Ms. Patel had reviewed all of it. She had told me the case was strong but not certain. Judges saw a lot of custody disputes. Photographs of empty pantry shelves hit differently than bank records, which were harder to read quickly and easier to explain away.
“Be prepared,” she had said, “for it to be difficult before it gets better.”
I folded the papers back into their folder and went to check on the kids.
Lily was awake.
She was sitting up in bed in the dark with her knees pulled to her chest, and when I opened the door she looked at me with an expression I couldn’t fully read — something between relief and the specific guilt of a child who has been carrying something heavy.
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