Before the hearing, I spent two nights organizing my evidence.
I gathered 8 years of regular transfers, the bill from my mother's surgery, medical expenses I'd covered for my father, the payment history from Eden's theft, and the police report documenting my parents' promise to repay me.
Strictly speaking, the money Eden had stolen for my college trip had nothing to do with the support dispute before the court.
I slipped that statement into the folder anyway.
Still, some stubborn part of me wanted a real ending to everything.
When I finished, I set the folder by the front door.
Seeing it on my way out steadied me.
My parents arrived early for the hearing.
Eden sat beside them.
She was a defendant too, yet she sat with our parents as if she were on their side.
The judge began by r
