Her arm looked small in the large courtroom, but the movement was steady.
My heart dropped instantly.
“Olivia,” I whispered softly, hoping she would sit back down.
Instead she stood up.
“Your Honor,” she said with a trembling but clear voice, “may I show you something that my mom does not know about?”
The courtroom fell silent.
Matthew turned his head sharply toward her, and for the first time since the hearing began his expression changed. The calm confidence vanished and something close to fear appeared in his eyes.
“Olivia,” he said sharply, “sit down right now.”
She did not move.
The judge leaned forward slightly in his chair and spoke in a calm voice.
“What would you like to show the court?”
“A video,” Olivia answered. “I saved it because I did not know who else to tell.”
My stomach twisted with confusion because I had no idea what she meant. A video could mean anything, and the uncertainty made my hands tremble.
Matthew’s lawyer jumped up immediately.
“Your Honor, we object to the introduction of unverified material,” he said quickly.
The judge raised one hand to silence him.
“I will review the video before making any decision,” the judge replied.