08:59Angry and hurt.
09:01But I never wanted to destroy Michael and Willow's marriage.
09:04I just wanted a chance to be part of my daughter's life.
09:08Michael stood, his voice rough.
09:11You had that chance, Nina.
09:14But you blew it, and I made it worse by trying to control everything.
09:18He sighed deeply.
09:19Maybe we both deserve to lose everything.
09:23Hours later, Willow finally stirred in her hospital bed, her eyes fluttering open.
09:29Michael was there instantly, clutching her hand.
09:32Hey, he whispered.
09:34You scared me half to death.
09:37Willow blinked, her voice hoarse.
09:40You told them?
09:41He nodded slowly.
09:44Everything.
09:45No more lies.
09:46She turned her face away, tears filling her eyes.
09:51You broke my heart, Michael.
09:53Not just because you lied, but because you thought I was too weak to handle the truth.
09:59Michael's voice was full of regret.
10:01I thought I was protecting you.
10:04I thought love meant shielding you from pain.
10:07But I see now that it means trusting you, even when it's hard.
10:11Willow stared at him, her silence saying everything.
10:14After a long pause, she whispered, I need time.
10:18I can't just pretend this didn't happen.
10:21Michael's shoulders slumped.
10:24I'll wait as long as it takes, he said softly.
10:27I'll do whatever it takes to earn your trust again.
10:31Outside the room, Carly watched through the glass, her face a mixture of worry and sadness.
10:36Sonny joined her.
10:37They'll get through this, he said quietly.
10:41They love each other.
10:44Carly sighed.
10:45Yeah, but love's not always enough.
10:48Sometimes the truth cuts too deep.
10:51Nina stood further down the hall, listening, guilt etched across her face.
10:56She whispered to herself, I wanted a family.
10:59And now I've helped destroy one.
11:02As the night deepened over Port Charles, the fallout of Michael's confession rippled through
11:06every corner of town.
11:09Trust had been shattered, loyalties questioned, and hearts broken.
11:13For Michael and Willow, the road ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear, nothing
11:17would ever be the same again.
11:19The air in the courtroom was, as it always seemed to be in such places, both unnaturally
11:24still and electrically charged.
11:25It was a space where lives were dismantled and reassembled with the cold, clinical precision
11:30of the law, a place of wood polish, whispered anxieties, and the weight of a thousand unspoken
11:35truths.
11:36On this day, however, the usual undercurrent of dramatic tension had escalated into a palpable,
11:42suffocating dread.
11:44The case, a complex web of corporate malfeasance, wrongful death, and deep-seated family vendettas,
11:49had already captivated the city of Port Charles.
11:52But today was different.
11:54Today was the day Michael Corinthos was scheduled to take the stand.
11:59Willow Corinthos, nay Tate, sat in the front row, her posture a masterpiece of controlled
12:04composure.
12:05Her hands, clasped tightly in her lap, were the only betrayal of the storm raging within
12:10her.
12:11She was a vision in a simple, elegant dress, her blonde hair a soft frame for a face that
12:16had learned, through immense hardship, to conceal its tremors.
12:18Her eyes, fixed on her husband, were pools of unwavering support and thinly-veiled terror.
12:25They had been through hell to get here, battles with illness, threats from all sides, the shadow
12:29of his family's notorious name, and the ever-present, toxic influence of Nina Reeves, the woman whose
12:35lies had stolen so much from them.
12:36Today felt like the beginning of the end, the final push to secure justice for the harm done
12:42to them and to solidify the safety of their family.
12:45Michael, dressed in a suit that seemed to armor him against the gravity of the moment,
12:49looked every inch the capable CEO of Aurora Media.
12:53He was no longer just the son of the feared Sonny Corinthos, he was his own man, a father,
12:57a husband, a force to be reckoned with.
12:59As he settled into the witness stand, his gaze found willows.
13:04A silent communication passed between them, a fleeting exchange of strength and love that
13:09had become their lifeline.
13:11He took a deep breath, adjusted the microphone, and prepared to swear to tell the truth, the
13:15whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
13:18It was a promise he intended to keep, but the whole truth was a darker, more devastating
13:22creature than anyone in that room, least of all his wife, could have possibly imagined.
