Out of Bounds

Briar POV

The air in the courtroom was heavy, thick with the background noise of two lawyers arguing across the aisle. I sat in the spectator row, my fingers crossed so tight they throbbed, my legs bouncing in a frantic, non-stop rhythm.

Please, I chanted silently. Let something good happen.

The judge banged his gavel. "Owen Wren and Vivienne's marriage is dissolved."

I didn't blink. I already knew my parents' marriage was dead. I was waiting for the only verdict that actually mattered.

Across the room, a winning smile curved onto Vivienne's lips.

"After viewing all the evidence regarding Owen Wren's psychological condition," the judge continued, his voice echoing off the high walls, "the court decides to grant Briar Wren's primary custody to her mother, Vivienne."

My legs froze mid-bounce. My fingers uncrossed. I shot straight up from my seat, snapping, "I don't want to live with her. I want Dad."

Owen's lawyer instantly seized the opportunity. "Your Honor, Miss Briar clearly does not want to be with her mother. Custody should be awarded to my client."

Vivienne's lawyer scoffed. "How can a person take care of their child when they can barely look after themselves? It is entirely right to grant Briar's custody to Miss Vivienne Voss."

I curled my hands into tight fists at my sides. How much money did she feed him to make him say that?

"But-"

The judge cut off Owen's lawyer with a wave of his hand. "Lawyer Warren, the court awards child custody to the parent best equipped to provide."

The triumphant smile slipped from Vivienne's face as she turned around, shooting a frantic glance at her lawyer. Her attorney stared back, his eyes communicating a silent, sharp warning: Control your daughter before she ruins everything we've worked for.

Vivienne forced a mask of gentle concern, hurrying over to me. "Briar, darling, it's for your own good. You can't live with your father. He's... he's psycho-"

My eyes burned, hot and wet with angry tears. I cut her off before she could finish the lie. "He isn't psychotic. You made him that way. I don't..." I choked on the lump in my throat, "...want to be with you."

Across the room, Dad was looking at me with watery eyes. He couldn't bear to see me like this, but his hands were tied. The whole case had been rigged against him by my own mother, who had painted him as a dangerous, unstable man just to tear us apart.

The judge delivered his final decision and closed the case.

Just like that, it was over-leaving two people completely heartbroken, and one standing there with a sickening smile on her face.

The heavy door of the hotel room hadn't even clicked shut before Vivienne's palm collided with my cheek.

The shock of it sent me stumbling backward. My hip slammed against the vanity, and my fingers flew to my face, pressing against the skin where her handprint burned hot, red, and entirely numb.

Before I could recover, she lunged forward again. Instead of another slap, her fingers clamped around my jaw, jerking my face up to meet hers. Her manicured nails were sharp enough to draw a bead of blood.

"Who told you that you could open your mouth?" Vivienne hissed, her eyes blazing with fury. "You were mere seconds away from ruining everything I had worked for."

I refused to cower. I glared right back at her, matching her energy. "Who told you that you could steal me from Dad? You submitted fake evidence in court claiming he was psychotic, when he was the only sane person in this damn family!"

Vivienne loosened her death grip on my jaw, shoving me back by the shoulders. "I did this for us! You know your dad could never earn enough to give us the life we deserve."

"Not us. You!" I hissed, the venom finally spilling over. "He couldn't fulfill your wishes because you only care about showing off. You want to spend money on every shallow thing you see!"

Tears of pure frustration pricked my eyes as I thought of the hallway outside the courtroom. "Dad was crying after the hearing. He wanted to hug me one last time, but your lawyer pushed him away like he was the monster you painted him out to be to the world! You ruined everything just because of your endless greed."

The veins on my neck bulged, my face flushed bright red over the tracks of my dried tears. I stared her down. "Are you happy now?"

Vivienne dropped her hands from my shoulders. She took a slow, calculated breath, casually tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear as if she hadn't just assaulted me. The mask of a doting mother snapped right back into place.

"Briar, you aren't mature enough to understand what money can buy us," she reasoned in a patronizing, sweet tone that made my stomach turn. "Imagine going to an elite school instead of some public facility that can't provide you with a real future."

I tilted my head, offering her a cold, humorless smile. "You're saying all of this with a lot of confidence... like you've already found a rich man to agree to pay your bills."

Vivienne's lips curved into a sharp, sly grin.