My ears ring. I keep my face steady for Bri.
The judge continues. “Ms. Albright will have partial physical custody and visitation as follows: on the child’s terms, to be scheduled in consultation with Mr. Miller and the child’s counselor. The child’s comfort and consent will guide frequency and duration. If at any point the child expresses discomfort, visits will pause and be re-evaluated. Parties will communicate through counsel as needed.”
Ryan’s pen moves on his pad. Behind me, Maggie exhales as if she’s been underwater. Bri’s fingers wrap around Mya’s. Relief sweeps through me slowly and I finally feel like I can breathe.
The judge bangs the gavel once. “That is the order. We are adjourned.”
Vanessa’s attorney leans in to talk to her. She doesn’t look at us as we stand.
I turn to Bri first. “You okay, Piglet?”
She nods, eyes bright. “Yeah.”
Mya squeezes her hand, then meets my gaze over my daughter’s shoulder. There’s pride there, and something warmer. I give her a small, grateful nod. No words will cover how much she means to me.
Ryan joins us, already arranging next steps, but I let the moment be what it is: my kid is safe, the path is clear, and a weight shifts off a place in my chest I’d forgotten how to unclench.
Vanessa sweeps out first with her lawyer, without stopping to speak to Brianna.
So much for starting off the relationship with her daughter on the right foot.
Mya and Maggie follow a minute later. Mya puts a hand on Bri’s shoulder as they pass, and says, “I’ll be right outside.” Brianna lingers with me while Ryan packs up the last of the files.
“Ready, Piglet?”
She nods. We step into the hall and stop.
Vanessa’s voice carries around the corner. “... enjoy playing house while it lasts. You really think he’ll keep you? You’re a pretty stand-in with a borrowed last name. A glorified nanny who warms his bed.”
Maggie’s warning tone follows. “Ms. Albright, don’t.”
“This is neither the time nor place,” Mya replies.
Vanessa laughs. “You don’t get to set rules aroundmychild. You slithered into a ring and think that makes you a wife and stepmom?Please. You were nobody before him, and you’ll be nobody after.”
“Enough,” I hear Mya say. “Not here.”
“You don’t tell me where,” Vanessa snaps. “You don’t tell me anything, golddigger.”
Heat climbs my spine. I hand Brianna my binder without looking away from the corridor. “Stay with Ryan,” I murmur.
I find Mya standing straight, chin up, hands loose at her sides and Vanessa crowding her space.
“Back up, Vanessa,” I seethe.
She doesn’t. She tips her head, eyes raking over Mya. “Tell me. Do you cut the crusts offmydaughter’s sandwich because it looks good on camera? Or because you’re practicing for when you have one of your own and he’s already traded you in?”
Mya’s jaw tightens, but her voice stays calm. “Brianna is not a prop. She’s a child who needsconsistency. I’m here to give her that because she deserves it.”
Vanessa sneers. “Consistency? You’ve been here five minutes. I carried her. I bled for her. You don’t get to step into my life and?—”
“No one canstep intobeing a mother,” Mya grits out. “You show up for her or you don’t. That’s your choice. But you don’t get to weaponize her to punish anyone.”
Vanessa’s face hardens. She jabs a finger toward Mya’s chest. “You don’t speak to me about motherhood. You slept your way into a house you didn’t build.”
My hand shoots out, catching Vanessa’s wrist mid-jab. “That’s enough.”
Mya doesn’t flinch. “I work with Bri on her math. I take notes at her counselor’s request. I show up at pick-up, rain or shine. None of that replaces you. All of it supportsher.” She holds Vanessa’s gaze. “If you want a relationship with your daughter, start by not attacking the people keeping her steady.”