13:27The district attorney, a methodical and unassuming man, began with a gentle ease, guiding Michael
13:33through the foundational aspects of the case.
13:36They established the timeline, the business dealings between ELQ and the now-defunct company
13:40owned by Drew Cain and Michael's late uncle, A.J. Quartermain.
13:44They spoke of corporate espionage, of hostile takeovers engineered by Nina, and of the emotional
13:49and financial toll it had taken.
13:52Michael was articulate, calm, and precise.
13:54He was the perfect witness, his testimony building a brick-by-brick wall of evidence
13:59against the defendants.
14:02Willow listened, her heart swelling with a painful mix of pride and anxiety.
14:06Each answer he gave was a step towards vindication, a step towards a future where they could finally
14:11breathe easily.
14:13She allowed herself a small, private thought of that future, of their children, Wiley and
14:17Amelia, growing up without this constant shadow.
14:21She thought of the simple, profound piece of a life no longer defined by court dates and
14:25legal stratagems.
14:27Then, the district attorney approached the heart of the matter.
14:31Mr. Corinthos, can you please describe for the court the moment you became aware that Nina
14:35Reeves had been withholding vital information from you and your wife, specifically regarding
14:39the fact that she was Willow's biological mother?
14:43Michael's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
14:46It was a profound betrayal, he began, his voice low but clear.
14:51We had been through so much.
14:53Willow was fighting for her life, she needed a bone marrow transplant, and the one person
14:57who could have helped, who had a moral and biological imperative to help, was hiding in
15:01plain sight, offering conditional help while actively working to destroy our family's company
15:06and my father's marriage.
15:08He spoke of the confrontation, the sheer audacity of Nina's deception, and the irreparable harm
15:12it had caused to Willow's health and their sense of security.
15:16The defense attorney, a sharp-eyed woman with a reputation for ruthless cross-examination,
15:21stood for her turn.
15:22She attempted to paint Michael as biased, as a man driven by a personal vendetta against
15:27her client, leveraging the courtroom to exact a personal revenge.
15:30She probed at his family, at his father's criminal empire, insinuating that the apple
15:35didn't fall far from the tree.
15:38Michael remained steadfast, deflecting her barbs with a cool, factual demeanor.
15:43My motivations are for justice, not revenge.
15:47What Nina Reeves did transcends personal animosity.
15:51It was a cruel, calculated series of choices that nearly cost my wife her life.
15:56The back-and-forth continued, the legal tennis match reaching a fever pitch.
16:01The defense attorney, growing increasingly frustrated with Michael's unflappable resolve,
16:06decided to go for the jugular.
16:08She zeroed in on the period immediately following the revelation of Nina's maternity,
16:12a time of immense stress and medical crisis.
16:16Mr. Corinthos, isn't it true that during your wife's severe illness,
16:19you yourself were under an incredible amount of pressure?
16:22That the lines between protecting your family and seeking to control the narrative became
16:26blurred?
16:28I was protecting my wife, Michael stated, his voice gaining a hard edge.
16:33There is no blurred line there.
16:35Is that so?
16:36The attorney pressed, a sly smile playing on her lips.
16:40She picked up a document from her table, making a show of reviewing it.
16:44Let's talk about the timeline of your wife's recovery.
16:48After the bone marrow transplant from Nina Reeves, there was a period of convalescence.
16:53A period where Willow was incredibly vulnerable, both physically and emotionally.
16:59Willow felt a prickle of unease crawl up her spine.
17:01Where was this going?
17:04This was all a matter of public record.
17:07She glanced at her mother, Carly, who sat beside her and saw her own confusion mirrored
17:12in Carly's tense expression.
17:14During that time, the attorney continued, her voice dropping to a conversational, yet deadly,
17:20tone, you were her primary caregiver, is that correct?
17:23You managed her medical information, her visitors, her access to the outside world.
17:28Objection, the district attorney said, rising.
17:33Counsel's is insinuating without foundation.
17:36I have a foundation, your honor, the defense attorney retorted.
17:41I am establishing the witness's role and state of mind during a critical period.
17:46Overruled, the judge intoned.
