Chapter 4

Two months later, Courtroom 3, District Family Court.

In the gallery sat Melissa's parents, her brother, and several neighbors from our building.

This was the final hearing.

The judge struck the gavel once.

"In the divorce case of Plaintiff Melissa Porter versus Defendant Lucas Bennett, the court will now conduct a final review of the custody of the children."

Two court officers led Noah and Ruby into the courtroom.

The kids wore neat preschool uniforms and held each other's hands tight.

Seeing so many people, Noah shrank behind Ruby in fear.

Melissa shot to her feet, her eyes instantly red, and hurried to the railing.

"Noah, Ruby, come here to Mommy."

She held out her arms, her voice thick with tears.

"Mommy missed you so much."

In the gallery, my mother-in-law dabbed at her eyes too.

"Poor babies, suffering with that heartless father of theirs."

The neighbors sighed one after another, their accusing stares stabbing at me like needles.

I stood up as well and took two steps forward.

"Noah. Ruby."

I called their names, my throat so dry it hurt.

I didn't dare say more, afraid I'd scare them.

The judge took off her reading glasses and looked at the two small figures standing in the middle of the room.

She softened her voice.

"Noah, Ruby, tell the judge."

"Daddy and Mommy aren't going to live together anymore. Who do you want to live with?"

The whole courtroom went quiet.

Melissa stared hard at the two children, her eyes full of certainty.

Before the hearing, she'd taken the kids out for a big kids' meal and bought them a pile of toys.

She knew Noah was the most timid. All she had to do was cry, and Noah would go with her.

Everyone assumed the four-year-old boy-girl twins, who normally clung to their mother, would throw themselves into Melissa's arms without hesitation.

The neighbors in the gallery were already getting ready to praise the unbreakable bond between a mother and her children.

But my daughter, Ruby, didn't move.

She even held on tighter to Noah, who'd started to step toward Melissa.

Ruby tipped her head back, her clear, bright eyes on the judge up on the bench.

"Ms. Judge, can I show you a secret?"

Her voice rang out crisp and clear, echoing through the hushed courtroom.

Melissa's expression shifted. The tears on her face hadn't even dried, but her brows were already drawing together.

"Ruby, don't say silly things. Come here."

There was a sharp edge in Melissa's voice.

Ruby ignored her. She reached a small hand into the pocket of her overalls and pulled something out.

It was an old phone with a cracked edge around the screen.

I froze.

It was the phone I'd searched for and never found. The old phone Melissa claimed she'd "lost a long time ago."

"A secret even Daddy doesn't know."

Ruby held the old phone in both hands and raised it above her head.

The instant Melissa saw what it was, the color drained from her face until it was white as paper.

She shoved open the little gate in the railing and lunged at Ruby with no regard for anything.

"Give me that phone!" she shrieked, her voice cracking.

Two court officers moved in fast, one on each side, and pinned her in place.

"Plaintiff, control yourself! Return to your seat!" The judge brought the gavel down hard.

Held where she stood, Melissa kept struggling with everything she had, her terrified eyes locked on the old phone.

The court clerk walked over and took the phone from Ruby.

Ruby pointed at the screen. "The password is my brother's birthday."

The clerk entered the password and connected the phone to the courtroom's big screen.

Every eye in the courtroom fixed on the screen.

The moment the video started, the only sound in the room was people sucking in sharp breaths.

Everyone froze.

In the gallery, Doris Whitaker's mouth fell open.

My mother-in-law's sobbing stopped dead, as if someone had grabbed her by the throat.

I stared at the big screen, my mind gone completely blank.