On a Saturday morning, Tristan burst into Samantha's room and insisted she get up despite it being one of her rare days off from caregiving. Samantha protested, but Tristan removed her blankets and announced he had bought her a plane ticket to see her boyfriend, Xavier. He told her the flight left at nine and that the family would cover caregiving for Lisa until Tuesday.

Galvanized, Samantha packed quickly, showered, and left with Tristan. She tried calling Xavier from the car, but he did not answer; she assumed he was asleep or sick. She felt immense relief and excitement at the chance to care for him after months apart, imagining bringing him tea, soup, and antibiotics.

After landing in Minnesota, Samantha received delayed texts from Xavier and called him while the plane taxied. She happily told him she was minutes from arriving at his house and that Tristan had arranged the trip. Expecting joy, she waited for his response.

Instead, Xavier responded with a somber tone and revealed that he was at Samantha’s apartment, sitting on her bed. The revelation inverted Samantha’s surprise visit and left her stunned at the misaligned plans.