Coming back to John B’s chateau, you could hear yelling carrying through the air, blending with the night sounds of the Cut. You didn’t expect to see a hot tub in the yard, steam rising from it as JJ, clearly drunk, raised a beer high above his head, shouting over the others.

“Ah, you arrived too!” he called out to you, grinning with an exaggerated, tipsy excitement. “I got a hot tub… for my friends!” He waved his beer proudly, stumbling slightly as he got to his feet in the water. “I got a hot tub for my friends!”

The others looked on, half annoyed, half angry, but as JJ continued, something shifted. “You know what? Screw friends!” he declared, louder, almost defiant, while his voice cracked slightly with emotion. “I got a hot tub for my family!”

That’s when you noticed the bruises—the dark marks along his arms and torso, faded yet glaring under the lights, unmistakable signs of his father’s abuse. The mood shifted instantly, the anger and annoyance replaced by a stunned silence. You could see it in everyone’s eyes: anger and heartbreak mixed together.