I didn’t smile back, but I felt a strange, quiet calm settle over me.

We walked inside the courthouse, our footsteps echoing on the marble floor.

The courtroom was small, with dark wood paneling and high windows that let in the grey morning light.

Judge Myers, a stern woman with gray hair, sat at the bench.

We took our seats at the plaintiff’s table.

Margaret, Olivia, and Ethan sat across from us with their team of attorneys.

Margaret kept her eyes straight ahead, refusing to look in my direction.

“Is everything ready?” I whispered to Samuel.

Samuel opened his leather briefcase and pulled out a sleek silver flash drive.

“Everything is ready,” Samuel said.

The bailiff called the court to order.

The judge looked down at her papers, then turned her gaze to us.

“We are here today to determine the emergency temporary custody of the child,” Judge Myers said.

Margaret’s lead attorney stood up immediately.

“Your Honor,” he said, his voice confident. “My clients have already demonstrated that the biological claim made by the plaintiff is based on unverified, speculative records.”