Chapter 25 Talia

The moment I sat down at the witness stand, I felt the entire courtroom shift. People always underestimated me because I didn’t raise my voice. Because I didn’t posture. Because I didn’t need to. I protected children for a living.

Real children. In real danger. Not the ones dragged into fabricated cases to settle debts or stroke egos. Ava stepped forward, calm and precise. “Mrs. Morales, please state your position for the record.”

“I am the acting head of Internal Affairs for Child Protective Services.”

A ripple of whispers spread through the room. Kara went rigid. Juan looked like someone had pulled the floor out from under him. Good. Ava nodded. “How long have you held that position?”

“Three years.”

“And what are your responsibilities?”

“I investigate misconduct within CPS. Falsified reports. Improper removals. Bias. Corruption.”

I let my gaze slide to Kara. She flinched. Ava continued, “Mrs. Morales, did you review the case file for Gabriel Vega?”

“Yes.”

“And what did you find?”

I folded my hands neatly. “A rushed removal. Missing documentation. No home visit. No interviews with extended family. No verification of the mother’s employment. No safety assessment. No risk evaluation. And a court date listed incorrectly on the notice given to the mother.”

The judge leaned forward. “Incorrectly?”

“Yes, Your Honor. The notice Ms. Vega received stated the hearing was Friday. Today is Wednesday.”

Kara’s voice cracked. “It...it was a clerical error.”

I didn’t even look at her. “It was not a clerical error. It was deliberate.”

Gasps echoed through the room. Ava stepped aside, letting me speak freely.

“Your Honor, I have been investigating several workers within CPS for bending the system. Cutting corners. Targeting families who don’t have the resources to fight back. Ms. Barns is one of those workers.”

Kara’s breath hitched. I kept going. “In the last eighteen months, she has filed four removals with nearly identical language. All rushed. All lacking proper documentation. All overturned once reviewed.”

The judge’s eyes widened. “Four?”

“Four that we know of,” I said. “This case would have been the fifth.”

Juan shifted in his seat, panic flickering across his face.

Ava asked, “Mrs. Morales, in your professional opinion, was Gabriel Vega in immediate danger?”

“No,” I said firmly. “There was no evidence of neglect. No evidence of abuse. No evidence of risk. This removal should never have happened.”

The judge nodded slowly, absorbing every word. “And one more thing,” I added, turning my gaze directly to Kara for the first time. She froze. “Ms. Barns has a documented pattern of targeting single mothers with limited financial resources. She assumes they won’t fight back. She assumes they won’t have support. She assumes they won’t have representation.”

I let the silence stretch.

“But she miscalculated. Because this time, she targeted the wrong family.”

Kara’s face drained of color.

Ava stepped forward again. “No further questions.”

I sat back, calm and composed, as the courtroom erupted in whispers. Because the truth was out. The lies were exposed. And Kara’s case wasn’t just falling apart, it was collapsing. And she knew it. I stepped down from the stand, smoothing my skirt, my pulse steady. I’d done what I came to do. I’d protected a child. I’d protected my family. And I’d exposed exactly what needed exposing.

Daniel was already standing as I approached. He reached for me without hesitation, sliding an arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side. The warmth of him, the quiet pride radiating off him, hit me harder than anything Kara had thrown today.

He dipped his head, his lips brushing just behind my ear as he whispered, low enough that only I could hear: “You are sexy when you take people apart like that.” My breath caught, not because of the words, but because of the way he said them. Admiring. Warm. Fiercely proud. He squeezed my hip gently. “Remind me to show you later just how much I love watching you work.”

I felt heat rise in my cheeks, but I kept my expression composed as we sat. Daniel stayed close, his arm still around me, grounding me, steadying me.

Across the room, Kara looked like she was unraveling. Juan looked like he finally understood he’d lost. And Sara? She looked like she could breathe again. Daniel leaned in one more time, voice soft but certain. “You did exactly what needed to be done.”

I allowed myself the smallest smile. “Yes,” I murmured. “I did.”

And the best part? It wasn’t over yet.