Ten weeks into recovery, Katarina is finally cleared for a real workout. On an early warm day of "Fool’s Spring," she and Heath jog through the woods to the stable and race back to the house, and the run makes Katarina feel strong again after weeks of headaches, brain fog, and painful healing following Nationals.

While they have been recovering at the house alone, a stream of invoices from a Lake County law firm has revealed what happened to Lee. Katarina learns that her brother is in prison for drug possession with intent to sell, apparently his second time incarcerated after a prior DUI, which confirms that he is gone for now even if the news does not truly surprise her.

As Katarina runs, she revels in the return of athletic pain and the evidence that her body is responding. She pushes herself to beat Heath in a sprint to the tree line, wanting to prove both to him and to herself that her injuries no longer define her.

Afterward, Katarina reflects that her relationship with Heath has recovered alongside her body. Their intimacy has grown from careful and tentative to fully passionate again, but whenever Katarina raises the subject of returning to the ice, Heath becomes evasive, delaying the decision and avoiding any discussion of their past separation.

Heath tries to pull Katarina into a kiss on the lawn, but she notices two figures standing on the porch. When the visitors turn in perfect unison, Katarina recognizes them immediately: Bella and Garrett Lin have arrived, abruptly ending the couple’s isolated reprieve and signaling a confrontation with the outside world.