Percy wakes in Sam’s bed with a hangover and immediate shame about forcing her confession onto him on the day of Sue’s funeral. Sam has left her water and Advil, a small sign of care that deepens her guilt. Wanting not to isolate herself again, Percy calls Chantal, admits she still loves Sam, and fears she is not good enough for him. Chantal firmly tells Percy that she is enough and promises support no matter what happens.

Downstairs, Percy finds Charlie in the kitchen instead of Sam. Charlie tells Percy that Sam is down by the lake and gently insists that Sam does not hate her. When Charlie asks whether Percy hates him, Percy reassures him that she never did, even after the summer they slept together. Charlie then reveals that Sue knew what had happened and, before she died, told Charlie to call Percy because Sam would need her afterward. That revelation gives Percy both comfort and more reason to face Sam honestly.

On the dock, Sam finally tells Percy his side. He explains that Charlie told him about them over Christmas break after the breakup, when Sam was already devastated and confused by Percy’s refusal to marry him. Learning the truth explained Percy’s panic, but it also deepened Sam’s pain because it made him feel betrayed by both Percy and Charlie. Percy apologizes again, and Sam admits that hearing her say it aloud at the wake made the old wound feel fresh.

Sam then confesses his own failures. He says that when he first left for school, he was scared, homesick, and ashamed of feeling inadequate, so he withdrew instead of letting Percy see his vulnerability. He was jealous of Charlie, and after the breakup he tried to numb himself by drinking and sleeping with many girls. Sam confirms that Delilah told Percy the truth: he drunkenly hit on Delilah, then felt ashamed enough to stop spiraling. When Percy says she deserved his retaliation and anger, Sam rejects that idea, insisting that one betrayal does not justify another.

Sam admits he read Percy’s emails and even tried to answer, but he stayed silent out of blame and hurt. Percy says she never moved on, and Sam’s earlier declaration of love finally lands with her. They openly confess that they have loved each other all along. Sam kisses Percy, tells her he forgave her years ago, and ties his old friendship bracelet around her wrist as a symbol of beginning again. They agree they cannot promise perfection, only that they will be better at repairing what they break, and the chapter ends with them joyful, reunited, and choosing each other again.