Page 59 of Love on the Edge
Margo swallows, once, then turns sharply on her heel, storming toward the courthouse steps. Her band follows. Callum follows. They’re rattled.
They should be.
I glance at Ryan. “PI?”
He grins, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “You can thank Emilio Blaze for that one. He called in a favor.”
I exhale, shaking my head, a quiet pulse of gratitude settling in my chest.
Ryan follows Drew and Nina inside, my parents trailing after them.
I turn to Valeria.
She’s watching me carefully. “Are you ready?”
I squeeze her hand, my grip tightening. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
We step forward, together. Toward the courthouse. Toward the fight. Toward the ending Margo never saw coming.
Valeria sits with my family, her presence grounding even as I know she hates being here. Emilio and Ana Lucia are near my parents, their expressions unreadable. I square my shoulders, shifting my focus back to the front of the room. Cassidy is at school, safe. That’s what matters.
The bailiff steps forward.
“All rise.”
The heavy wooden doors open, and the judge enters, taking his seat behind the bench.
“You may be seated.”
I grip the table, pulse steadying. Ryan straightens beside me as Margo’s attorney, Callum Hayes, rises first. He buttons his expensive suit, stepping forward with calculated ease.
“Your Honor, this is a case of a devoted mother being unjustly alienated from her child. A mother who made sacrifices to support her family, only to return and find herself replaced.”
He paces, shaking his head. “We will present evidence that Mr. Crosse engaged in an extramarital affair. That he encouraged his daughter to form an attachment to another woman while pushing her biological mother out. That Mrs. Crosse was forced to fight for a place in her own daughter’s life.”
Margo shifts, playing the part of the wounded mother, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
Callum delivers his final line smoothly. “We ask this court to restore a mother’s rightful place.”
Ryan stands. He doesn’t button his jacket. Doesn’t pace. Just steps forward and speaks. “Your Honor, this is not a case of alienation. It is a case of abandonment.”
Margo tenses.
“For eight months, Mrs. Crosse made no attempt to see her daughter. No calls. No visits. No birthday acknowledgment. Not because my client prevented it, but because she chose not to.”
Callum shifts in his seat, but Ryan doesn’t acknowledge him.
“We will prove that Cassidy Crosse’s reluctance to see her mother has nothing to do with manipulation and everything to do with Margo’s own actions. We will present evidence—in her own words—that she never wanted this child. That she viewed motherhood as a burden.”
Margo exhales sharply, her nails digging into the table.
“This is not about a mother fighting to reclaim her daughter. This is about a mother who left. And now that she sees the life she abandoned moving on without her, she wants control.”
He lets the silence settle before delivering his final blow.
“We ask this court to protect Cassidy from further emotional harm. To place her where she is safe. Where she is loved.” Ryan returns to his seat.
Silence.
