His lawyer caught his sleeve, but the scrape of wood against the floor made Noah flinch.

Judge Thorne noticed.

“Mr.

Vance, remain seated.”

“It’s a private family video,” Julian protested.

“He doesn’t understand what he recorded.”

“Then we will determine that,” the judge replied.

The bailiff took the camera to the clerk.

Ms.

Patel went with him, explaining that Noah had captured a recording without prompting from either parent, as far as she knew.

The judge called a short recess to have the file copied and screened for anything inappropriate to display in open court.

I sat with my palms on my knees, feeling as if the floor were tilting beneath me.

When the judge returned, she permitted a brief excerpt to be played for the adults while reserving questions about its formal admission.

The recording opened in our kitchen.