Evelyn heard it.
So did I.
She wrote something on her legal pad.
Judge Whitman turned to my parents next.
Patricia was sobbing now, real tears cutting tracks through her makeup.
Richard looked smaller than I had ever seen him.
The judge’s voice filled the room.
“Patricia and Richard Vale, this petition is dismissed with prejudice. Your request to seize your daughter’s assets is denied in full.”
My mother tried to stand. “Your Honor, please, we didn’t know Jamal was stealing. We only wanted to help Cassidy.”
Judge Whitman leaned forward.
“Do not insult this court by calling greed help.”
She shut her mouth.
“You testified that your daughter was mentally unstable. You characterized professional exhaustion as psychosis. You used stolen and fabricated records to support a petition that would have stripped a competent adult of her autonomy.”
He pointed toward me.
“The respondent did not need saving from herself. She needed protection from you.”
