The Favorites
by Layne Fargo
Contents
Chapter 44
Overview
Bella's visit forces Katarina to confront both Heath's protectiveness and the outside world she has been avoiding. Bella reveals that Heath turned Bella and Garrett away at the hospital, that other skaters have claimed the titles Katarina lost, and that the skating world is now fixated on a romantic narrative about Katarina and Heath.
The chapter shifts the story from recovery and seclusion toward public consequences and the question of whether Katarina will return. Bella's challenge makes clear that hiding by the lake cannot last, especially now that Katarina and Heath have become a story larger than either of them controls.
Summary
Bella and Garrett arrive unexpectedly at the lake house, and Bella immediately comments on Katarina's new pixie haircut. Heath stands close and protective while Bella says they had tried to call because they were worried. When Katarina accuses them of abandoning her after the crash, Garrett and Bella reveal that they did visit the hospital, but Heath told them Katarina did not want to see them. Katarina agrees she probably would not have welcomed them, but she resents that Heath made the decision for her and never told her about the visit.
Bella asks to speak privately, and she and Katarina walk to the lakeshore while Heath and Garrett remain behind. Sitting together on the rocks, Bella apologizes for what happened, but her wording makes clear that she is sorry about the injury rather than confessing deliberate sabotage. Katarina still cannot prove Bella hit her on purpose, yet she reflects that Bella's real flaw is not deliberate cruelty so much as indifference to the damage she causes.
As they talk, Bella fills Katarina in on everything she and Heath have ignored in isolation. Sheila forced the family to watch the Games, Ellis and Josie performed badly, and the Russian pair Yakovlevna and Yakovlev won Olympic gold and then the world title. Katarina realizes that a lesser team now holds the medals she and Garrett might have won, simply because Katarina and Garrett were not there.
Bella then drops the apology and becomes blunt. She says Katarina has hidden long enough, mocks the idea of her "playing house," and presses her to say when she is coming back. Katarina admits she and Heath have not even discussed a return, though she privately recognizes that their secluded life leaves her restless and directionless. Bella also says Katarina was right about Heath and that Bella no longer wants him, then reveals a new public narrative: sponsors and fans are obsessed with Katarina and Heath as tragic childhood sweethearts. When Katarina shows she knows nothing about it, Bella insists they go inside because Heath needs to hear it too.
Who Appears
- Katarina Shawrecuperating skater who confronts Bella, questions Heath's choices, and faces the possibility of returning
- Bella Linformer friend and rival who apologizes, reports skating results, and pushes Katarina to stop hiding
- Heath Rochaprotective partner who turned Bella and Garrett away at the hospital and remains wary of them
- GarrettKatarina's former skating partner; quietly confirms he came to the hospital to see her