In the present, Percy reflects on the adult life she has built in Toronto. She is a successful senior editor at Shelter, surrounded by work, social plans, and urban routines, but she admits that the city has never truly felt like home since she fell in love with the lake and cottage country at thirteen. Charlie’s call about Sue’s death breaks through that controlled life, and Percy immediately books a rental car and motel so she can head north before the funeral.

After the call, Percy emails her parents about Sue, packs quickly, and tries to sleep before leaving. Instead, she lies awake reliving memories of Sam: their first meeting, first kiss, and first declarations of love. The prospect of seeing Sam again after twelve years fills Percy with fear and longing, and her thoughts spiral into questions about how he has changed and whether he has moved on.

Percy then thinks about how deeply Sam’s loss affected her. She recalls the panic attacks and obsessive memories that followed their breakup, and how therapy later helped her function more steadily. Percy also reflects on Chantal, her closest friend, who pushed her to seek help and is one of the few people able to draw out Percy’s hidden anxieties about Sam, loneliness, and uncertainty over the life she has chosen.

The next day, Percy gets through work by claiming there has been a death in the family and takes the rest of the week off. At the rental car lot, she is visibly shaken, and before leaving she texts Chantal to say she is going out of town for Sue’s funeral. Chantal immediately understands that this means Percy is returning to Sam’s world, but Percy avoids the call because she cannot face a real conversation.

As Percy drives north, her body reacts with intense anxiety, but the familiar landscape also brings an eerie calm. The route reminds her of the last time she made this trip, at Thanksgiving, when she had gone to find Sam and tell him the truth before everything fell apart. By the time she reaches the Cedar Grove Motel near Barry’s Bay, Percy is overwhelmed by the sight of the lake and the nearness of the cottage. She longs to go back to the dock and water that once felt like hers, but she knows that place and that life no longer belong to her.