They speak to each other through the magistrate, like warring children communicating through a parent, their words are extravagantly emotive illustrated with flamboyant gestures that are wasted on the empty court room.

Life, changing with a single word. A single lie.

I wonder briefly if I have become immune to physical pain: if the human body is not designed to handle both physical and emotional hurt.

Five years of someone’s life is too much to lose over a throwaway comment.

I let his words fall around me like music; not understanding every line but enjoying the sound they make.

Everyone has an opinion, yet the truth is that no one can really know what is right. No one can predict the future, and so all we can do is make a decision based on the facts we have, and – sometimes on what our heart tells us.

You must remember that he was a boy. That he had a mother. And that her heart is breaking.

In a few moments, the doors will open, and the next act of Dylan’s story will begin. No matter what the judge’s ruling, Max’s and Pip’s lives will be irreversibly changed today, and Leila knows they will forever question the choices they made in the weeks leading up to the hearing. But when you stand at a crossroad you cannot see each destination, only the beginnings of the paths that will lead you there. All you can do is choose one, and walk, and hope that someone will walk with you.

We are programmed to care long after we need to.

They reach the quiet street where home lies just around the corner, its seductive warmth a welcome sight.