Chapter 444 The Names We Hid

As soon as she said that, Sierra turned and walked away. Shane couldn’t hold it in and called after her:

“I don’t get it. You know exactly what kind of person Johnathan is. He’s no more righteous than I am. So why? Why is the way you treat me and the way you treat him so drastically different?”

But Sierra never answered his question.

Why?

Maybe because when she had been at her most desperate, reaching for help, Shane had only stood by and watched.

Yes, he had saved her life once–but only because he wanted to watch her struggle.

Johnathan had never treated her that way. Even if he had kept his distance at first, he had never done anything to hurt her.

And more importantly, he was Misty–the one who’d introduced her to the field.

Thinking of that, Sierra suddenly realized something: she still hadn’t told Johnathan that she was Tano.

That evening, when Johnathan came to pick her up, Sierra casually asked, “Were you looking for someone back then?”

“Hm?”

Johnathan was momentarily stunned. Then he remembered–he had stayed in Maviston for so long searching for someone.

He hadn’t thought about Tano in ages. Why was Sierra bringing it up now?

His mind moved quickly, and in an instant, he understood. He looked at Sierra, who bit her lip and said, "I’m sorry for keeping it from you for so long.”

At first, when she found out he was Misty, she had hidden the truth on purpose. She hadn’t wanted him to know what she had been through.

Later, she just forgot. If not for Shane today, she might never have remembered to bring it up at all.

Johnathan didn’t look the least bit surprised.

“I suspected it before,” he said.

He had never confirmed it, and later, with his attention fully on Sierra, it had slipped further from his mind.

“A shame,” Johnathan added.

He rarely regretted anything, but this he did regret.

If he had taken Tano more seriously back then, or actually treated her like a friend, maybe Sierra wouldn’t have gone through all that. Maybe she’d still be the bright, innocent girl she once was.

And maybe they wouldn’t have lost those years.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Sierra said with a smile.

Knowing Johnathan’s personality, the fact that he remembered her at all was already more than enough.

Besides, if not for her time in prison, she wouldn’t have truly woken up–and Johnathan would never have looked twice at who she used to be.

“This way is better,” she said, tugging at his hand.

Johnathan tightened his grip. The two of them said nothing more, but one look was enough to understand each other completely.

“By the way, I saw Shane today.”

Sierra brought it up. “Did he give you any trouble?”

That was what she’d been worried about the most.

“No. We just made a deal. I allowed him to return to Capital City. Sorry–I didn’t talk to you about it first.”

Johnathan apologized quickly.

Sierra shook her head. She wasn’t as afraid of Shane as before, but she still felt a visceral disgust around him.

“He’s got a strange personality. I was afraid he’d make things difficult for you. He’s investigating that group too.”

Johnathan left it at that.

Sierra wasn’t surprised. Shane was a lunatic–always had been. He never played by the rules. He thought life was boring and liked to stir things up just to entertain himself.

Sierra didn’t want to talk about Shane anymore, so she changed the subject and told Johnathan about agreeing to help her professor.

When she said she’d be focusing on routine research projects for now, Johnathan nodded.

“That’s good. Your fundamentals need work. This is a good chance to really learn from your professor. He’s a good one.”

Johnathan rarely praised anyone. So if he said someone was good, they really were.

Professor Martin had both the knowledge and the character to back it up.

The two of them talked a bit longer before going to bed.

A few days later, Professor Martin informed her he had a work trip planned and needed to travel.

Sierra told Johnathan about it. She’d assumed he would object, but to her surprise, he simply thought for a moment and said,

“Go. That group’s not going to cause much trouble right now. It’ll be good for you to get out and clear your head. But I want a video call from you every day. I need to be able to reach you.”

Sierra was surprised by how easygoing he was–but even more than that, she was happy.

She rarely traveled. The only real trip she’d taken was with Johnathan, when they brought her grandmother and Dickson to the beach.

This time, the destination was overseas–a place famous for its scenery. She looked it up online and thought it looked nice. If she had the chance, she might even go exploring for a bit.