Chapter 59- Wiley's Interview

Diane circled the floor when Josslyn took the stand. "Ms. Jacks, please state your relationship to both sides."

"It's actually Mrs. Jacks-Cassadine now," Josslyn stated.

Spencer grinned at her from his seat and Carly beamed.

"I am Carly's daughter, Michael's sister, and technically still Willow's sister-in-law, but not for much longer."

"And in your opinion who would be the best guardian for Wiley and Amelia?" Diane asked.

"My mother and brother are the only option."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because Mom and Michael are wonderful parents and they're great with Wiley and Amelia. Willow isn't considering my niece and nephew's well-beings," Josslyn said. "Wiley could have been killed under Nina's care. Willow knows what Nina is like and how she's hurt our family. Nina held my stepfather against his will in Nixon Falls and left us all to believe he was dead."

"Thank you, no more questions." Diane sat back down and Martin took the floor.

"Mrs. Jacks-Cassadine, from your observations, what kind of a mother has Willow been to the children?" Martin asked.

"Well, at first, I thought she was good. But now, not so much."

"In what ways has Willow not been a good mother? Has she harmed the children or neglected them in anyway?"

"Um, well, I don't know exactly," Josslyn said. "Though I'd call it a form of neglect and harm to allow them near Nina."

"And how about your former stepfather, Sonny Corinthos. Has his lifestyle brought any harm to you or your siblings?"

"Objection, your honour," Diane cut in. "This is not relevant as Mr. Corinthos isn't trying to gain custody in this case."

"Your honour," Martin said. "I think it's very relevant as the argument they are making is that my client is bringing harm to the children by allowing them near Ms. Reeves, when both Ms. Spencer and Mr. Corinthos are doing the very same by allowing their children around Sonny Corinthos."

"I'll allow it," the judge said. "Mrs. Jacks-Cassadine, please answer the question."

"I have always felt safe around Sonny," Josslyn said. "He does not bring harm to me or my siblings. It's other people that do. Like Ms. Reeves."

"But is it not true that your former stepfather is a career criminal who has not changed his ways, nor has he served a full sentence for his crimes?" Martin asked.

"Sonny is a coffee importer," Josslyn said. "He doesn't need to serve time for anything."

"No further questions, your honour."

Martin and Josslyn sat back down.

"Ms. Miller, your next witness?" the judge asked.

Diane moved back to the floor. "Yes, your honour, I'd like to call Ms. Carly Spencer to the stand."

Carly shot Nina and Willow a look before she took the stand.

"Ms. Spencer, please describe to the court the changes you have seen since Mrs. Corinthos and the children moved in with Ms. Reeves."

"Ever since then, when my grandchildren come to see me, Amelia seems grumpy and very unsettled. She was never that way before. And poor Wiley has gotten very thin."

"And why do you think that is?" Diane asked.

"I think the emotional stress is weighing on both of them because they aren't seeing me as often. And I'm worried they aren't being fed enough."

Willow's mouth dropped and she looked back at Nina who was fuming.

"And it's because of Wiley's weight change that you're concerned about how much they're being fed?" Diane asked.

"That's part of it," Carly said. "But also, when Michael and I went to see Wiley at the hospital when he had the concussion, I had a few minutes alone with my grandson. He told me he was begging Nina for food because he was hungry. But she kept ignoring his pleas, so he had no choice but to search for food himself. That's when he slipped on the counter and hit his head. And Nina was nowhere in sight, even though he was in her care."

Nina jumped up. "We are not starving them! I was taking care of Amelia when—"

"Sit down, Ms. Reeves," the judge said. "You are in contempt."

Martin turned to her. "Listen to the judge."

Nina crossed her arms as she plopped down.

"Terrible," Diane said. "No more questions, your honour."

Martin walked over to the stand. "Ms. Spencer, you have raised children, correct?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"So, you know that children go through growth spurts and they go through changes in appetites?"

"Yes, but—"

"Could it not be that Amelia is just missing her mother and other grandmother while she's visiting you and that's why she's grumpy?" Martin asked.

"No. It's because they miss me."

"And could it also be that Amelia is teething and that's why she's grumpy and why Nina had to pay attention to her the day Wiley had his accident? Was it not just an accident?"

"No, it was not an accident," Carly said. "My grandson is danger around Nina."

"Moving back a few years, there was another custody battle involving Wiley, wasn't there?"

"Yes," Carly said.

