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Torin lowers the camera and smirks.

"See that?" He gestures toward her like he's presenting evidence in court. "Favorite parent."

I shake my head, laughing as the three of them fall into the same argument they've been having for days.

The funny part is that none of them are actually trying to win anymore. They just enjoy annoying each other.

Watching them together still catches me off guard sometimes. Briggs with his endless preparedness. Ashby acting like every conversation is an opportunity for mischief. Torin documenting half our lives while pretending he isn't sentimental.

My family.

Messy, ridiculous, and completely mine.

Myla pats my chest, demanding my attention again, and I glance down to find her smiling up at me.

The mood shifts as soon as we step inside the courthouse.

The easy laughter from outside fades, replaced by the familiar knot in my stomach. Maggie reaches for my hand before we even make it to our seats. I lace our fingers together and hold on.

Across the room, Tom sits beside his attorney.

I haven't seen him in months.

He looks older than I remember. The confidence he used to carry everywhere has worn thin, leaving behind a man who keeps glancing toward the judge's bench and avoiding the people gathered to testify against him.

I study him while everyone settles into place.

The anger is still there. I can see it in the tight set of his mouth whenever Maggie's name comes up. The difference is that nobody in this room is afraid of it anymore.

The hearing moves forward, witness by witness.

Reports are entered into evidence. Violations of the restraining order are discussed. Officers testify. Records are reviewed. Every piece builds on the last until the picture becomes impossible to ignore.

Beside me, Maggie sits with her shoulders back and her chin lifted.

A few years ago, she would've spent this entire hearing apologizing for taking up space.

Now she answers every question clearly and meets people's eyes when she speaks.

My chest aches as I watch her.

She fought for every inch of this.

Then Sophie takes the stand.

Whispers move through the courtroom before fading away again. Mick sits beside her, his fingers threaded through hers, and I can't stop thinking about what this must be costing both of them.

Tom is their son.

Still, Sophie answers every question she's asked truthfully.

The strain shows in the tightness around her eyes and the way she has to gather herself before speaking, but she never backs down. Mick stays right beside her, his hand locked with hers as they tell the court exactly what Tom did to Maggie and Lucy.

Heat stings behind my eyes.

Beside me, Maggie sits perfectly still. Lucy is tucked against Ashby's side, coloring quietly on a legal pad one of the court officers found for her. Every now and then she glances up, looking confused by the tension filling the room, and my chest squeezes even harder.

The hearing drags on for hours. By the time the judge calls for closing statements, every muscle in my body aches from holding myself together.