Michael And Willow Learn Who Won Custody On General Hospital!

It’s been a rough few days at Michael (Rory Gibson) and Willow’s (Katelyn MacMullen) divorce hearing on General Hospital, but after Willow took the stand for her testimony, the hearing concluded, and on the June 12 episode of GH, Judge Heran delivered her verdict, changing Michael and Willow’s lives forever!

Stand and Deliver

After receiving a notification from the judge’s chambers that the verdict was in, Michael, Carly, and Jason arrived at the courthouse. They were met in the hallway by an impatient Diane, who admonished them for taking so long to get there. Michael explained that he’d been at the park with the kids and had to bring them home first. Carly wondered if they should be worried that the judge made a decision so quickly. Diane hedged that she wasn’t sure what it meant, but when pushed by Jason for her gut instinct on the verdict, Diane looked Michael in the eye and gave it to him straight: “All right, I’m not passing judgement here, but the woman with whom you cheated on your wife gave birth to your baby during your custody hearing. That’s not a good look.”

Meanwhile, inside the courtroom, an upbeat Drew declared to Willow, Nina, and Ric that the judge’s quick decision had to be a positive sign that full custody of the kids would be awarded to Willow. Ric, however, pointed out that a ruling of shared custody could be an option, and Willow remarked that that would be less than ideal since things were already so uncomfortable between her and Michael, as when she saw him at the park with the kids. Ric was concerned about their run-in, but Willow explained that they’d barely had a chance to talk before they were called back to the courthouse. Just then, Michael entered the room with his supporters. His thoughts turned to his scheme to flee the country with the kids if the judge ruled in Willow’s favor. Placing his hand on Jason’s shoulder, Michael asked, “Is the jet ready in case things don’t go my way?” Without missing a beat, Jason promised, “You and the kids will be in the air before anybody even realizes you’re gone.”

Over And Done With

Judge Heran granted the divorce between Michael and Willow. Everyone in the courtroom was on edge as the judge declared the marriage dissolved and ruled on the distribution of their communal property (Willow got to keep the Range Rover and the art collection, plus clothing and jewelry). Finally, Judge Heran got to the “matter of utmost importance” in the divorce proceedings: determining custody of Wiley Alan and Amelia Grace. Noting that there were many factors to consider when determining custody for young children, the judge stated that it ultimately came down to which parent is better suited to provide a safe and secure environment and put the children’s welfare and best interests above all else.

 

The judge then began to poke holes in Willow’s entire defense that she is the best parent for Wiley and Amelia. With the exception of a few weeks, Judge Heran noted, Willow had exclusive custody of both children since Dec. 16, 2024. “In that time, she has moved them from home to home four different times. She transported Wiley across state lines without his father’s knowledge and chose to have him sleep in the same hotel suite as her and Congressman Cain.” Furthermore, the judge pointed out, Willow had made no attempt to promote contact between Michael and his children while he was recovering from his catastrophic injuries — and ignored Michael’s custodial rights when she filed paperwork giving Drew guardianship of Wiley and Amelia.

As Heran ticked off Willow’s transgressions, Ric looked irritated and Willow looked alarmed. Finally, Judge Heran declared, “Mrs. Corinthos has demonstrated a consistent pattern of negligence regarding her children’s emotional well-being, often violating the law in the process.” She added that Michael, having fully recovered from his injuries, was perfectly capable of caring for Wiley and Amelia, along with the support of his family. “Consequently, it is the decision of this court to award full physical and legal custody to the children’s father, Michael Corinthos,” ruled Judge Heran.

 

Willow Breaks Down!

Befuddled, Willow turned to Ric. “I don’t understand,” she stammered to her attorney. “What’s happening?” “You lost, Willow,” the legal eagle gently explained. Refusing to accept the decision, an emotional Willow stood up and begged the judge to change her mind. “You can’t give my kids to Michael,” she wailed. “They’re my children! They belong with me.” Despite Ric’s best efforts to get her to calm down, Willow grew more agitated, especially after Judge Heran determined that a visitation schedule would be negotiated after Wiley and Amelia were evaluated by a psychiatrist.

Then Willow truly lost it. “Ric, do something!” the devastated mother protested, shaking Ric by the shoulders as her voice grew higher with each cry. “Fight this! This is a huge mistake!” Judge Heran advised Ric to get his client under control, but Willow was inconsolable. “Michael cheated on me with Sasha!” she screamed, practically hyperventilating. “He had a baby with her! All I’ve done is love my children and try to do what’s best for them!” With a finger pointed at the woman behind the bench, Willow hollered, “This is not right!” Unmoved, Judge Heran banged her gavel, adjourned the hearing, and ordered the bailiff to clear the courtroom.