"And that was between Mr. Corinthos and Nelle Benson, Wiley's birth mother, correct?" Martin asked.

"Correct."

"And is it not true, that you handpicked Willow to be Wiley's stand-in mother to look good in front of the judge?" Martin asked.

"I encouraged Michael to marry Willow, yes, but that's because they were great together and I thought she'd be a good mother to Wiley."

"Why did you think she'd be a good mother to Wiley?"

"Because she was kind and caring and good with children."

"So, is it safe to say, that you're now discarding Willow since she no longer serves your purposes?" Martin asked. "That's rather controlling behaviour, isn't it? It sounds to me like you were using her."

"Objection, your honour," Diane said. "He's badgering the witness."

"Sustained," the judge said.

"No further questions, your honour."

Martin and Carly returned to their seats.

"Your honour…." Diane walked over to the judge with a piece of paper. "I'd like to present some evidence. This is proof from Wiley's pediatrician from his recent appointment that he's lost some weight."

The judge read it over and nodded. "Your next witness?"

"Yes, your honour, I'd like to call Michael Corinthos the third to the stand."

Michael took the stand and avoided eye contact with Willow.

"Mr. Corinthos, please describe for the courts your daily routine prior to Mrs. Corinthos and the children moving out of the Quartermaine gatehouse—your home," Diane said.

"Well, I would wake up to the joyful sounds of Wiley playing in his room," Michael explained. "I would go join him and sometimes he'd want to play with cars, other times with his blocks, while we waited for breakfast. At the breakfast table, I would help feed Amelia and prep Wiley for his day. Then while Wiley was at school, I'd be at the office. On the days I got off early I had the opportunity to pick up Wiley from school. Some days I'd take him and Amelia to the park or to Bobbie's or to visit my mom. After dinner, Wiley and I would either play with his cars or throw a ball around or watch a movie together. Oh, and most days my mom would come over to see us too. At bedtime, I would read stories to Wiley and Amelia."

"And what has it been like since Mrs. Corinthos moved out with your children?" Diane asked.

Michael started to choke up, "I've been very depressed. Some days I have trouble getting out of bed. Except the days I get to see the kids." He looked over at Carly. "I'm also very scared and worried for my children's well-beings."

"Why is that?"

"Because Willow has changed." Michael glanced over at Willow for a second, then back to Carly who nodded at him. "We used to be a team and we would protect our children together. But then she just took the kids away from me and moved in with Nina, after everything she's done to us. After everything she's done to Willow herself."

"What has Ms. Reeves done to Mrs. Corinthos?" Diane asked.

"She verbally abused her when Willow was her stepdaughter's teacher. Because of Nina, Shiloh found out Willow had his baby. He was a cult leader and raped Willow. Willow was trying to protect her baby from him. And Nina told Wiley once that Willow isn't his real mommy. She's treated her horribly over the years and those are just a few examples."

Nina frowned.

"So, what did you do when Mrs. Corinthos moved your children in with her abuser?" Diane asked.

"I tried to share my concerns with Willow," Michael said. "So did my mom. We warned her that we might have to take legal action if she continues to put them in harm's way, but she didn't listen to us."

"No further questions."

Martin rose again. "Mr. Corinthos, why did Mrs. Corinthos move out of the gatehouse with the children?"

"Well, she was making accusations about me that aren't true."

"What were those accusations?" Martin asked.

"She accused me of being controlling."

"Why did she think you were controlling?"

"Because I tried to protect them from Nina," Michael said.

"And what measures did you take to so-call 'protect' them?"

There was a huge pause.

"Mr. Corinthos, let me remind you that you're under oath," Martin said.

"I threatened to expose Nina as the tipster who told the authorities about Mom and Drew committing insider trading if she didn't have limited time with Willow and the kids."

"And did Mrs. Corinthos know about this?" Martin asked.

"No."

"So, you were controlling Mrs. Corinthos' time with her mother?"

"I had to," Michael said. "I had to protect Willow and our kids."

"Do you not believe Mrs. Corinthos is capable of making her own mind up about her mother?"

"I never said that," Michael said. "But I know what Nina is like. I didn't want her to manipulate my wife and hurt her again."

"No further questions."

Martin and Michael returned to their seats.

"We will take a 60-minute break while I interview the oldest child. We will continue at 1:00pm." She struck the gavel.

"I just need to get some air," Michael said.

"I can go with you," Dante offered.

"Me too," Kristina said.

"Me as well," Sonny said and they left with Michael.

