Chapter 31

In the aftermath of Daniel’s “I love you,” Alexis pulls away and insists they are not in a relationship and that everything ends after she gets the job. She dresses to leave, arguing that Daniel shouldn’t feel this way because they had agreed it was temporary.

Daniel follows her outside, pleading for a chance to make it work. He proposes moving to Minneapolis, getting an apartment and a job there. Alexis refuses, saying Daniel belongs in Wakan and that their lives and expectations don’t fit. Pressed to define the relationship, Alexis denies he’s her boyfriend. When Daniel demands honesty, she admits she loves him but claims that’s the problem.

As Alexis declares it over and heads for the car, a sudden lightning strike hits an oak, dropping a smoking branch across the driveway under a clear blue sky. Daniel shields her with his body. When she urges him to move the branch, thunder cracks and rain pours down without clouds. Daniel reads it as the universe stopping her departure.

They retreat into the garage, the rain ceases, and Daniel holds Alexis until her resistance ebbs. He insists their love means it isn’t over and that love will bring her back even if she leaves. Alexis, contrasting Daniel’s safety with her past with Neil, accepts that love persists beyond logic or social divides, even when she wishes it wouldn’t.