My mother came to stand beside me, her hand resting on my shoulder, shaking.

“Clara, what is happening?” she whispered.

“She’s trying to take my boys,” I said.

My voice sounded hollow, echoing in the high-ceilinged foyer of the estate.

Garrett took a step toward his mother, his face dark with confusion and anger.

“Mother, what did you do?” Garrett demanded.

“I saved this family,” Vivian said, her chin tilted high. “Or what is left of it.”

She looked at me, her eyes glittering under the crystal chandelier.

“A woman with a chaotic lifestyle and questionable business practices cannot raise the Bradford heirs,” Vivian said.

“They are my sons, Vivian,” I said, stepping toward her. “You have no right to them.”

“The court will decide that,” Vivian replied.

Marcus was flipping through the pages, his eyes scanning the dense legal text.

“This is a bad-faith filing, Vivian,” Marcus said, his voice dropping an octave. “You filed this in a different county to bypass our standing injunction.”

“I filed where the children currently reside,” Vivian said simply. “At the Bradford estate.”