"You okay, Mom?" Josslyn asked.

Carly smiled. "I will be as soon as this is over. I haven't said anything to Michael yet, because he was really stressed this morning. But I took a pregnancy test last night."

"And?"

"I'm pregnant."

Josslyn hugged her. "That's great!"

Carly nodded. "But the question is, who is the father?" Carly's phone started to ring, and the screen said Unknown Caller. "Hello?"

She could hear breathing.

"Who is this?" Carly asked, then sighed when the breathing continued for a few moments. "I don't have time for this." She hung up.

Across the way, Nina held Willow's hand as they walked out to the hallway.

Willow threw her head back. "I have a really bad feeling."

"We haven't testified yet," Nina said. "And I know Wiley is going to tell the judge what an amazing Mommy you are."

"Mommy!" Wiley came in with Liesl and ran into Willow's arms.

"Hi buddy. How was your morning?"

"Good," Wiley said. "I played with Uncle Scott, and Amelia went to sleep. And a lady said hi to me in the parking lot."

"A lady?" Willow asked. "What lady?"

"I don't know."

"That must've been when I was paying for parking," Liesl said.

The judge walked out of a room. "You must be Wiley."

Wiley looked up at Willow.

Willow squeezed his shoulders. "It's okay, buddy. We'll be right out here."

Wiley hesitantly went in with the judge.

"So, how's it going so far?" Liesl asked.

Willow sighed.

"You know how court cases go," Nina said. "But I think Martin asked some strong questions."

"But they're accusing us of not feeding the kids properly," Willow said.

Liesl scoffed. "They did not! Where is that Spencer woman? I'll give her a piece of my mind…."

"No, don't!" Willow grabbed her arm. "Please. It'll only make things worse."

Willow's phone beeped and she received an attachment from an unknown caller. She opened it to find a picture of Snow White biting into the apple, with no message attached to it. She squinted at it, then put her phone away.

After some time, the door opened and Wiley ran into Willow's arms again. The judge returned to the courtroom.

"Are you okay, buddy?" Willow asked.

"I want to go home now," Wiley said.

"I know, but you'll need to go with Aunt Liesl for a little bit longer," Willow said. "Mommy has to stay here for a while."

They watched as Liesl left with Wiley, then they returned to the courtroom. Willow spotted a stocky middle-aged man with glasses sitting at the back, watching them.

"Is that a reporter?" Willow asked Nina.

"Maybe?"

They took their seats.

"Mr. Gray, would you like to call one of your witnesses?" the judge asked.

"Yes, your honour," Martin said. "I'd like to call Sasha Gilmore."

Sasha went to the stand and got sworn in.

"Ms. Gilmore, please state your relationship with both sides."

"I'm a friend and ex-girlfriend of Michael's, and I'm best friends with Willow."

"And how would you describe Mrs. Corinthos' relationship with her children?" Martin asked.

"Willow is a wonderful mother. She's always there for both of the kids and has always treated Wiley like her own. She's gentle with them and is very involved in their lives."

"Do you believe Mrs. Corinthos is capable of starving her children?"

"Absolutely not. Whenever I'm with them, she's always ensuring that they have enough snacks and that they're hydrated. I've also shared some meals with them, and Willow's food usually goes cold because she's busy helping Wiley and Amelia eat first."

Willow smiled.

"Thank you, Ms. Gilmore. No further questions."

Sasha winked at Willow and returned to her seat.

"Ms. Miller would you like to question the witness?" the judge asked.

"Not at this time, your honour," Diane responded.

"Next witness?" the judge asked.

"Yes, your honour," Martin said. "I'd like to call my client's mother, Nina Reeves to the stand."

Nina took the stand and looked out at Willow.

"Ms. Reeves, please describe for the courts your relationship with your grandson."

"Oh, I adore my grandson," Nina said. "We love to play together and go to the park together. He's very into Paw Patrol right now so we'll watch that in the evenings."

"Would you ever intentionally harm him?" Martin asked.

"Absolutely not."

"And how would you describe your relationship with Wiley's other grandmother, Ms. Spencer?"

Nina sighed. "We're not friends if that's what you mean."

"Why not? Sharing a grandson must bond two women."

"We're not friends because she kept both of my daughters from me."

"Please elaborate on that."

