Judge Calloway looked directly at me and asked what I wanted the court to do after reading the report. Everyone seemed prepared for a simple answer. My attorney expected me to ask for an end to the arrangement, while Rosalind sat across the room believing the hearing would finally give her complete control. Declan and Marisol were my children. Isaiah was my brother Gideon’s son. For two years, Rosalind had been involved with Gideon, yet my brother had continued sitting at my dinner table and pretending everything was normal. I had spent years raising the children without knowing how much had been deliberately kept from me.

I told the judge I was not challenging the children’s paternity. I was challenging the numbers Rosalind had presented to the court and the story she had used to justify them. Her filings claimed I had little meaningful relationship with the children and therefore should accept the custody arrangement and support amount she requested. But the report showed something very different. Rosalind had known the truth for six years. She had simply chosen not to tell me because keeping me unaware allowed her to maintain the arrangement that benefited her. The judge ordered a complete reassessment, but I still had no idea what Isaiah would say to me that evening.