Page 104 of No Greater Love
Tears were streaming down her face now; not the calculated tears of a manipulative mother, but the ugly, desperate sobs of someone watching their carefully constructed world collapse.
"And now I finally have something! Ibuiltsomething! And my investors expect, they need to see—" She looked around the courtroom wildly. "You don't understand what you're taking from me!"
"Your Honor," Brad said weakly, rising to try to salvage something from the wreckage, but Sarah wasn't finished.
"She's MY daughter!" Sarah screamed, pointing at Nate. "Not his! Mine! I MADE her!SHE EXISTS BECAUSE OF ME!"
The mask was completely off now. No maternal love, no desire to nurture—just raw, narcissistic ownership. The ugly truth of what she saw Paige as: not a child to be loved, but a possession to be claimed.
Judge Morrison's gavel came down like thunder. "That'senough! Ms. Davis, control yourself, or I'll have you removed from my courtroom!"
But the damage was done. Sarah Davis—venture capital darling, devoted mother, reformed woman—had finally shown everyone exactly who she really was.
And it was exactly what Ms. Hayes had been waiting for.
thirty-eight
nate
The silencein the courtroom after Sarah's breakdown was deafening. Judge Morrison looked like he'd witnessed something that would haunt his dreams, while Brad Kensington appeared to be contemplating a career change.
"Your Honor," Ms. Hayes said smoothly, as if Sarah hadn't just imploded spectacularly in front of everyone, "I believe my client would be amenable to sealing these proceedings in their entirety in exchange for Ms. Davis withdrawing her petition permanently and agreeing to no further contact with the minor child."
I found my voice somehow. "Yes. Yes, Your Honor. I agree to those terms completely."
Sarah, still sobbing but now looking utterly defeated, managed a shaky nod. Brad whispered something urgent in her ear, and she nodded again, more emphatically.
"Very well," Judge Morrison said, his voice carrying the weight of a man who knew he'd just dodged a professional bullet. "The petition for modification of custody is hereby withdrawn. These proceedings are sealed. Court is dismissed."
The gavel came down with finality, and suddenly I couldn't breathe. It was over.
Paige was safe.
She was mine.
She was coming home.
Tasha was there before I'd even fully stood up, her arms around me, both of us crying openly now. The relief was so overwhelming it felt like drowning in reverse—like surfacing after being underwater for so long I'd forgotten what air tasted like.
"It's over," I whispered into her hair. "She's safe. We're safe."
"I know," Tasha sobbed against my chest. "I know, baby. We did it. We did it."
A polite clearing of the throat made us separate. Ms. Hayes stood nearby, her expression professional but not unkind.
"Mr. Crawford," she said, extending her hand. "I need you to understand something. Without intervention, you would have lost today. Completely. Judge Morrison was about to grant temporary primary custody to Ms. Davis based on archaic legal theory that hasn't been valid in this state for decades."
The words hit me like cold water. "I... I thought maybe if I just explained?—"
"No." Her voice was firm but not harsh. "Mr. Kensington had you outgunned from the moment you walked in here. The consultation conflicts, the PTSD ambush, the Tender Years Doctrine? You were walking into a slaughter." She glanced at Tasha with something that might have been approval. "You should listen to Ms. Williams' advice more often. And you should beverygrateful you have friends like Mr. McKenzie."
I blinked, confusion cutting through the relief. "Mr. McKenzie? I don't know anyone?—"
"Jack," Sophia's voice came from behind me. I turned to see her approaching, looking relieved but tired. "Jack McKenzie. My partner. He's the one who arranged for Ms. Hayes to represent you."
"But how did he… why would he?—"
"Because that's what family does, Nate," Sophia said simply. "Tasha called me last night, desperate. I put Jack on the phone, and within an hour, he had his people working on this. Ms. Hayes is one of the best family law attorneys on the East Coast. Jack's family has... resources."
