They packed their luggage and set out for the flight to John's home in the countryside.
"I never thought you were a country man," Janet said to John curiously.
"Yes, I'm a country boy—well, not born, but raised. I was actually born in the city, in the suburbs. We stayed there for three years before moving in with my mom's parents when Grandpa died."
It was me, my older sister, and my younger brother—until she remarried, and my stepbrother and stepsister joined us. They eventually moved in, and our families merged into one. We became a bigger family, but when I was around nine, Mom died, and we were left to the mercy of my dad… supposedly.
"What you hear in stories happened to me," he continued, bitterness in his voice. "My brothers and I were lucky—Mom was smart enough not to leave anything to him. It was like she knew what he was made of. After two years of court cases and him trying to take away everything from us, he was left with only one percent of the family company and two extra percent that was given to him."
The ordeal had already shattered his image in our eyes, so he couldn't affect us financially. Instead, he made sure to hurt us physically. We eventually learned how to counter his tricks, but he would punish us in cruel ways, like locking us in a vault for hours, restricting our movement. It almost broke us.
My sister never accepted it. She always fought back, with my younger brother—two years younger than me—standing by her side. My older sister was also two years older than me. We struggled until we were finally free from his clutches.
Luckily, there were routines Mom had left behind—rules, protections, and traditions that kept us safe. That's the only reason we survived.
"Oh," Janet gasped. "I'm so sorry."
"Nah," John said. "That's all in the past now. You haven't told me anything about yourself. I've been talking too much about me."
"Well… I was raised in an orphanage," Janet said.
"What?" John asked in shock.
"Yeah, I was. I wish I'd been from a wealthy family, but I was lucky. I was smart, and some donors decided to mentor me. They helped me study and sponsored my education. But one of them—he was like a father to me—died recently of illness."
"I'm so sorry," John said softly.
"Yeah… he was like a dad to me. I even called him Dad, and his wife Mom. But she died in a tragic accident a few years after I was adopted."
"I'm so sorry. I didn't know you'd had such a tough life."
Janet smiled faintly. "Look who's talking—the guy locked up in a basement, left cold and hungry."
"Okay," John chuckled. "We both had it rough."
"True. But at least we survived," she said.
"Yes, we did."
— — —
They arrived at his home and were greeted by his sister, who had been waiting for them. The place was massive—more like a mansion.
"You said it was a small house," Janet remarked in awe.
"Oh, mine was small," John corrected, "but my family house has twenty bedrooms."
"You're kidding me. All this, and you act like we're the same at work?" Janet teased.
"Bragging only gets you so far in life," John replied.
"True."
"It's better!!" a voice called out. "You moron."
"Who are you calling a moron, you sissy?" John shot back.
"I missed you!" Shipka said, rushing over. "I heard you were hurt and was about to fly out, but then I got the news you were coming home! Finally, after all this time! Oh—and who's this lovely lady with you?"
"Janet Wayne," Janet said politely. "Nice to meet you."
"Shipka Renga, at your service—and an excited one," Shipka replied, shaking her hand. "Your girlfriend is beautiful. I see why you decided to play hero."
John smirked. "Always with the sly mouth. So, where's Jack?"
"He went out to watch the stars," Shipka replied.
"Then let's join him," John said.
They took an off-road car through the farm to where Jack was.
"Jim," Janet greeted.
"Yeah, Mom wasn't much of a namer," John joked. "She just picked what came to mind."
When they arrived, John called out, "Hey Jim, little bro."
Jim looked angry. "You're lucky you're injured, or I'd have punched you into the ICU myself, you stupid bum. You never called—you just left. I had to hear from Tony!"
"I'm so sorry," John said. "But I kept in touch through Tony."
"You seriously called Tony instead of us? You couldn't pick up a phone?" Jim's anger was obvious.
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I promise," John said firmly.
"Don't break it, or I'll kill you myself," Jim warned.
"Promises are meant to be delivered," John said. "If I'm gone for a long time, I'll tell you. Okay?"
"Sure. I believe you—this time," Jim said.
John held Janet's hand. "This is Janet," he said softly. "Sorry."
"No problem," Janet replied, though an awkward silence passed between them.
Jim gestured to the night sky. "Alright, you two. I came here to watch the stars. Are you joining me or what?"
But Shipka suddenly interrupted, her voice tinged with worry.
"What's wrong?" John and Jim asked together.
"How in the world are there aurora lights at the equator?" she asked, pointing up.
Jim quickly pulled out his phone and checked online. The phenomenon was everywhere—brilliant lights painting the night sky across the globe. Then, minutes later, a half solar eclipse appeared. Light returned to the world.
But that… was just the beginning.