17:48But get to your point, counselor.
17:51The attorney turned her full attention back to Michael.
17:54Mr. Carinthos, did you, or did you not, during that period, make a conscious decision to withhold
18:00a specific piece of correspondence from your wife?
18:03The air in the room seemed to freeze.
18:06Michael's face, for the first time that day, lost its mask of calm control.
18:11A muscle in his jaw twitched violently.
18:15Willow leaned forward, her brow furrowed in confusion.
18:19Correspondence?
18:20What correspondence?
18:22I?
18:24I don't know what you're referring to, Michael said, but his voice lacked its previous conviction.
18:29It was a hair too high, a shade too defensive.
18:33Oh, I think you do, the attorney purred, her confidence growing.
18:37She held up the document.
18:40This is a certified mail receipt, dated October 12th of last year.
18:44It is addressed to Mrs. Willow Carinthos at your home address.
18:49The sender is the New York State Department of Health, Vital Records Division.
18:53A collective, silent gasp seemed to ripple through the courtroom.
18:58Willow's heart, which had been beating a frantic tattoo against her ribs, suddenly felt like
19:02it had stopped altogether.
19:04The Vital Records Division
19:06Birth Certificates
19:08Death Certificates
19:10A cold, terrible dread began to pool in the pit of her stomach.
19:15Michael had gone pale.
19:18He stared at the document as if it were a venomous snake.
19:21That, that was a stressful time.
19:24Willow's immune system was compromised.
19:27Any stress, any upset, could have been detrimental to her recovery.
19:32Her doctors were very clear.
19:34So, you are admitting that you intercepted this piece of mail?
19:38The attorney pressed, her voice rising with theatrical triumph.
19:42It wasn't the right time, Michael insisted, his eyes flickering towards Willow, pleading
19:46for understanding she couldn't yet give.
19:49I was trying to protect her.
19:52Protect her from what, Mr. Carinthos?
19:54The attorney boomed, turning to face the jury.
19:57What could possibly be in a letter from the Vital Records Division that required such
20:02paternalistic protection?
20:04Or was it not protection, but control?
20:07A desire to manage what your wife knew, and when she knew it?
20:12Objection!
20:13Argumentative, the DA shouted.
20:16Sustained, the judge said, but the damage was hurtling towards its inevitable, catastrophic
20:21conclusion.
20:22Your Honor, I would like to enter this document into evidence, and I have one further question
20:27for the witness based on its contents, the defense attorney said, her eyes gleaming.
20:31The procedural formalities passed in a blur for Willow.
20:35The world had narrowed to the pounding in her ears and the sight of her husband's ashen
20:39face.
20:41He had hidden something from her.
20:43Something from the Vital Records Division.
20:47Something he knew would upset her so profoundly he felt he had to conceal its existence.
20:51The trust that was the very bedrock of their marriage, a foundation they had built upon
20:56the ruins of so many other betrayals, suddenly felt like it was cracking apart.
21:00The document was entered.
21:02The attorney turned back to Michael, who looked utterly broken on the stand, his confident CEO
21:07persona shattered into a million pieces.
21:11Mr. Corinthos, she said, her voice now soft, almost gentle, which was more terrifying than
21:16her previous aggression.
21:18Based on your interception of this letter, and the subsequent follow-up you personally
21:22initiated while keeping your wife in the dark, will you now please tell the court, and more
21:26importantly, tell your wife, what you discovered about her birth certificate?
21:30Specifically, the name listed as her biological father?
21:34Time stopped.
21:36The entire courtroom ceased to exist.
21:39For Willow, there was only Michael's face, contorted in an agony of guilt and fear.
21:45Her mind raced, a frantic, disjointed montage of her life.
21:49Her childhood with Harmony, a woman whose motherhood was a toxic cocktail of neglect and
21:54fanaticism.
21:55The lifelong search for an identity, for a sense of belonging.
22:00The peace she had finally found in knowing the truth about Nina, as painful as it was.
22:05The father, her father had always been a blank space, a mystery she had long since given
22:09up on solving, a ghost she had made peace with.
22:12Michael's lips moved.
22:15He tried to form words, but no sound came out.
