Judge Myers stopped writing and set her pen down with a soft click.

She looked at me, her eyes softening for a fraction of a second.

Then she looked back at Ethan and Olivia, her expression hardening once more.

“This court has seen many custody disputes,” Judge Myers began, her voice echoing off the high ceiling.

“But I have never witnessed such a calculated, malicious attempt to steal a child,” she said.

She looked directly at Margaret, who did not flinch.

“And to destroy the very evidence that would bring the truth to light,” the judge added.

She reached for her gavel, her hand resting on the polished wood.

“The evidence presented by Mr. Greene is absolute and unassailable,” Judge Myers said.

At that moment, the phone on the defense table began to vibrate, its buzz loud against the wood.

It was Margaret’s phone, the screen lighting up with an incoming call from an unknown number.

Margaret reached for it, her fingers twitching.

“Do not touch that phone, Mrs. Lawson,” the judge said sharply.

The phone continued to buzz, the screen flashing brightly in the dim light of the courtroom.