Chapter 28

Nora visits Libby after the hospital scare. Libby admits she hid prior fainting and anemia to avoid burdening Nora and challenges Nora’s habit of parenting her, tracing it back to their mother’s expectations. They agree Libby needs autonomy and Nora must make space for others. Libby also confesses she secretly eats meat during pregnancies to manage anemia, lightening the tension.

Libby heads out with friends, and Nora goes to Goode Books to work with Charlie as a storm rolls in. They banter, then read the final pages of Dusty’s Frigid. The ending moves Nora; she and Charlie discuss the feral cat motif as belonging without expectation.

The power fails, and by firelight Charlie admits why he’s avoided starting something: he isn’t returning to New York. His sister Carina has settled in Italy, and his parents need help; the store is failing, and he must stay to keep it alive. He has already offered Nora his NYC apartment and put her up for his job.

Nora, hurt but clear-eyed, asks for honesty about what he wants. Accepting their likely separation, she asks to have him for tonight despite the ending ahead. Charlie confesses he never stood a chance; they choose the moment, affirming their belonging to each other even as their paths diverge.