Heath returns after disappearing into the night, drenched, shivering, and emotionally closed off. Because Katarina had earlier pushed him away when he tried to care for her, she now brings him into the bathroom, turns on the shower, and slowly undresses him with unusual gentleness. Heath avoids her eyes, and Katarina joins him under the water in an effort to restore intimacy between them.

At first, their physical connection feels urgent and real, giving Katarina hope that they can break through the distance that has grown between them. But the moment changes as both of them sense that they have slipped back into the same practiced performance they use on the ice. Heath pulls away, says only that he is tired, and the encounter ends without resolving the strain between them.

Afterward, Katarina tries to reassure herself that their disconnection is temporary and caused by stress: the season has ended, the tour is over, and Lee’s reappearance has shaken everything. That thought leads her to a larger fear. She realizes she and Heath no longer have a real home, and with the Olympics less than a year away, they also lack a coach, a secure training situation, and any stable base for the future.

When Katarina checks her phone, she finds several missed calls from an unknown New York number. She assumes Lee has found a way to contact her and answers partly because she is still keyed up and ready for a fight. Instead, Ellis Dean is on the line, calling from a different number to make sure she picks up. Ellis sounds unlike his usual controlled self—panicked, uncertain, and genuinely sincere—and he tells Katarina he is sorry and that what is happening is all his fault.