His grip was firm, grounding me as my heart hammered against my ribs.

“Let her play it,” Judge Miller ruled, silencing Vance with a raised hand.

Sarah walked back to the table and took the pink device from my hand.

She connected a small auxiliary cable from her laptop to the courtroom’s sound system.

“This recording is time-stamped from three weeks ago,” Sarah said.

She pressed a button on her laptop screen.

The courtroom speakers crackled with static.

Then, a child’s laughter filled the room, followed by the sound of a heavy door slamming.

My chest tightened as I recognized the sound of my own apartment door.

“You don’t belong here, Grant,” my own recorded voice said, sounding small and frightened.

“I belong wherever I want, Emily,” Grant’s voice boomed through the speakers.

The quality was slightly muffled, but his tone was unmistakably aggressive.

“You think you can keep her from us? My mother has already bought the inspectors.”

The courtroom went completely silent.

Evelyn Whitmore’s hands clenched into tight fists on top of her table.