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The moment hung heavily in the air, like the pause between thunder and lightning. My heart was a frantic drumbeat in my chest as I waited for Zaden to respond. I knew how much pressure he must have felt, being just a child in a world of adult decisions and courtroom jargon. His small shoulders seemed to bear the weight of this pivotal moment.<\/p>\n
Zaden shifted slightly, his fingers fumbling with the phone in his hand. He cleared his throat, a small but determined sound that echoed through the quiet room. \u201cCan I play something for you, Your Honor?\u201d he asked, his voice steady but tinged with the innocence only a child can carry.<\/p>\n
The judge raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. \u201cWhat is it you want to show us, Zaden?\u201d<\/p>\n
Zaden glanced at me, and I offered a weak, supportive smile, praying silently that whatever he was about to reveal wouldn\u2019t backfire. He unlocked his phone with a swift movement, scrolling through until he found what he was looking for.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast night,\u201d Zaden began, \u201cmy dad and I talked. He said I should say I wanted to live with him. He was really mad when I said I didn\u2019t want to.\u201d He paused, looking directly at the judge. \u201cHe said\u2026well, it\u2019s better if you hear it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The moment hung heavily in the air, like the pause between thunder and lightning. My heart was a frantic drumbeat in my chest as I waited for… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n