I leaned down and wrapped my arms around Toby, pressing my face into his hair.

“Can we go home now, Mom?” he whispered.

“Yes, baby. We can go home.”

Before we left the table, Judge Leonard called Toby forward one last time. “Toby, you were very brave today. But I want you to remember something.”

Toby looked up. “What, sir?”

“It was never your job to save your mother today,” the judge said. “The adults should have caught this much sooner. You should never have been put in a position where you felt you had to defend the person who loves you.”