CHAPTER 11: THE HEARING
CHAPTER 11: THE HEARING
The custody hearing was scheduled for a Tuesday morning.
Hannah and I walked into the courthouse with Madeline between us. She was nervous, but I held her hand.
Grant was waiting in the courtroom with his lawyer. He looked terrible. His suit was rumpled, his face was pale, and his eyes had the desperate look of a man who had nothing left to lose.
"I want to see my daughter," he said.
"You gave up that right when you signed the papers."
"I was coerced."
"Interesting. Because I have video footage of you watching your mother beat Hannah. And I have audio of you threatening to kill me."
Grant's lawyer went pale.
"Mr. Holloway, is that true?"
"I—"
"Because if it is, we're done here."
The judge looked at Grant.
"Mr. Holloway, you don't have a case. Your rights were not violated. You signed the papers voluntarily. And the evidence against you is substantial."
He turned to Hannah.
"Ms. Carter, I'm awarding you full custody. No visitation. No contact. You and your daughter are free."
Hannah burst into tears.
Madeline hugged her.
And I stood there, watching the justice system finally do what it was supposed to do.
After the hearing, Grant approached me.
"You ruined me," he said.
"I didn't ruin you. You ruined yourself. I just made sure you couldn't ruin anyone else."
"You don't know what you've done."
"I know exactly what I've done. I've saved my daughter. And I've made sure you'll never hurt anyone again."
May you like
He walked away.
And I didn't look back.
