[ELARA'S POV]
The final hearing was on a Friday in December.
I wore a navy dress. Professional. Conservative. Catherine had coached me. Look like a responsible mother. Speak calmly. Don't let Sofia get under your skin.
Easier said than done.
The courtroom was cold. Sterile. Judge Morrison presided. Same woman from before. She'd read all the mediation reports. All the evidence. Now she just needed to hear us.
Sofia's lawyer went first. Painted her as a reformed addict. A woman trying to make amends. Someone who deserved a second chance.
"Ms. Kane has been sober for two years." He showed the court her NA attendance records. "She's in therapy. She's working the program. She's done everything the court could ask of her."
"Being sober doesn't make you a good grandmother." Catherine stood. "It makes you a functioning adult. That's baseline. Not exceptional."
