CHAPTER 4 — The Fall of the Perfect Family
Three weeks later, the courthouse steps were cold.
Not weather-cold.
System-cold.
David stood there already tired, already smaller somehow, like the events of that night had drained something fundamental from him.
Margaret had refused a plea deal.
She still insisted she was “provoked.”
The footage said otherwise.
So did the witnesses.
So did Mia’s recorded forensic interview.
Julia didn’t look at either of them as she passed.
Inside, custody was decided in under forty minutes.
Temporary full custody: Julia.
Supervised visitation: David.
Margaret: pending criminal assault charges.
When they exited, David finally spoke.
“I didn’t think they’d go this far.”
Julia stopped walking.
For a moment, she almost felt pity for him. Almost.
Then she looked at him fully.
“You didn’t think it would go this far because you’ve never stopped it going anywhere at all.”
He swallowed. “I love her.”
May you like
“I know,” Julia said quietly. “But you love her more than you protected your daughter.”
That sentence stayed in the air long after she walked away.
