The hearing was scheduled for a Thursday morning in November.
I wore my best business suit. Peter arrived in a wrinkled shirt and khakis.
When Margaret called the children, I held my breath. But each of them walked to the stand with more maturity than Peter had shown in years.
Emma spoke first. “Your Honor, my dad doesn’t really spend time with us anymore. He’s always on his phone or watching TV. When we ask him to help with homework or play games, he gets annoyed and tells us to ask Mom.”
Jake went up next. “He never comes to my soccer games. Mom comes to every single one. Last month, he promised to take me for new cleats, but he forgot and went golfing instead.”
Then Sarah, my baby. “Daddy used to read me bedtime stories, but now he just tells me to go to sleep. I wish he’d read me more stories.”
As they testified, Peter looked stunned—as if he had never realized how absent he’d become.
