Chapter 6
Benedict moved out of the party house temporarily.
It belonged to his mother.
Ramona had access through family events.
The children needed somewhere neutral.
He and Ainsley rented a furnished home nearby for six weeks.
Dulcie remained with Ramona under the existing order until the emergency hearing.
Benedict hated that.
Marcus told him:
“You don’t get to unilaterally change custody because you’re furious.”
“She used Dulcie in this.”
“Yes.”
“And Dulcie exposed her.”
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t let me take her?”
“No.”
Reality.
Frustrating.
Necessary.
The emergency hearing happened Monday.
Ramona’s attorney introduced Ainsley’s kick.
The judge watched the full available video.
Not only the photograph.
Not only Ainsley standing over Ramona.
The entire sequence.
The judge was clear.
Ainsley’s conduct was serious.
So was Ramona’s.
No one received sole moral ownership of the room.
The court ordered:
No unsupervised contact between Ramona and Nell.
No party or commercial filming involving both children.
A temporary guardian ad litem for Dulcie.
A pause on new paid media work by Dulcie until financial accounting was clarified.
Existing custody remained temporarily in place except exchanges would be supervised.
Ainsley was not prohibited from Dulcie.
But the court warned that her kick would be evaluated in the broader household-safety review.
Ramona lost the immediate advantage she had hoped for.
Not because the kick disappeared.
Because context survived.
Then the police review moved forward.
Ramona’s haircut could support assault-related charges because cutting hair from a child by force was unwanted physical contact and bodily interference.
Exact charging depended on state law and prosecutor judgment.
Ainsley’s kick supported a separate misdemeanor theory.
Again:
Separate conduct.
Separate accountability.
Then Brooke—no, wrong story.
Celeste provided one more recording.
After Benedict arrived, while everyone focused on Nell, Ramona whispered to her:
“Get the part where Ainsley kicked me.”
Celeste answered:
“I didn’t get the cut.”
Ramona:
“That’s not the point.”
Three words.
That’s not the point.
Marcus replayed them.
Benedict stared.
May you like
The haircut itself had not been the evidence Ramona most cared about.
Ainsley’s reaction was.
