Chapter 4
My former best friend, Claire, walked to the witness stand.
She smiled at Jessica.
Warm.
Friendly.
And then she looked at me.
Cold.
Cruel.
She hated me.
For a fight we'd had five years ago.
Over something stupid.
Something I'd thought was long over.
But clearly, she'd been holding a grudge.
And Jessica had found her.
And used her.
Claire was sworn in.
Jessica's lawyer asked her about our friendship.
About the falling out.
About my "mental state."
And Claire lied.
Beautifully.
Convincingly.
She talked about how I'd always been "unstable."
How I'd had "episodes" of anger and depression.
How I'd always been jealous of Jessica.
How I'd once threatened to "ruin Jessica's life."
None of it was true.
But she said it with such conviction.
Such apparent sincerity.
I could see the judge wavering.
This was bad.
Really bad.
Then Mark's lawyer cross-examined her.
He was good.
He asked her about the falling out.
About the details.
About why she and Jessica had become such good friends after our fight.
About whether Jessica had paid her.
Or promised her anything.
Claire got flustered.
She contradicted herself.
Several times.
But the damage had been done.
The seed of doubt had been planted.
The judge adjourned for the day.
He would make his ruling tomorrow morning.
I was terrified.
What if he believed her?
What if he gave custody back to Jessica?
What if Lily had to go back to that?
Mark held my hand as we walked out of the courthouse.
"Don't worry," he said. "The judge saw through her. He saw her contradictions. He knows she's lying. We're going to win this."
But I wasn't so sure.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
I went to Lily's room.
She was sleeping peacefully.
Holding Mr. Floppy.
I sat down beside her.
I stroked her hair.
"I won't let her take you," I whispered. "I promise."
The next morning, we were back in the courtroom.
The judge looked tired.
Serious.
He had a thick stack of papers in front of him.
He looked at Jessica.
Then at Mark.
Then at me.
Then at Lily, who was in the back with the child psychologist.
"I've reviewed all the evidence," he said. "All the testimony. All the documents. And I've made my decision."
He paused.
My heart was pounding.
"This is one of the most disturbing cases I've ever presided over," he said. "A mother who would abandon her six-year-old child at an airport. For a vacation. Who would then try to frame her own sister. And manipulate the system to keep custody. It's unconscionable."
He looked at Jessica.
"Ms. Carter," he said. "Your actions were not just a mistake. They were a deliberate, premeditated act of child endangerment. And then you tried to cover it up with lies. With manipulation. With the help of your parents. You have shown a complete lack of remorse. A complete lack of understanding of what you did wrong. And a complete lack of concern for your daughter's well-being."
He turned to Mark.
"Mr. Davidson," he said. "You have been a consistent, loving presence in your daughter's life. You have a stable home. You have the resources to provide for her. And you have shown that her best interests are your primary concern."
He paused.
"I am granting full legal and physical custody of Lily Davidson to Mark Davidson. Ms. Carter will have supervised visitation only. Once a week. For two hours. At a neutral location. Until further notice. And she is to undergo a psychological evaluation and parenting classes before any unsupervised visitation can be considered."
He turned to me.
"Ms. Carter," he said. "Your actions in protecting your niece were commendable. You put the child's needs above your own. You showed courage and character. You should be proud."
He banged his gavel.
"Case closed."
I felt like I could breathe again.
Mark squeezed my hand so tight it hurt.
Tears were running down his face.
Jessica was screaming.
Standing up.
Shouting at the judge.
"This is unfair! She stole my daughter! You're all against me! I'll appeal! I'll take this all the way to the Supreme Court!"
Bailiffs escorted her out.
My parents were red-faced and angry.
They stormed out without a word to me.
We walked to the back of the courtroom.
Lily ran to Mark.
"Daddy! Did we win?"
"We won, baby," he said. "You're going to live with me now. Full time. And Aunt Brooke is going to be there too. Whenever you want."
Lily turned to me.
She threw her arms around my neck.
"Can you live with us forever, Aunt Brooke?"
I looked at Mark.
He was smiling at me.
Tears in his eyes.
"Only if you want to," he said.
I looked at Lily.
At her hopeful face.
At Mark.
At the future I could see unfolding.
"I'd like that very much," I said.
We walked out of the courthouse together.
As a family.
But the fight wasn't over.
Not completely.
Jessica was appealing.
And the criminal case was still pending.
And my parents were still causing trouble.
And there was something else.
Something I didn't know about.
Something Jessica had been hiding.
Something that would change everything.
Again.
May you like
That night, Mark got a call from his lawyer.
"There's more," he said. "We found something. In Jessica's financial records. She's been hiding something. Something big. And it involves more than just abandoning Lily at the airport."
