Chapter 4: What Brandon Said
She let it ring twice before she picked up.
Marcus moved to stand beside her so he could hear.
"Maya." Brandon's voice was even.
Too even.
"I'm calling to let you know Tyler and I landed safely.
He's doing great.
He loves the hotel."
Maya said nothing for a moment.
She was looking at Marcus.
He gave a small nod.
"That's good," she said.
Her voice was steady.
"I'm glad he's safe."
"Look, I know you're upset about the ticket situation.
Vanessa explained it was a booking error—"
"Brandon." She cut him straight through.
"Why did you sign a custody document three weeks ago without telling me?"
Silence.
It lasted long enough to confirm everything.
"Where did you hear that?" he said finally.
"Is it true?"
"Maya, that's not something we should discuss over the phone.
When I get back—"
"Tyler is supposed to come home Sunday.
I need to know he's coming home Sunday."
Another pause.
Shorter this time.
More controlled.
"We'll talk when I'm back."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I have right now."
She pulled the phone from her ear and set it face-down on the counter.
Her hand stayed on it for a moment.
"He knows we know," Marcus said.
"He didn't deny it."
"No.
He didn't." Marcus moved back to his laptop.
"Which means they'll move faster now.
If they think you're going to challenge it, Vanessa will push to have the filing executed before you can get an attorney involved."
Maya crossed her arms.
"So what do we do?"
"You call a family attorney tonight.
Not tomorrow.
Tonight." He was typing again.
"I'm going to find the original filing.
There has to be a case number.
If there's a case number, it's in the public record."
"And if you find it?"
"Then we know exactly what was submitted, what was claimed, and who signed off." He looked up.
"And we find out what they said about you."
Maya uncrossed her arms and pulled out a chair.
She sat down.
Not the way someone sits when they're giving up.
The way someone sits when they're deciding.
"I want to see everything," she said.
"Whatever they put in that filing.
Every word."
"You sure?"
"Marcus, my son is in Miami and there is a judge somewhere who apparently thinks I'm not fit to be his mother.
Yes.
I want to see every word."
He nodded and kept working.
Forty minutes later, he found the case number.
Ten minutes after that, he had pulled the public portions of the filing.
He went quiet while he read.
Maya watched his face.
She had known Marcus long enough to read him, and what she saw made her stomach tighten.
"Tell me," she said.
He turned the screen toward her.
The filing listed three incidents.
The late school pickup.
A claim that Maya had missed two of Tyler's medical appointments.
And a third entry — a declaration, signed by Vanessa herself, stating that Tyler had told her he was "scared to go home."
Maya read it twice.
"Tyler never said that," she said.
"I know."
"He would never say that.
He—" She stopped herself.
Her jaw tightened.
"She made that up."
"Or coached him to say something that she then reframed."
Maya stood up.
"She used my son's words against me.
Words she put in his mouth."
Marcus said nothing.
There was nothing useful to say.
Maya picked up her phone.
"I'm calling an attorney."
"Good."
She was already dialing.
Then she stopped.
"Marcus.
The message thread between Brandon and Vanessa.
The one on your phone." She looked at him.
"How did you get that?"
He met her eyes.
"A friend who works in mobile security.
Don't ask me more than that right now."
She held his gaze for one moment.
Then she nodded and finished dialing.
The attorney answered on the third ring.
And in Miami, at that same moment, Vanessa was looking at her own phone.
Brandon had sent her two words.
May you like
*She knows.*
Vanessa set the phone down and smiled.
