My husband pushed me down the stairs, and as I lay shattered at the bottom, my mother-in-law called my father and said, “Come get your worthless daughter and take her back.” Dad gave her only one warning: “If she has so much as a scratch, your family will answer for it.” They laughed at him because they had absolutely no idea who my father truly was.

That’s not the same.”

I told him that Celeste had stepped over to look down at me and then turned away.

His face hardened, but he kept his voice calm.

“You survived,” he said.

“Now let the evidence go where it belongs.”

That evening, Gabriel informed the family court that relevant video evidence had been recovered and would be addressed through the appropriate process.

The court adjusted interim safety provisions while the investigation proceeded.