We walked to the elevator, the heavy brass doors sliding open.

As the elevator began its descent, my phone buzzed in my purse.

I pulled it out.

It was an email from Helen’s assistant, marked with a red exclamation point.

I tapped the screen to open the attachment.

“What is it, Emma?” Thomas asked, looking down at my hands.

The elevator doors opened into the cold, marble lobby of the courthouse.

I tapped the document.

The header read: *In the District Court of Denver County, Colorado.*

“It’s from Judge Vance,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.

Helen stepped out of the elevator beside us, her heels clicking against the polished stone.

She took the phone from my hand and glanced at the screen.

A small, tight smile touched the corner of her mouth.

“The temporary custody petition is denied,” Helen said.

My knees felt weak.

Thomas caught my elbow and guided me to a leather bench near the tall glass windows.

Outside, the Denver winter sky was a cold, flat gray.

Snow was beginning to fall, drifting down over the concrete plaza.