Just as I was zipping Leo’s jacket, a heavy knock sounded at the door.

My hand froze on the zipper.

The boys stopped talking.

“Is that Dad?” Leo asked, his eyes bright with hope.

“Stay here,” I told them.

I walked to the door and looked through the peephole.

A tall man in a grey suit stood in the hallway, holding a thick manila envelope.

I unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door three inches, keeping the security chain engaged.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

“Are you Emma Winters?” the man asked.

His voice was flat and professional.

“Yes,” I said.

“You have been served,” he said.

He slipped the thick envelope through the gap in the door and turned on his heel.

I closed the door and locked it.

My hands shook as I tore open the envelope.

The first page was printed on heavy, cream-colored bond paper.

*State of Illinois, Circuit Court of Cook County,* it read at the top.

*Petition for Emergency Temporary Custody.*

The petitioner was not Blake.

It was Helena Harrington, acting as guardian ad litem on behalf of the Harrington Family Trust.