Chapter 7 - Mason's Testimony
The ten-year-old boy walked confidently to the witness stand. He was wearing a new navy-blue suit I had bought him, his hair neatly combed. He looked so much like a young man it broke my heart.
Judge Harrison leaned forward, her expression softening. "Hello, Mason. You don't have to be afraid. Just tell me what you want me to know."
Mason took a deep breath. He didn't look at his parents. He looked straight at the judge.
"My mom and dad told us that we were adopted because nobody else wanted us," Mason said, his voice ringing clear and steady through the courtroom. "They told Lily she was broken. When Chloe was born, they stopped buying us new clothes. They made us eat at the counter while they ate at the table with Chloe."
A collective gasp came from the court reporter.
"The night they left," Mason continued, "Lily was crying because her head hurt. Mom slapped her across the face. I pushed Mom away to protect my sister. That’s why Daddy locked me in the closet. He told me I was going to stay there until I learned to be grateful. They told Lily that if she made a sound, they would leave her in the woods."
Mason paused, his bottom lip trembling for the first time. He turned his head slowly and looked at me.
"But Grandpa always loved us. When we were at his house, we got to sit at the table. He helped me with my science projects. He reads Lily stories until she falls asleep without any medicine. I don't want to go to my other grandparents. They knew Mom was mean to us, and they didn't stop it. I want to live with Grandpa. I want to protect my sisters."
Judge Harrison took off her glasses, wiping her eyes. She looked down at the defense table, her face hardening into an expression of pure judicial fury.
"Mr. and Mrs. Vance," the judge said, her voice shaking with controlled anger. "In my twenty-five years on the bench, I have rarely witnessed such callous, premeditated degradation of innocent children. You did not treat these children as human beings; you treated them as financial commodities and inconveniences."
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She didn't even hesitate. She slammed her gavel down with a thud that echoed like a gunshot.
"Emergency full legal and physical custody of Mason, Lily, and Chloe Vance is hereby granted exclusively to their grandfather, Arthur Vance. Effective immediately, all parental rights of Brian and Marissa Vance are suspended pending their criminal trial. Court is adjourned."
