CHAPTER 85

CUSTODY BATTLE: DAY 1.

CHRISTIAN

The sterile and stale air of the courtroom pressed down on me like a physical weight. My shirt collar felt impossibly tight and the scratchy fabric mirrored the agitation clawing at my insides. I couldn’t believe I was sitting here in this courtroom, with strangers who just wanted to have a juicy bite of some gossip sitting behind me. I couldn’t believe the fate of my child’s future lay in the hands of a scrawny old looking judge and the jury who knew nothing about our lives. But the most annoying part of it all was the amount of media attention this case was getting— more articles and think pieces were released each day, and an army of paparazzi and press waited outside the courthouse, ready to pounce once we were done.

Across the aisle, Chloe sat composed. She looked unbothered and poised, and that did nothing to soothe the churning in my gut. If anything, it made me mad. Beside me, Hazel’s hand trembled in my grip. Her knuckles were white against th