A heavy hush settled over the room. Russell adjusted his tie.

“That isn’t what I meant by that, Your Honor,” he blurted.

The judge pointed a finger at him. “You were instructed to hold your tongue, sir.”

Benedict stepped forward to salvage it. “Your Honor, even if a harsh remark was made privately, it doesn’t change the documented evidence about the mother’s finances.”

He produced records showing my rent had been late three times over the past year, along with my irregular hours and my reliance on my mother for evening childcare.

Judge Leonard looked over the papers. Then he asked the question that turned the whole hearing around.