Garrett's face went red.

"Jemma, you still gonna deny it? Fine. You never remarried. You can't even have kids. So where'd the kid come from?"

Linda shot me a look and pulled a recorder from her bag. "Your Honor, this is from one of Jemma's relatives."

Static. Then a rough male voice:

"Jemma stole Garrett's new wife's baby. Put him in the system as her own. Thought nobody would notice."

Click. Silence.

Linda smirked. "Well? Got anything to say?"

I took a slow breath.

They really thought twenty years erased everything. Thought they could just rewrite the story.

Too bad.

Their whole setup was about to crash.

I met their eyes. Calm.

"Willie's custody is mine. None of your so-called evidence proves I stole a child. One shaky witness means nothing. And that recording? That relative's been dead three years. Easy to fake a voice when no one's around to deny it. I don't accept it."

The judge gave a small nod.

Linda lost it. "Jemma! I'm Willie's biological mother! You can argue all you want—that won't change! Let me see him, and I'll take him for a maternity test right now!"

Garrett shot me a hard look. "Yeah. I'll call the hospital."

I let out a cold laugh. "Go ahead. DNA won't save you."

The livestream blew up.

[Bitch! All that evidence and she's still lying. Hardheaded as hell!]

[Hurry up and get that DNA test! Can't wait to see her shut down!]

I stayed blank, arms crossed.

Linda was shaking. Then she yanked out a document and slammed it on the table.

"Jemma! You pushed me to this! Look. My son Willie's signed voluntary change-of-custody agreement!"

The courtroom gasped. The livestream went wild.

[Nice! She's done!]

I looked at them, ice cold.

Linda smiled like she'd already won. "Willie signed it and mailed it to us. He said you control him, won't let him contact us—but blood is blood. He chose to sign himself over."

She finished smug and shot me a nasty look.

"Your Honor, Jemma's been imprisoning and controlling my son. That's unlawful confinement. She should be arrested today."

Garrett nodded fast, practically glowing at the idea of me in cuffs.

I let out a short laugh. "You're sure Willie personally called you?"

"Of course," they said together.

I took a slow breath. "Wow. Good to know."

I faced the judge. "Your Honor, Willie couldn't have made that call. He couldn't have signed anything. Their evidence is fake."

The judge studied the document, frowning.

Linda waved her copy at the camera. "Everyone, look. It's right here in black and white. And she's still denying it."

The livestream lit up.

[What's there to debate? He's over twenty. He picked his guardian and signed it himself.]

[Judge, just rule already. Give Willie back to Garrett and Linda.]

The judge didn't say a word.

I watched them, ice-cold.

Linda snapped first, pointing at me. "Just wait. When my son comes home, you're done."

Garrett put on that fake calm. "Jemma, what's not yours will never be yours. Confess now. Maybe you'll dodge a few charges."

I kept my voice flat. "Don't celebrate yet. You might be the ones who lose."

Linda lunged. The bailiffs grabbed her before she got close.

Finally, the judge looked up. "Defendant, do you have more evidence?"

I checked the time. "Yes. Two sets. First, I request Willie be brought to court. If I'm right, he's already here."

The judge nodded. The courtroom doors creaked open.

Linda burst into tears. "Willie! Mommy's finally see you!"

Garrett squeezed her hand, locked on the entrance.

Then a sharp bark cut through the room.

A tall black German Shepherd sprinted in.

The second he saw me, he dropped into a sit, tail going wild.

I gave a small smile. "Everyone, meet my 'son,' Willie."

The courtroom froze.

The livestream went insane.

[What the hell?! Her son's a dog?!]

[No way. This has to be a joke!]

Linda and Garrett just stared, mouths open.

I smiled. "This is my 'son.' He passed the police exams. Next month, he'll officially join as a K-9. I'm proud of him."

Then I looked at them. "As for your real son? I know exactly where he is."