"Carly knew that I'd been searching for my daughter ever since I woke up from my coma," Nina explained. "We used to get along just fine. Then I started to date her ex-husband, Josslyn's father. But it quickly seemed that there were three people in the relationship, not two. Because Carly was in the middle of everything and Jax would often choose to do things for her over me. Then, she and Jax discovered that Nelle was my daughter and they kept that truth from me. She died before either of us knew the truth." She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "Then when I found out, Michael and Willow graciously encouraged me to be a part of Wiley's life. But right from my very first visit with Wiley, Carly would interrupt it and give Michael and Willow excuses for ending the visits. She kept undermining me with them. And later on, Carly found out that Willow is my daughter too and she kept the truth from both of us. We lost a whole year together because of it."

"That must have been infuriating," Martin commented. "And how was Carly after the truth came out?"

"She claimed she was protecting Willow from me and kept justifying herself. And she continued to persuade Willow and Michael too to keep their distance from me. And Carly always gets what Carly wants, so… it took a while for us to get to a good place."

"And please explain in your own words what happened when Wiley got the concussion."

"Yes, well Willow was at work, so I was watching the kids," Nina explained. "I started to play with Wiley in the living room when Amelia woke up from her nap, crying. She's been teething lately. So, I went to soothe her. When I returned to the living room, Wiley wasn't playing with his toys anymore. I found him in the kitchen unconscious. So, I called an ambulance and asked our neighbour Mrs. Trumble to sit with Amelia while I went with Wiley to the hospital."

"Thank you. No more questions."

Diane took the floor again. "Ms. Reeves, please elaborate on Ms. Spencer wanting to protect Mrs. Corinthos from you."

"Well, she claims it was because I'm toxic."

"Are you toxic?" Diane asked.

"No!"

"Why does Ms. Spencer believe you are toxic?"

"I don't know. Why does Carly believe anything?" Nina asked.

"Could it have to do with the fact that you kept her ex-husband in Nixon Falls when he had amnesia and never told any of his family?"

"I tried to tell Carly, but she kept going on and on about keeping Wiley away from me."

"So, you never thought to, I don't know, tell one of his children?" Diane asked.

Nina sighed. "I should have."

"And could Ms. Spencer possibly believe you are toxic because of the way you've treated your daughter in the past?"

"I didn't know Willow was my daughter then!"

"So, are you saying, if she didn't share blood with you, then she would deserve your past treatment of her?" Diane asked.

"I didn't say that. Of course not."

"Now, when Wiley got his concussion," Diane said. "How long were you supposedly with Amelia and ignoring Wiley for?"

"I wasn't ignoring him."

"Oh? So, you fed him when he told you he was hungry?"

"I was planning to after I got Amelia back to sleep," Nina said.

"Planning to? Does it normally take you a lot of effort to plan a time to feed your grandchildren?"

"Objection your honour," Martin cut in. "Badgering the witness."

"I'll allow it," the judge said.

"No," Nina said. "But I mean, Willow does a lot of the cooking."

"Are you saying that it's Willow that isn't feeding them enough?" Diane asked.

"No!"

"Back to an earlier question, how long were you ignoring Wiley when he was begging you for food?" Diane asked.

Nina groaned. "I don't know, maybe a half hour? I wasn't keeping track of the time."

"It seems to me when you're caring for a child you should keep track of their feeding times. Or you could have at least fed him, then returned to helping Amelia. No further questions, your honour."

"Wait!" Nina called out. "We just had lunch not long befo—"

"Ms. Reeves, your testimony is over," the judge said. "Return to your seat."

"We are not starving them," Nina grumbled and stepped down. When she passed Willow, Willow was staring at her lap.

"Mr. Gray, your final witness?" the judge asked.

"Yes, your honour," Martin said. "I'd like to call Willow Corinthos to the stand."

Willow walked up nervously and took the stand.

"Mrs. Corinthos, please describe to the courts your relationship with your children," Martin said.

"Well, I love being a mom," Willow said. "Wiley and Amelia are the most amazing kids. Amelia loves it when I sing to her and she also likes me to read her stories. Wiley and I love to play dress up on Saturdays. He usually picks silly outfits and hats for us to wear. And the last few times he's been choosing a hat for Amelia too. So, we're hoping Amelia will join in on it with us when she's bigger. And Wiley loves baking with me. His favourite thing to bake is chocolate chip cookies, and I'll pack one cookie in his lunch each day for a treat from the healthy food."

"And what does mealtime look like since you left Mr. Corinthos?" Martin asked.

