Equally one possible line of reply you could have offered is some evidence that they were dependent. When neither side can produce evidence it seems fair to me to fall back on some clear deductions, which I won't repeat.
Honestly this debate seems like a waste of time for both of us. I'll leave it here, and I hope you have a good day.
You claimed they weren't dependent, not me. My comment, paraphrased, was "How can you be sure without evidence?"; I don't know if they are dependent, not enough information.
