“This shows her pride getting in the way of her child’s needs,” he said.

I recognized the thread at once. “That printout is missing the rest of the conversation.”

The judge looked down at me. “Do you have the complete exchange?”

I pulled out my phone, found the original, and handed it to the bailiff.

Judge Leonard read the unedited version aloud. Russell’s message had said: I’ll buy Toby a whole new wardrobe if you sign a statement admitting you can’t provide basic necessities for him.

That admission will make the custody trial much smoother for me.