Thirty-Five | Anastasia

Rushing through Denver airport, Anastasia reflects on leaving Seattle surprisingly sad after a restorative visit. She loved showing Nate her hometown and watching him connect with her parents, who were impressed by his NHL plans and charmed by his warmth.

Cooking with her mom, Anastasia recounts Aaron’s fight with Henry and his cruel claim that no one could love her because her birth parents didn’t, and that her adoptive parents only wanted trophies. Her mom affirms unconditional love, prompting Anastasia to confront that Aaron weaponizes hurt when he’s hurting. With Aaron absent in Chicago, she decides to stop being his emotional outlet and to view their pair as a strictly professional partnership.

Balancing this decision with her relationship, Anastasia notes Nate’s protective stance and his discomfort with her possibly living again with Aaron and Sabrina. She acknowledges Nate will move to Vancouver in summer and worries whether they’ll endure distance, even as she recognizes she’s deeply in love with him.

Arriving in Colorado, Anastasia banters with Nate in the car, their intimacy evident. At his family’s massive mansion, she’s stunned by the wealth but quickly senses the house’s cold, impersonal feel and lack of Christmas decorations, despite Sasha having lived there recently.

After a playful chase through the house and into Nate’s bedroom, he admits he was nervous bringing her somewhere so sterile. The realization that Nate could have been alone here for the holidays makes Anastasia emotional. She apologizes for crying, then tells him she’s grateful to be with him, and he agrees, strengthening their bond against the backdrop of his father’s neglect.