The next morning brought a heavy gray rain over the busy city streets.
Sarah sat in Karen's downtown office surrounded by tall stacks of paper.
Karen reviewed the emergency motion papers on her mahogany desk slowly.
Karen: Mark has already hired a expensive defense lawyer this morning.
Sarah: He thinks his wealth can buy him out of any trouble.
Karen: We have strong testimony, but we need extra supporting facts.
Sarah remembered the smart home security cameras installed inside their dining area.
Mark had installed them last year to monitor the main living space.
Sarah: The cloud storage saves video footage automatically for thirty days!
Karen: If those recordings are active, they will prove everything in court!
Sarah logged into the security account app on her mobile phone quickly.
Her fingers trembled as she scrolled through the recorded afternoon clips.
There it was, clear high-definition video of the entire shocking incident.
The camera captured Mark pouring pet food and yelling at little Lily.
It also recorded Sarah walking in and immediately rescuing her daughter.
Karen: This video evidence is powerful enough to decide the whole case.
Sarah: He cannot deny what he did on camera anymore.
Karen saved the digital files onto a secure drive for the judge.
Meanwhile, Mark sent dozens of angry text messages to Sarah's phone.
Mark: Bring Lily home right now or I will take your car back!
Sarah showed the aggressive text messages to Karen without replying once.
Karen: Do not respond to any of his messages under any circumstances.
Sarah: I will let the family court judge do the talking for me.
Sarah felt a strong sense of relief wash over her weary spirit.
The truth was locked in digital stone where no one could delete it.
She walked out of the law office ready for the hearing ahead.