Two days later, with a court order in hand, everything exploded. Patricia screamed, lunged toward Ava, and had to be restrained. Her mask shattered. Judge Karen Fields granted immediate custody. Walking out of that courthouse with my children felt like breathing after drowning.
The months that followed were slow and painful, but real. The house filled with laughter again. Ava painted. Lucas learned to walk. Teresa became family. One afternoon, as we planted new flowers, I realized something had healed. Not perfectly. Not easily. But honestly. We were no longer pretending. We were home again.
