The courtroom became the battleground where Bennett laid bare the broken pieces of his life. He came armed not with fury but with truth, bearing witness to the darkness Andrea had sewn into their world. His words were steady, his gaze unwavering as he recounted her cruelty, each statement a stone laid in the foundation of his resolve. "I want only what's best for Olivia and Owen," he said, his voice trembling with a father's love.
Andrea countered with her own theatrics, casting herself as the wronged heroine of her own tragic tale. She wept, decried Bennett as unfit, painting him in hues so dark it nearly stilled his heart. Yet he stood firm, letting the truth speak for itself, letting the judge see the cracks in her facade.
When the ruling of joint custody was announced, Andrea's mask finally broke. Her fury was palpable, a tempest that shook the air around her. Bennett walked from the courtroom feeling both victorious and hollow, his heart burdened with the knowledge of the war yet to come. Though he had won the battle, he knew the scars would linger, etched forever into the fabric of his soul.