"We have oatmeal and fruit most mornings with orange juice. Amelia has started weaning off her milk, so she's started on cow's milk and she loves oatmeal too. We'll have eggs or pancakes as a treat on the weekend. For lunch it varies day to day, something we'll have sandwiches, soup, wraps, and we always have a fruit along with a snack. They get three snacks a day that also includes a fruit and sometimes a baked good or crackers. Dinners, we'll switch it up between pasta, different meats, tacos, and pizza once a month. And always a vegetable."

"Why did you take the kids and move out of the gatehouse?" Martin asked.

"Because Michael has lied to me on more than one occasion about major things and was trying to control my time with my mother. I couldn't handle his control anymore. I don't want to keep our children from him, because in so many ways he's a good father. But if he's going to be controlling with them too, then I don't want them to have to deal with that."

"Thank you. No further questions."

Diane took the floor. "Mrs. Corinthos, when did you find out you were pregnant with Amelia?"

"In the summer of 2022."

"And when you were pregnant, did you face any health issues?" Diane asked.

Willow nodded. "Yes. I was diagnosed with leukemia."

"I'm very sorry you had to go through that," Diane said. "But I'm sure it must've given you comfort to have the support of your husband and his family through it all?"

Willow nodded.

"You did have their support from the very day you were diagnosed?" Diane asked.

"Well, not right away," Willow said.

"Oh? They weren't supportive?"

Willow bit her lip. "They didn't know right away."

"Not even your husband?"

"No."

"When did you tell him?"

"Sometime in November," Willow said.

"But by then you were already several months along in your pregnancy and in your diagnosis, correct?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Diane asked. "Specifically, your husband?"

"Because I was afraid everyone would try to convince me to abort my baby," Willow said.

"But that's a very big decision to exclude your husband and your baby's father from," Diane said. "Did you not value his opinion on the matter?"

"It wasn't that," Willow said. "I was trying to protect my child's life."

"And what about the well-being of your living child at the time?" Diane asked.

Willow gritted her teeth. "Both of my children were living at the time."

"I meant your born child, Wiley," Diane said. "Why didn't you abort to ensure you'd survive and Wiley wouldn't lose his mother?"

"Because I believe it's a mother's job to put the life of her baby before her own!"

"Then why do you discredit Mr. Corinthos for trying to protect his family from Ms. Reeves?" Diane asked.

"Because I don't believe we need protection from her," Willow said.

"But your complaint is that Mr. Corinthos disregarded your input when he felt the need to protect his family, when you did the very same thing and disregarded his input when it came to important decisions for the family. No further questions, your honour."

Willow felt like she was going to be sick and she returned to her seat.

The judge cleared her throat. "Now we will play for the courts my recorded interview with Wiley Corinthos."

The court clerk brought it up on the screen.

The video came on showing Wiley sitting timidly in a chair, his eyes moving around the room.

"Wiley, do you promise to tell the truth?" the judge asked.

Wiley nodded.

"What are some activities that you do with your dad?"

"We play cars and trucks."

"And what are some activities that you do with your mom?"

"Dress-up and the swings."

"Okay. When you stay with your dad, who helps take care of you when your dad isn't around?" the judge asked.

"Grandma Carly or Auntie Joss or Brook Lynn or Mama Q."

"And do you like it when they take care of you?"

"Uh huh," Wiley said.

"And when you stay with your mom, who helps take care of you when your mom isn't around?"

"Grandma Nina or Sasha or Aunt Liesl."

"And do you like it when they take care of you?"

Wiley paused. "Most times, but I hurt my head really bad."

"When did you hurt your head?" the judge asked.

"When Mommy went to work," Wiley said.

"And who was taking care of you when that happened?"

"Grandma Nina."

"Do you like being with your Grandma Nina?"

"Uh huh," Wiley said.

"Where was Grandma Nina when you hit your head?"

"She was busy."

"What was she busy doing?" the judge asked.

"I don't remember."

"And what were you doing when you hit your head?"

"I wanted a snack," Wiley said. "Goldfish crackers."

"Did you ask your Grandma Nina for a snack?"

He nodded.

"What did she say?"

"She was busy," Wiley said. "But I was really really hungry."

"Do you know how long you waited for her to get you a snack?"

"A really long time."

"When did you last eat before that?"

"I don't know," Wiley said. "A long time ago."

"How do you feel about your Grandma Nina?" the judge asked.

"She's lots of fun."

"Okay," the judge said. "Wiley, if you could live anywhere in the world, where would you want to live?"

"At the Coatomaine gatehouse."