Chapter 32

After a night of debating their future, Alexis returns to Minneapolis resigned to a long-distance relationship she believes is doomed, insisting Daniel not uproot his life in Wakan. At work, she casts her vote for chief and waits for results, feeling emotionally spent.

Her family arrives with the news that Alexis won. Before she can process it, Daniel appears with flowers to celebrate. In front of everyone, Alexis introduces Daniel as her boyfriend. Cecil laughs derisively, declaring the match absurd and revealing that Neil still lives in Alexis’s house and that they claimed to be in couples counseling.

Daniel, blindsided, gives Alexis the flowers, asks her to call him, and leaves. The public humiliation and Cecil’s mockery deepen Alexis’s panic as colleagues react with judgment or curiosity.

Alexis chases Daniel to the parking lot. She explains Neil refuses to leave and that the counseling claim was a lie, but Daniel focuses on the secrecy: after months together, Alexis still hasn’t told close friends about him. He asks if he is that embarrassing to her. Overwhelmed and unable to reconcile her obligations with Daniel’s needs, Alexis remains speechless, and Daniel walks away, wounded.