And laughed so hard at one of Chloe’s jokes that he nearly fell from his chair.

For two hours, I barely thought about Vivian.

That night, when I returned to the documents, I saw them differently.

The legal process was necessary.

But it was not my entire life.

Eventually, Vivian was convicted on serious charges arising from the financial fraud and forged-document scheme.

The proceedings established that she had knowingly participated in the misuse of family authority and the creation or circulation of false documents intended to keep Chloe and me apart.

The sentence included eight years in federal custody for the federal offenses, with the related legal matters addressed through the relevant proceedings.