22:18He looked at Willow, his eyes filled with a desperate, hopeless love.
22:22Tell her, Michael, the attorney commanded softly.
22:26Tell her the truth you've been hiding for months.
22:30And so, he did.
22:32His voice was a raw, broken whisper, amplified by the courtroom microphone into a deafening
22:37roar.
22:37The name on the original, long-form birth certificate, the man listed as your biological father, is
22:43Cyrus Renaud.
22:46The name hung in the air, a poisonous cloud that no one could quite comprehend at first.
22:51Cyrus Renaud.
22:53The notorious drug lord, the violent convict, the man who had brought untold misery and violence
22:58to Port Charles, the man who was, by sheer, twisted fate, also the half-brother of Laura
23:04Collins, the city's beloved mayor.
23:07A monster.
23:09A predator.
23:11For a single, suspended second, there was only silence.
23:15Willow's brain simply refused to process the words.
23:19It was as if he had spoken in a foreign language, the syllables bouncing off her consciousness without
23:23meaning.
23:25She saw Carly's hand fly to her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.
23:29She heard a sharp intake of breath from the jury box.
23:33She saw the look of grim satisfaction on Nina's face from the defense table.
23:38Then, the meaning crashed down upon her.
23:41Cyrus.
23:43Renaud.
23:44The man who had threatened her family.
23:47The man whose very name was synonymous with evil in their lives.
23:51The man whose blood, whose blood was in her veins.
23:55The truth was not just a fact, it was a physical, violent assault on her very being.
24:00It unraveled the core of who she was.
24:03She was not just the daughter of a selfish, lying woman, she was the biological child of
24:07a genuine monster.
24:09The shame, the horror, the sheer, gut-wrenching revulsion was instantaneous and all-consuming.
24:15Her eyes, wide with disbelief and dawning terror, locked with Michael's.
24:20In his gaze, she saw the confirmation, the agony of his secret, the desperate plea for
24:25forgiveness.
24:26But it was too late.
24:28The truth was out, and it was a killing thing.
24:32A strangled, guttural sound escaped her lips, a noise of pure, unadulterated despair.
24:38The world, which had already narrowed, now began to tilt on its axis.
24:42The stark lights of the courtroom swam and blurred into a nauseating kaleidoscope.
24:46The air grew thick, impossible to breathe.
24:50The voices around her, Carly's sharp cry of willow, the judges' call for order, the sudden
24:55uproar from the gallery, all melted into a distant, roaring hum.
24:59Her body went numb.
25:01The strength that had carried her through leukemia, through a bone marrow transplant, through
25:05betrayal and heartache, deserted her completely.
25:08It was as if the truth itself had reached inside her and severed the strings that held her up.
25:14She felt a hand on her arm, Carly's, but it was a distant sensation, like being touched
25:19through layers of wool.
25:21Her vision tunneled, darkening at the edges until the only thing she could see was Michael's
25:25horrified face, a final, haunting image before the darkness rushed in to claim her.
25:30Her body went limp, sliding soundlessly from the wooden bench and collapsing onto the cold,
25:34hard floor of the courtroom in a dead faint.
25:37The subsequent chaos was a world away from willow.
25:41The gasp of the crowd that turned into a panicked roar.
25:45The judges' gavel pounding fruitlessly against the sound of scrambling bailiffs.
25:49Carly's desperate scream as she dropped to her knees beside her daughter's lifeless form.
25:54The district attorney shouting for someone to call an ambulance.
25:58But none of it mattered to Michael.
26:00For him, the world had shattered the moment the words left his mouth.
26:05He was on his feet, his own legal peril forgotten.
26:09Willow!
26:11Let me through!
26:13Willow, he yelled, fighting against the bailiff who was trying to restrain him, his professional
26:17composure utterly obliterated by the sight of the woman he loved lying broken on the floor
26:21because of his secret, his choice, his catastrophic failure to protect her.
26:25From the defense table, Nina Reeves watched the scene unfold with a complex, unreadable expression.
26:32The shock of the revelation was there, yes, the realization that her one-time ally and
26:37tormentor, Cyrus Renaud, was the father of her child.
26:40But it was quickly overshadowed by a surge of vindictive triumph.
