On the morning of the Olympic free dance, Katarina wakes late beside Heath in Ellis’s suite and initially feels rested and ready. That confidence falters when pain shoots through her foot, while Heath is also visibly stiff and sore. They remind themselves that they only need to get through one final skate before their competitive careers end.

Katarina checks her phone and learns from Ellis that reporters have discovered their move to the Radisson. A courier then delivers a large white box addressed from Yelena. Given the recent threats and sabotage, Katarina opens it cautiously, expecting another attack, but instead finds a replacement skating costume and a polite note wishing them a fair competition.

The gift shifts Katarina’s view of Yelena, especially when the dress appears perfectly suited to her. Heath says he trusts Yelena more than most people around them and laments that she is still partnered with Dmitri, whom he calls a nightmare. He adds that Veronika has never properly disciplined Dmitri, partly because of Dmitri’s dangerous family connections.

When Katarina asks whether Dmitri was connected to Heath’s scars, Heath finally tells her what happened. During Dmitri’s tryout with Yelena in the freezing church rink, Dmitri berated Yelena while Veronika allowed it. Heath intervened to defend Yelena, and Dmitri responded by shoving him through a stained-glass window, causing the injuries Heath still carries.

Katarina considers whether Dmitri might have been behind the recent sabotage, but Heath doubts Dmitri could have organized something that elaborate by himself. Even so, the story clarifies Dmitri’s violence and deepens Katarina’s anger on Heath’s behalf. By the end of the chapter, Yelena’s unexpected kindness and Heath’s revelation harden Katarina’s determination to face the final and beat Dmitri on the ice.