The courthouse was colder than Aria remembered.
Not physically — the heat was blasting through ancient vents — but there was a chill in the air, something bone-deep. The kind of cold that came from fear and waiting and the heavy weight of decisions outside your control.
She sat stiffly on the hard wooden bench, hands locked together so tightly her knuckles were white.
Elias was next to her, tapping his foot nonstop against the marble floor. Every few minutes, he'd stop, run his hands through his hair, and start again.
Neither of them spoke.
There was nothing left to say.
Across the hall, their attorney Hutchins was conferring with the clerk. Every so often, he'd glance back at them with a tight, unreadable expression.
The door to the courtroom remained closed.
Time dragged.
Aria kept her gaze on the wall clock, willing the minute hand to move faster.
Finally, finally, the courtroom door creaked open.
"Blackwood vs. Blackwood," the clerk called out.
Elias jerked to his feet.
Aria followed, smoothing her skirt with trembling hands. She glanced at him once — he nodded — and together they walked through the door.
The courtroom was smaller than she expected.
Almost intimate.
Four rows of wooden benches. A raised platform where the judge sat, peering down through thick glasses.
No jury.
No grand audience.
Just them.
And everything they stood to lose.
Hutchins directed them to their seats.
Elias sat on the left. Aria sat on the right.
The judge, a sharp-eyed woman named Harrow, shuffled a thick stack of papers in front of her.
She didn't smile.
Didn't welcome them.
Just got right to it.
"This is the custody determination for minor child Eli Blackwood," she said briskly. "I've reviewed the filings, the psychological evaluations, and the testimony."
She tapped her pen against the file.
"Before I deliver my decision, each party will have three minutes for a final statement."
Aria's heart skipped.
She hadn't prepared for this.
Hutchins leaned close, whispering: "Speak from the heart. Keep it about Eli."
She nodded, barely hearing him.
The judge looked up.
"Ms. Blackwood?"
Aria stood slowly.
Her knees almost buckled.
She walked to the center of the room, hands trembling at her sides.
She glanced at Elias once — his face was pale but steady — then forced herself to look at the judge.
"My son means everything to me," she said, her voice stronger than she felt. "He's smart, kind, funny. He deserves a life that's stable and full of love."
She swallowed hard.
"I made mistakes. So did Elias. But we've both grown. We're not perfect, but we've built something for Eli that's real. Something good."
The judge nodded for her to continue.
Aria breathed deeply.
"This isn't about punishing either parent. It's about what's best for Eli. And the best thing for him is knowing he has both of us — not one or the other. Not a battlefield. A family."
She hesitated.
"And... I trust Elias with my son. I trust him to be there. Always."
Her voice cracked slightly, but she didn't stop.
"Whatever happens today, I will keep fighting for what's right for Eli. Always."
She stepped back, heart pounding, and sat down without remembering how her legs moved.
The judge turned to Elias.
"Mr. Blackwood?"
Elias stood slowly, his hands fisting and releasing at his sides.
He walked to the center of the room — and for a moment, he just stood there.
Silent.
Aria held her breath.
Finally, he spoke.
"I don't have fancy words," he said roughly. "I'm not a lawyer. I'm not perfect. But I love my son more than anything in this world."
He paused, looking directly at the judge.
"I've made mistakes. I lost myself for a while. But when I look at Eli, I see every reason I needed to change. And I did."
His voice steadied.
"I'm not here to win a fight. I'm here because Eli deserves parents who don't give up. Not on him. Not on themselves. Not on each other."
He let out a shaky breath.
"I will never stop showing up for my son. Never."
The courtroom was completely silent.
Even the clerk stopped shuffling papers.
Judge Harrow looked at both of them for a long moment.
Then she spoke.
"Thank you both."
She shuffled her papers again, creating a sound that grated on Aria's nerves like nails on a chalkboard.
"My ruling is as follows."
Aria gripped the edge of the bench so hard her fingers ached.
The judge continued.
"Given the testimony, the evaluations, and the demonstrated willingness of both parents to cooperate, I find that shared custody is in the best interest of the child."
Aria felt her lungs fill for the first time in days.
Shared.
They weren't losing him.
They weren't losing each other.
But the judge wasn't finished.
"I am, however, assigning a six-month probationary period."
Aria's stomach dropped.
Elias stiffened.
The judge's gaze was sharp.
"During this time, both parties must adhere to strict cooperation guidelines. Including attendance at co-parenting counseling sessions, regular check-ins with a court-appointed evaluator, and strict compliance with all custody arrangements."
She leaned forward slightly.
"Failure to comply will result in revisiting custody — and potentially awarding sole custody to the more compliant parent."
A cold chill ran down Aria's spine.
She stole a glance at Elias.
His jaw was clenched.
But he gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.
He understood.
They both did.
One wrong move, and they could still lose everything.
Judge Harrow banged her gavel once, sharp and final.
"The next review hearing is set for six months from today. Court adjourned."
The moment they stepped outside, Aria gasped for air like a drowning woman breaking the surface.
Elias stood frozen next to her, staring at the courthouse steps like he wasn't sure how he got there.
For a long time, neither spoke.
Finally, Aria said, "We did it."
Elias let out a strangled laugh.
"Did we?"
She turned to him.
"It's not perfect. But it's something. We have Eli."
He scrubbed his hands over his face.
"Yeah."
Silence stretched between them.
"We need to be perfect now," Elias said bitterly. "One screw-up, and they'll take him."
Aria shook her head.
"We need to be real. Not perfect. We just have to show up. Do the work."
He met her eyes, and for the first time in weeks, she saw something different there.
Not just fear.
Hope.
"Yeah," he said. "Okay."
They stood there for a long moment — just two broken people, trying to hold onto something good.
Aria shoved her hands into her pockets.
"You wanna go get him?" she asked.
Elias blinked.
"You mean... together?"
She nodded.
"Yeah. Together."
When they arrived at the daycare, Eli came flying out of the building like a rocket.
"Dad! Mom!" he yelled, throwing himself into their arms.
Aria crouched down, gathering him close.
Elias dropped to his knees too, wrapping them both in a fierce hug.
Eli pulled back, looking up at them with wide, excited eyes.
"Are we going home now?"
"Yeah, buddy," Aria said, voice thick with emotion. "We're going home."
Eli grinned, grabbing each of their hands and swinging them back and forth.
"Together?"
Elias smiled — a real, full smile — for the first time in what felt like forever.
"Yeah," he said. "Together."
Later that night, after Eli was asleep, Aria sat on the porch while Elias leaned against the railing.
The night was cool.
The air smelled like rain.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
Finally, Elias said, "I'm scared."
She turned to him.
"So am I."
He looked up at the stars.
"You think we can do this?"
She didn't hesitate.
"I think we already are."
He smiled faintly.
And for the first time, Aria believed it too.
They weren't the same people who had broken everything once.
They were something new.
Something stronger.
Something worth fighting for.
And for the first time in a long time —
Aria wasn't afraid to believe in tomorrow.