Then Daniel looked at me.
Really looked.
And everything changed.
“Judge… Olivia Carter?”
His voice dropped.
Recognition.
Shock.
Respect.
The room went still.
I held his gaze, my breathing uneven but steady enough.
“Yes,” I said quietly.
Daniel immediately removed his cap.
“Stand down,” he ordered his team.
The officers froze.
Margaret blinked, confused. “What is going on?”
Daniel stepped forward slowly, his tone calm but firm.
“Ma’am, please return the baby to his mother.”
Margaret laughed sharply. “Excuse me? No. I just told you—she’s unstable.”
Daniel didn’t raise his voice.
But there was steel in it now.
“You are currently holding a child without the mother’s consent,” he said. “Return the baby.”
For the first time, Margaret hesitated.
“She doesn’t even have a job,” she snapped. “She’s been lying to all of you.”
I spoke before Daniel could respond.
“I am a federal judge,” I said, my voice cutting through the room. “And you are about to commit a very serious crime.”
Silence.
Margaret’s face drained of color.
“You’re… bluffing,” she said weakly.
Daniel gave a small signal.
One of the officers stepped forward carefully, gently removing Noah from her arms despite her protests.
“No—wait—what are you doing?!”
Noah was placed back against my chest.
He quieted almost instantly.
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