 

Refusing to accept defeat, Willow scurried over to Michael’s table. As Carly, Jason, Diane, Nina, Drew, and Ric looked on in disbelief, Willow tearfully begged her ex to reconsider. “They need me! I’m their mother. Please, Michael!” she cried. Michael turned his back on her and left the courtroom. Nina tried to get her daughter to calm down, but Willow only became more hysterical. “What is happening?” she sobbed in Nina’s arms. “They can’t take my children from me!” Drew, meanwhile, stared out the door where Michael had exited, a hint of revenge in his eyes.

Be Careful What You Wish For

Diane, Carly, Jason, and Michael regrouped in the hallway, and Carly asked her son if he was okay after that intense altercation. “I wanted full custody of my kids,” Michael admitted, “but seeing Willow completely fall apart back there, that pain in her voice… I didn’t want that.” Diane opined that she, too, felt bad for Willow, but her courtroom outburst only validated the judge’s decision to award full custody to Michael.

 

Willow was still inside the courtroom trying to make sense of what had happened. “I need to see Wiley and Amelia,” she wept. “I need them to know how much I love them.” Drew suggested they head home, and he and Nina helped a shaky Willow to her feet. As they began to walk out, a dazed and heartbroken Willow looked at Drew and bemoaned, “You said I would win.” With that, she fainted in Drew’s arms!

Drew and Nina rushed Willow to the hospital to get checked out. After Elizabeth wheeled a practically catatonic Willow away to be evaluated in an exam room, an astonished Drew denounced the verdict as a travesty and said that he didn’t understand how they lost. “Didn’t you hear anything the judge said?” Nina hissed at her ex-lover as she erupted in anger. “My daughter lost her children because she did everything you wanted her to do since your egregious affair began! And in the eyes of the court, that makes her a bad mother.”

 

Soon, Liz gave Drew and Nina an update: Willow was physically fine, just in shock. However, the head nurse added, the staff called for a psych consult. “Why?” frowned Drew. “Do you think that she had, like, a mental breakdown or something?” “We can’t be sure,” Liz replied, noting that Willow hadn’t been very responsive. Nina’s face was twisted with worry.

Start Spreading The News

Once back at his mother’s home, Michael reflected upon the Willow that he first fell in love with, remembering how great she was with Wiley and how she had literally risked her own life to bring Amelia into the world. “I can’t reconcile the Willow that I married with the one that I divorced today,” he sadly confessed. “I don’t know how things ended up like this.” Agreeing with her son, Carly suggested that perhaps the day’s events will be a wake-up call for Willow to get her act together — so she can have a relationship with her children in the future. “In the meantime,” a despondent Michael sighed, “I have to figure out a way to tell my children that they won’t be seeing their mom for a very long time.”

 

Over at Carly’s house, she and Jason once again put the blame squarely on Drew for everything that happened in court. “Drew shattered Michael’s family. He shattered Willow. This is on Drew,” Jason said of his brother. Out on the patio, Michael had a heart-to-heart with Wiley, explaining that he and Willow had decided to divorce and that Wiley and Amelia would be living with him. “But what about Mommy?” pouted Wiley. Michael said that for now, it was just going to be the three of them, but he assured Wiley that his mommy loved him and Amelia. “And as soon as she can come visit, she will, okay?” He gathered Wiley into a hug.

Waking Nightmare

When Ric arrived at the hospital to check on Willow, Liz reminded him that HIPAA prevented her from sharing patient info. However, they did discuss the trial’s outcome, and Liz offered her ex-husband comfort by grabbing his hand across the nurse’s station desk when Ric revealed how shaken he was by what happened in the courtroom. “This one really hit me differently,” he sighed. Liz assured him that she knew he’d done everything he could. He appreciated her words, but wished there would have been a different outcome to the case.

 

Meanwhile, Drew and Nina were both antsy as they awaited further news on Willow. Feeling helpless, Drew insisted he should go sit by his girlfriend’s side, but Nina refused to allow it, noting that he would disturb Willow while she was resting. If he wanted to help, Nina suggested, he should go home. Drew was gobsmacked. “I’m not going to abandon Willow, she needs me!” he protested. “You are the last person that Willow needs,” Nina shot back. “You don’t get it, do you? You did this to her! You cost her her children.” She told Drew, “If you truly love Willow as much as you say you do, you’ll walk away from her right now. And you’ll never look back.” The cocky congressman simply shook his head in disbelief.

Alone in her hospital room, Willow woke up in a hospital bed, a look of sheer horror taking over her face as she recalled the judge’s ruling.

 

Do you think the judge made the right decision? Let us know in the comments below!