26:45Michael Corinthos, the self-righteous son of Carly, had just been publicly eviscerated.
26:49He had hidden this from his wife, and in doing so, he had handed Nina a weapon she never knew
26:55she had.
26:56The look on his face was a prize she would savor.
27:00The paramedics arrived with a gurney, their efficient movements cutting through the hysteria.
27:05Carly was right there, her voice trembling but firm, providing them with Willow's medical
27:09history as they checked her vitals and carefully lifted her onto the stretcher.
27:14Michael finally broke free and stumbled to her side, his face a mask of utter devastation.
27:18I'm so sorry, he choked out, his hand reaching for Willow's limp one.
27:24I'm so sorry, Willow.
27:26I was trying to protect you.
27:29But she couldn't hear him.
27:31She was lost in a darkness of his making, a void of a truth so horrific it had literally
27:35stolen her consciousness.
27:37As the paramedics rushed the stretcher out of the courtroom, followed by a frantic Carly
27:41and a shattered Michael, the judge called for a recess, his voice struggling to restore
27:45order to the unprecedented scene.
27:47The trial was, for the moment, completely derailed.
27:52The legal battle over corporate misdeeds and personal betrayals had been rendered trivial
27:56by a biological truth so shocking it had the power to physically destroy.
28:01In the hallway, as the stretcher was wheeled towards the waiting ambulance, the frenzy continued.
28:06Reporters, drawn by the commotion, shouted questions, their cameras flashing, adding to the surreal
28:12nightmare.
28:13Michael ignored them all, his entire being focused on Willow's pale, unconscious face.
28:19Carly turned on him, her eyes blazing with a ferocious mix of fear and fury.
28:24You knew, she hissed, her voice low and venomous so the reporters wouldn't hear.
28:29You knew Cyrus Renaud was her father and you didn't tell her?
28:32Michael, how could you?
28:35I was going to, he cried, his voice cracking with emotion.
28:39After the transplant, when she was stronger.
28:42I just...
28:44I saw what the news about Nina did to her.
28:47I couldn't lay this on her too.
28:50Not then.
28:52Not with Cyrus still being a threat.
28:54I thought I was buying her time to heal.
28:57You were buying yourself time.
29:00Carly shot back, her maternal instinct to protect Willow overriding her love for her son.
29:06You were afraid of how she would react, afraid it would change how she saw herself, how she
29:10saw you.
29:11This wasn't protection, Michael, this was a lie of omission, and it just exploded in your
29:16face and almost killed her.
29:18The paramedics loaded Willow into the ambulance.
29:21Only one family member can ride with us, one of them stated.
29:26I'm her mother, Carly said, her tone breaking no argument.
29:30She climbed in, shooting a final, scathing look at Michael before the doors slammed shut,
29:35separating him from his wife.
29:37Michael stood frozen on the courthouse steps, watching the ambulance pull away, its siren
29:42a mournful wail that echoed the screaming in his own soul.
29:45The crisp autumn air did nothing to cool the fever of his guilt and shame.
29:49He was alone, surrounded by a cacophony of noise and judgment, but he heard none of it.
29:55All he could hear was the echo of his own voice in the silent, condemning courtroom, Cyrus
30:00Renault.
30:01He had sought justice in that courtroom.
30:04He had wanted to expose Nina's lies and secure his family's future.
30:08Instead, he had become the source of the most profound betrayal his wife would ever know.
30:13He had confessed a truth, but in doing so, he had revealed his own lie, and the collateral
30:18damage was the woman he had sworn to protect, lying unconscious, her world, and theirs, irrevocably
30:23shattered.
30:25The fight was no longer in a courtroom.
30:28The fight was now for Willow's life, for her sanity, and for a marriage that had just
30:32been tested in the most brutal way imaginable.
30:34And as Michael stood there, utterly broken, he knew with a chilling certainty that the
30:39battle to come would be the hardest of his life.
30:42He had lost her trust, perhaps forever, and the path to winning it back was a dark and
30:46uncertain one, paved with the wreckage of a secret he never should have kept.
30:50The shocking truth was out, and its aftermath was only just beginning.
30:54The pain.
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