Overview

Hallie goes to Rio’s house late at night and finds him awake, spiraling after learning the full extent of her sacrifices. They finally confront the past: Hallie reveals her debt from funding her father’s cancer trial and that she learned of the diagnosis two weeks before Rio left for training camp. Rio breaks down with guilt, declares he will not hide their relationship anymore, and admits he never stopped loving her, while Hallie offers reassurance and hope.

Full Summary

Back in Chicago in the middle of the night, Hallie sees Rio’s bedroom light still on and senses he is not sleeping. Remembering how withdrawn he became after leaving her father’s hospital room, she crosses the yard to his house, entering through the back door out of habit. Without turning, Rio tells Hallie to use the front door from now on because he refuses to hide their relationship, signaling a decisive shift.

Hallie approaches Rio, who sits slumped on his bed, visibly anguished. She offers to answer anything, and Rio’s first concern is whether Hallie is okay. When he asks why she works so much, Hallie admits she is in debt from covering uncovered expenses for her father’s cancer trial—costs she hid from her father so he would proceed with treatment. She explains she tried to repay the loan during remission but fell behind when her father relapsed and interest compounded.

Rio does not judge her; instead, he apologizes for the position she ended up in and for his role in not being there. Pressing for timeline clarity, Rio asks when Hallie learned of her father’s illness. Hallie hesitates but finally tells him it was the summer he was drafted, two weeks before he left for training camp. Rio realizes he misread her behavior at the time and is devastated that he left her to face her father’s illness alone.

Hallie tries to diffuse his self-reproach, explaining she understood why he left because he was shattered by his parents’ breakup. She contrasts their experiences, saying she never idealized her parents’ relationship the way Rio did; instead, she held their own relationship as her model of love. Rio, tearful, confesses he thought of her every day and regrets leaving, believing she has every right to hate him.

To ground the conversation in proof of his enduring feelings, Hallie brings out the black box of old tapes and CDs she found, showing that Rio kept their mixtapes. Rio explains he kept the old boombox specifically to replay them, clinging to the past and the hope that their story was not over. He tells Hallie he does not want it to be over and expresses hope she will let him fall in love with her again.

The chapter closes with mutual vulnerability and a tentative forward step: Rio’s insistence on openness (use the front door) and Hallie’s acknowledgment of the hope she feels now that everything is on the table.

Who Appears

• Hallie — narrator; admits she is in debt from financing her father’s trial; reveals she learned of her father’s diagnosis two weeks before Rio left; brings out Rio’s box of mixtapes; expresses continued protection of Rio and cautious hope.
• Rio — Hallie’s former boyfriend; refuses to hide their relationship anymore; devastated by learning Hallie’s timeline and sacrifices; apologizes and expresses enduring love; kept their tapes and boombox as mementos.
• Mr. Hart — Hallie’s father; referenced as the reason for Hallie’s debt and timeline of illness.
• Rio’s parents — referenced regarding their affair and divorce, the catalyst for Rio leaving years ago.