“Yes,” I said.

“She does.”

A few weeks later, we completed the appropriate identity and family documentation.

We didn’t need Noah to prove our relationship through his behavior.

The records supported what Chloe told me.

Where necessary, independent verification established paternity and corrected inaccurate information associated with the false divorce and death materials.

The legal process confirmed that Chloe and I had not been validly divorced.

My mother had created documents and representations designed to convince us otherwise.