The celebration didn't last.
Not even a full twenty-four hours after Mariah's arrest, Hutchins called them back into his office, face grim.
"There's a new problem," he said, wasting no time.
Aria felt her stomach knot instantly. Elias stiffened beside her.
Hutchins tossed a folder onto the desk.
"This morning, Mariah's attorney filed a motion to dismiss her involvement, claiming her criminal issues have no bearing on the custody case. Meanwhile—" he tapped the folder — "Child Services flagged a 'pattern of instability' in your home because of the ongoing chaos."
Elias cursed under his breath. "So because someone attacked us, we look unstable?"
"Welcome to family court," Hutchins said dryly.
Aria leaned forward, gripping the edge of the desk. "What does this mean for the hearing?"
"It means we're under a microscope. Worse than before. Every move you make, every word you say — it's all evidence now."
Silence fell over the office, heavy and oppressive.
"And there's more," Hutchins added.
Aria's heart sank lower.
"They're ordering psychological evaluations."
She blinked at him, not sure she'd heard right. "Psych evaluations? For us?"
"For you. For Elias. Even for Eli, to a limited degree."
Elias looked like he wanted to throw something.
"And if we refuse?"
"You lose by default," Hutchins said simply. "They'll say you're hiding something."
Aria slumped back in her chair, exhausted beyond words.
"We'll do it," she said finally, her voice hollow.
Elias didn't argue.
There wasn't anything left to argue about.
The evaluations were brutal.
Hours spent locked in sterile rooms with strangers poking at old wounds.
Aria found herself dredging up memories she'd tried to bury years ago — her lonely childhood, the way her mother's bitterness had shaped her, the terrible mistakes she'd made when she was young and scared and stupid.
The therapist nodded patiently, scribbling notes she wasn't allowed to see.
Elias didn't talk about his session afterward.
He came home that night, shoulders slumped, jaw tight, and disappeared into the garage without saying a word.
Aria let him go.
She didn't have the energy to force anything anymore.
The next hurdle was the home visit.
Child Services sent a woman named Ms. Carter — late thirties, no-nonsense, with sharp eyes that missed nothing.
Aria spent the morning cleaning obsessively — scrubbing floors, hiding anything that looked even remotely questionable.
When Ms. Carter arrived, Aria greeted her with a tight smile.
"Come in."
Ms. Carter stepped inside, clipboard in hand.
She walked slowly through the house, inspecting everything — the locks on the doors, the safety latches on cabinets, the smoke detectors.
Every so often, she asked sharp, uncomfortable questions.
"Do you and Mr. West frequently argue in front of Eli?"
"Have there been any incidents of physical discipline?"
"Have you ever left Eli unsupervised?"
Aria answered them all truthfully.
Even the ones that hurt.
Because she knew one lie could destroy everything.
Ms. Carter interviewed Eli separately, sitting cross-legged on the living room rug, asking gentle questions that made Aria's chest ache.
"Do you feel safe at home?"
"Do your parents ever yell?"
"Are there times when you feel scared?"
Eli answered in that straightforward, honest way only kids can.
"My mom's awesome," he said proudly. "She always makes pancakes when I'm sad. And my dad... he wasn't around before, but now he's trying hard. He even built me a fort in the backyard."
Ms. Carter smiled faintly, jotting notes.
Aria didn't breathe the whole time.
Afterward, when Ms. Carter finally left, Elias slumped onto the couch and buried his face in his hands.
"This is hell," he muttered.
Aria sat beside him, feeling hollow.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "It is."
The days leading up to the final hearing blurred together.
They went through the motions — work, school, therapy sessions, lawyer meetings — moving like ghosts through their own lives.
Eli could feel the tension, even if he didn't understand it.
He stopped asking for playdates.
Stopped inviting friends over.
Stopped talking as much.
One night, after dinner, he sat on the floor building a Lego tower, unusually quiet.
Aria knelt beside him.
"Hey, bud," she said softly. "You okay?"
He shrugged without looking up.
"You and Dad are always mad now."
Aria's heart twisted painfully.
"We're not mad at you," she whispered. "We love you so much, Eli. You know that, right?"
He nodded, but didn't smile.
Didn't meet her eyes.
Aria swallowed hard, blinking back tears.
She hated what this was doing to him.
Hated that he had to carry any part of this mess.
The night before the court, the anxiety was unbearable.
Elias sat at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee he didn't seem to notice had gone cold.
Aria paced the living room, too wired to sit still.
Finally, Elias spoke.
"If we lose tomorrow," he said quietly, "I want you to know... none of this is your fault."
Aria froze.
Turned slowly toward him.
"Elias—"
He shook his head.
"You fought for Eli when no one else did. You protected him. You loved him enough for both of us when I wasn't around. If this doesn't go our way... it's not because you failed."
Tears blurred her vision.
She crossed the room and dropped into the chair across from him, reaching for his hand.
"I'm scared," she admitted in a broken whisper.
"So am I," he said.
They sat there, hands tangled, two broken people trying to hold each other together.
The courthouse was buzzing the next morning.
Reporters hovered outside, sensing blood in the water.
Aria clutched Eli's hand tightly as they made their way inside.
She hadn't slept.
Neither had Elias.
But somehow, they had to find a way to stand tall today.
For Eli.
For their family.
Hutchins met them outside the courtroom, looking uncharacteristically serious.
"Stay calm," he instructed. "No matter what they throw at you."
Aria nodded, barely hearing him.
Her heart was pounding too loud.
Inside the courtroom, Mariah's lawyer was already at the front, setting up exhibits.
Mariah herself was notably absent — still behind bars, awaiting her fraud trial.
But her presence still loomed large.
Judge Harrow entered, and everyone rose.
The bailiff called the session to order.
Aria squeezed Elias's hand once under the table.
It was the beginning.
And there was no turning back.