Chapter 6
The custody hearing was a circus.
Reporters lined the courthouse steps. Cameras flashed. Garrett arrived in a tailored suit, looking somber, his legal team beside him.
I arrived through a back entrance. Marisol beside me. Noah holding Clara.
The courtroom was packed. Garrett's people. My people. Reporters. Observers.
Garrett's lawyer spoke first. He painted me as a troubled woman. Depressed. Unstable. A kidnapper. He cited the psychiatric evaluation—the fake one Garrett had commissioned.
"Mrs. Hartford suffers from severe mental illness," he said. "She abducted a newborn child. She is a danger to herself and others. Mr. Hartford is seeking full custody, with supervised visits for the mother."
Marisol stood up. She didn't look worried. She looked ready.
"Your Honor," she said. "The psychiatric evaluation my opponent cites was commissioned by Mr. Hartford himself. By a doctor who has never met my client. It is fraudulent. And we can prove it."
She presented evidence. The file from Garrett's cabinet. The emails arranging the evaluation. The doctor's confession—he'd cooperated with the FBI in exchange for immunity.
Then she presented the abuse evidence. Photos of my bruises. The X-ray of my broken arm. Hospital records. Noah's testimony. The journal I'd kept.
"And finally," Marisol said, "we have evidence that Mr. Hartford has been running a multi-million dollar corruption scheme. Bribes. Kickbacks. Fraud. The FBI is currently investigating. This is not a fit father. This is a criminal."
The courtroom was silent.
Garrett's face was red. His lawyer was whispering furiously.
Then Garrett did something stupid. He stood up.
"This is outrageous!" he shouted. "She's lying! She's a liar and a thief and—"
"Sit down, Mr. Hartford," the judge said.
"—and she took my daughter! She took my child and I want her back! She belongs with me!"
The judge banged her gavel. "Mr. Hartford, one more outburst and I will hold you in contempt."
Garrett sat down. But the damage was done. The whole courtroom had seen it. The rage. The control. The man behind the charm.
The judge ruled.
"Full custody to Mrs. Hartford," she said. "Mr. Hartford gets supervised visits only, pending the criminal investigation. Restraining order remains in effect. And Mr. Hartford—I will be seeing you again, I expect. In criminal court."
We won.
I walked out of that courthouse with Clara in my arms. The cameras flashed. Reporters shouted questions.
May you like
I didn't care. I had my daughter. I had my freedom.
And Garrett? He was going down.
