The slap broke Rebecca's front tooth before she even realized she'd been hit.

The Provincial Court set a date to review the appeal filed by Trevor's legal team against the restraining order and temporary custody measures.

The Courthouse smelled of stale coffee and damp old parquet flooring. Trevor appeared in the hallway flanked by a team of three lawyers in tailored suits. His hair was impeccably cut, and he wore a Red Cross lapel pin on his jacket. He looked like a model citizen, a grieving father being deprived of seeing his daughter by a millionaire machine.

Rebecca entered through a side door to avoid the TV cameras crowding the main steps.

In the courtroom, Trevor's attorney, a renowned lawyer specializing in family law, took the floor vehemently.

"Your Honor, we are witnessing a blatant weaponization of the criminal jurisdiction to obtain a disproportionate advantage in civil court. My client is an impeccable professional with no criminal record, who has been separated from his eighteen-month-old daughter following an unfortunate domestic accident triggered by Mrs. Vale's state of emotional instability."

The lawyer displayed a series of printed screenshots on photo paper.

"We submit recent messages where the complainant herself admits to visiting the emergency room for panic attacks prior to any disagreement with my client. To claim that a broken tooth sustained during an accidental restraint maneuver equates to a pattern of continuous violence is a legal overreach."

Maya Chen stood up unhurriedly. She spread the authenticated transcripts of the recordings found in the white noise machine and the nursery wall across the podium.

"With all due respect, opposing counsel refers to an 'accidental restraint maneuver' what the police report defines as an open-handed strike to a pregnant woman holding a minor in her arms. But what is truly relevant for this Court is determining if an objective risk exists."

Maya looked directly at the bench.

"We submit the forensic computer analysis performed on the hard drive seized under a judicial warrant. The defendant spent fourteen months cataloging my client's vulnerability, staging incidents to discredit her, and concealing mortgage loans worth over a million euros against the marital home by forging her digital signature. We are not dealing with a heated argument. We are dealing with a premeditated plan of nullification and dispossession."

Trevor, sitting next to his lawyer, leaned toward her and whispered something aggressively. For an instant, his mask of serenity cracked. His eyes searched for Rebecca in the victim's bench. There was no remorse in his gaze; only the cold fury of someone who realizes their opponent has seen their hand.

The prosecutor aligned with the private prosecution's thesis:

"The Public Prosecutor's Office requests the full maintenance of the suspension of in-person visitation until the complete psychodiagnostic report of the investigated party is conducted at the Institute of Legal Medicine. The minor's presence at the time of impact and the existence of unauthorized listening devices in her own bedroom strongly advise against any relaxation of the protective measures."

The presiding judge took two hours to deliberate.

When the parties returned to the courtroom, the ruling was decisive: the defense's appeal was dismissed. The 500-meter stay-away order and Rebecca's temporary sole custody were upheld.

Leaving the courtroom, Trevor's lawyer approached Maya in the lobby.

"We can still close a plea deal on the criminal side before this goes to Criminal Court," he said quietly. "One year in prison, suspended sentence if he doesn't re-offend, and supervised visitation at a meeting center. Trevor will agree to sell the house and settle the debt."