That one movement did more than any speech could have.

Marissa stopped. Brian looked at me with a fury he was smart enough not to show fully in front of other people.

“You poisoned them against us,” he said under his breath.

I almost laughed. Not because it was funny. Because men like Brian always think the truth is something done to them.

The hearing wasn’t theatrical. Nobody shouted. Nobody pounded a table.

The judge read. The child protection worker testified. The hospital report was entered. The recording was summarized. The note was shown. The placement packet was questioned.