Iris came back to the newsroom feeling transformed by grief even as the office remained unchanged. Avoiding personal conversation, she deflected Sarah Prindle and endured Roman Kitt’s concern, rebuffing his questions about why she had abruptly left work previously. Summoned by Zeb Autry, Iris failed to produce her essay; Zeb scolded her for not calling in and dismissed her excuses. Back at her desk, Iris typed her mother Aster Winnow’s obituary, struggling through tears.

The next day Iris arrived late to find Zeb waiting. In his office, with Roman present, Zeb announced his decision: Roman had won the columnist position based on his published piece about missing soldiers. Roman, tense and unenthusiastic, asked Zeb to grant both candidates more time, citing an unfair advantage.

Roman then revealed that Iris’s mother had recently died, information he gleaned from reading Iris’s obituary copy. The disclosure shocked Iris, and Zeb, after a brief expression of sympathy, upheld his decision and offered Iris bereavement leave. The exchange exposed Roman’s attentiveness to Iris’s work and unsettled Iris further.

Realizing that time off would leave her alone with her grief and that her career ambitions no longer outweighed her family concerns, Iris decided to resign. She formally quit on the spot, congratulated Roman, and began packing her belongings. Sarah expressed concern and sadness at her departure, and the newsroom fell silent as Iris prepared to leave.

Zeb handed Iris her final paycheck. At the door, Roman blocked her path, urging her not to go and challenging her impulse to hide her pain by retracting her public obituary for her mother. When Roman called her “Iris,” the intimacy rattled her, but she insisted on leaving.

Iris exited the Gazette without looking back, feeling lighter for having claimed a new direction. Internally, she resolved to pursue what now mattered most: finding her brother Forest at the front.