Near midnight on the pier, Tova sits after momentous hours: Marcellus is gone to the bay, Cameron—now known to be her grandson—has left, and her house sale looms, though she refuses to move to Charter Village. She embraces grandmotherhood and clings to the belief that Erik did not choose to die, preferring an accident.

Avery, the paddle shop owner, rushes up after seeing aquarium lights, hoping to find Cameron. Tova explains he left for California amid “misunderstandings.” Avery protests he stood her up, but Tova reveals Cameron said he stopped by her shop. Avery realizes her son, Marco, likely misled her, admits frustration and guilt, and Tova reassures her about parenting’s challenges.

Avery regrets not calling, tries Cameron, and reaches voice mail. Accepting he may truly be gone, the two share a quiet moment over the water. Avery recalls once talking a distraught woman down from this very spot; the woman kept repeating a horrible night, an accident, and a “boom.”

The word triggers Tova’s vision of a sailing mishap: a shifting boom striking Erik and knocking him overboard after youthful drinking and a girl. Tova lets this explanation settle, choosing accident over suicide, and tells Avery that her intervention mattered. The exchange gives Tova solace and resolve to remain present.