Chapter 20 - EvidenceFelicia examined the screenshots on a large monitor.
“They’re fake.”
“You can prove it?”
“We can try.”
“How?”
“Metadata, phone records, original devices, discovery.”
Tasha rubbed her temples.
“They look real.”
“That is why fabricated digital evidence is dangerous.”
Marcus sat at the end of the conference table.
Felicia glanced at him.
“You understand you are here because Ms. Williams requested you be here.”
“Yes.”
Tasha had asked.
That itself represented change.
Felicia zoomed in.
“The timestamps correspond to dates when you and Kelvin were already using a court-monitored parenting app.”
Tasha frowned.
“We were?”
“For some communications.”
Felicia opened archived records.
“On this date, the actual conversation involved Eli’s pediatric appointment.”
She compared both screens.
The fake screenshot used the same timestamp but different text.
Marcus leaned forward.
“So he edited it.”
“Possibly.”
“Possibly?”
“I do not make accusations without evidence.”
Marcus nodded.
He respected that sentence.
Felicia continued.
“We request Kelvin’s original device for forensic inspection if he intends to rely on these.”
Tasha looked sick.
“What happens if he deletes everything?”
“That can create its own legal issues.”
Marcus looked at Tasha.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“You didn’t do this.”
“I know.”
She paused.
“I finally know.”
For years, every financial accusation triggered shame first.
Maybe she had been careless.
Maybe she had missed something.
Maybe she deserved judgment.
This time the evidence was false.
She felt anger instead of guilt.
That was growth.
The custody review occurred two weeks later.
Kelvin’s attorney attempted to introduce the screenshots.
Felicia objected to authenticity.
The judge required proper foundation.
Kelvin claimed they came directly from his old phone.
Under questioning, he admitted he no longer had that phone.
“Where is it?” the judge asked.
“Broken.”
“When?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Do you have backups?”
“No.”
Felicia produced the parenting-app records.
The judge compared dates.
Kelvin’s attorney requested a recess.
Afterward the screenshots were withdrawn.
The judge did not accuse Kelvin of fabrication.
But credibility had been damaged.
The existing custody arrangement remained.
The judge again warned both parents against involving children in litigation.
Tasha left the courthouse exhausted.
Outside, Kelvin approached.
This time Nia stood beside him.
His face was pale.
“Tasha.”
Felicia stepped near.
Tasha said, “What?”
Kelvin looked at the ground.
“The screenshots weren’t mine.”
Nobody moved.
“What does that mean?” Tasha asked.
Kelvin swallowed.
“A friend made them.”
Marcus, standing several yards away, stiffened.
Felicia said, “You should discuss this with your attorney.”
Kelvin ignored her.
“I was scared.”
Tasha laughed once.
“Of what?”
“Losing time.”
“You tried to manufacture evidence to take my children.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I wasn’t trying to take them permanently.”
“Then what were you doing?”
Kelvin’s face cracked.
“I thought if I got more overnights, support would go down.”
There it was.
Money.
Again.
Tasha stared at him as if she had never seen him clearly before.
Nia looked devastated.
Felicia said sharply, “This conversation is over.”
Tasha turned to leave.
Kelvin called after her.
“I love them.”
Tasha stopped.
She did not turn around.
“I believe you.”
Kelvin went silent.
“That is what makes this worse.”
She walked away.
In Marcus’s truck afterward, nobody spoke for several minutes.
Tasha finally said, “I used to think bad parents were people who didn’t love their kids.”
Marcus kept his eyes on the road.
“Me too.”
“Now?”
“I think love can sit right next to selfishness.”
Tasha nodded.
“And fear.”
“Yes.”
“And control.”
“Yes.”
She looked out the window.
“That means any of us can hurt them.”
Marcus glanced at her.
“Yes.”
They reached Tasha’s house.
Three backpacks still hung on hooks by the door.
The school year was well underway now.
The original argument felt months old and somehow still present.
Jayden came downstairs.
“How was court?”
Tasha and Marcus exchanged a glance.
The old instinct would have produced half-truths.
Tasha answered carefully.
“The schedule stays the same.”
Jayden smiled.
“Maya and Eli stay here?”
“Yes.”
“Did Kelvin get in trouble?”
“That part is adult business.”
Jayden studied her.
“Are you hiding stuff?”
“No.”
She sat beside him.
“I’m giving you the part that belongs to you.”
He considered.
Then nodded.
That distinction mattered.
Later that night, Marcus received a call from Dr. Mitchell.
“I normally wouldn’t contact you without an appointment,” the therapist said, “but Jayden asked me to.”
Marcus’s stomach tightened.
“What happened?”
“Nothing dangerous.”
“Okay.”
“He wants a session with you alone.”
Marcus sat down.
“Why?”
Dr. Mitchell paused.
“He has something he wants to tell you without worrying about protecting your feelings.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
Even after everything, Jayden still believed his father needed protecting.
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
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Marcus said yes.
And for the first time in his life, he prepared to hear something painful without trying to solve it before it was spoken.
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