“…and you know, if you tell the judge you want to live with me, I’ll get you that new video game you wanted. We’ll have so much fun living together, just us guys,” Damian’s voice coaxed, dripping with promises.

Damian’s lawyer stiffened, and a murmur rippled through the courtroom. Damian’s confident demeanor cracked, his face flushing with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. I felt a rush of relief mingled with sadness for Zaden, who should never have been put in such a position.

The judge listened intently, his expression unreadable, but the atmosphere in the room had shifted. He raised his hand, signaling for the recording to stop. Zaden complied, looking up at the judge with a mixture of fear and hope.