Part 3I Became a Father

Jessie glared at me as I looked at Lex in disbelief. "Zephyr, listen to me. This ends here. This kind of drama stays in the family. If this gets out, it will be bad for everyone."

I asked, "Bad for whom?"

She avoided my eyes.

I answered for her. "Bad for Lex, and bad for you. As for me, the life you stole apparently didn't count as mine."

Humiliated and furious, Jessie rushed over to snatch my phone. I stepped back and lit up the screen.

The recording had already been running for fifteen minutes. I held up the phone and said, "Keep talking. I'm recording all of it."

Lex's face finally went pale.

I looked at them and said, "You forged official documents, using another person's identity to register a marriage. And then, you claimed marital assets through deception. If false materials were used to register Sandy, things will only get worse for you. I'm going to the police to file a report first thing tomorrow morning."

Jessie pointed at me, her hand trembling violently. "You dare?"

I dragged my suitcase. "If you dared steal my identity, why wouldn't I dare report it?"

Just as I reached the door, Lex suddenly called out to stop me. "Zephyr, don't forget. Before your father died, he asked my father to take care of you."

I stopped. That sentence was even filthier than his theft of my identity. I turned back and looked at him as I said, "Then you shouldn't forget that the dead won't take the blame for you."

-

At six the next morning, Jessie was standing at the hotel entrance.

I had stayed at a budget hotel the night before. She did not know my room number, so she had waited on the lobby couch.

The moment she saw me, she rushed over. "Zephyr, I was mistaken. I simply did not think things through!"

She blocked my way and refused to let me leave. "Your cousin is still young. He can't go to prison. I'll find a way to give whatever compensation you want."

I looked at her.

Compensation?

What could she possibly offer to compensate me?

I walked around her and headed out as she panicked and grabbed my arm. "Zephyr, don't force me to do this!"

I shook her hand off and said, "From today on, every time you stop me, I will submit one more piece of evidence."

She froze.

I took a taxi straight to the clerk's office.

The office had just opened at half-past eight in the morning. I handed over my ID, the police report, and my company check-in records.

The clerk glanced over them without much expression. "We need to retrieve the file. It will take a long time."

"How long?" I asked.

"Hard to say. The system is old, and some records aren't logged online," she said.

I asked, "Since when was 2018 considered old?"

She looked up at me. It was clearly written on her face not to cause trouble. "Being anxious won't help. Go home and wait for the notice."

I did not leave.

I stood in front of the counter and called the country administrator's public hotline.

Then, I spoke into the phone, "Hello, I am filing a formal complaint under my real name regarding abnormal marriage registration file management at the clerk's office. I was not present in 2018, but I was registered as married. The counter staff refused to retrieve the file because it was not logged online."

The clerk immediately stood up. "What are you doing?! Who refused you?"

I turned on the speaker.

"Sir, may I have your name?" The staff on the other end quickly took the report.

Five minutes later, the head of the archive department ran out. "Mr. Evans, right? Please calm down. We'll check immediately."

I followed him into the archive room. When the physical file was pulled out, sweat appeared on his forehead. On the registration application, the signature read Zephyr Evans. However, the handwriting looked nothing like mine. The photocopied ID came from an old driver's license I had lost six years ago and had already been reported missing at the time.

I asked, "Where is the facial recognition record?"

The department head searched for a long time but could not find one. "At that time... The system was not fully online yet."

I stared at him. "Then where is the video showing I was present?"

He said nothing.

I continued, "Who handled the application?"

The last page of the file had a stamp on it, and the assigned clerk was Howard Brown.

The department head swallowed. "Howard has already retired."

I photographed the documents one page at a time. "Retirement does not mean immunity."

The department head finally lowered his voice. "Mr. Evans, this registration does have serious flaws. We will start the cancellation procedure."

"I want a written acceptance notice," I said.

He hesitated.

I then placed my phone on the table. "Should I call the county administrator hotline again?"