Katarina decides not to tell Heath that her inheritance is gone because she knows Heath would react violently and impulsively. Determined to solve the problem herself, she calls Lee. An unidentified woman answers first, then passes the phone to Lee, who is obviously intoxicated.

During the call, Katarina demands to know what happened to the money their father left her. Lee insists there was never real money waiting for her because their father had taken out loans to pay for Katarina's skating and for Heath to keep competing with her. Katarina is shocked, because her father had always hidden the family's financial strain. When she suggests selling the family house, Lee refuses and becomes suddenly sober and defensive.

The argument shifts from money to abandonment. Lee says Katarina left him behind in Illinois, while Katarina points out that he has neglected even their parents' graves. Before either of them can resolve anything, Lee hangs up, leaving Katarina furious and emotionally shaken.

Garrett Lin finds Katarina in the locker room just after the call. Katarina quickly regains her composure and gives him a partial, sanitized version of the truth, saying her brother spent money meant for next month's training fees. Garrett kindly offers to speak to Sheila about giving Katarina more time to pay, but Katarina refuses because she knows the problem is larger and ongoing.

Instead, Garrett offers another kind of help: a paid athleisure photo shoot where Bella will also be working. Although Katarina doubts she is suited for modeling, Garrett reassures her and calls her gorgeous. Realizing Heath would not approve, Katarina still accepts the job and resolves to keep both the missing inheritance and this new plan secret, believing she must protect their future by handling everything alone.