chapter twenty - six

With July turning to August, Belly reflects that summer feels faster now that she is spending it with Cam. She notes Susannah’s love of flowers and shells, small rituals that color the house with beauty and routine.

When the week of Mr. Fisher’s annual visit arrives, Susannah says he cannot come due to a work emergency, leaving just the five of them to finish summer. The absence feels unusual in a house defined by tradition.

That night, after Susannah goes to bed early, Conrad casually tells Belly that their parents are getting a divorce. Belly is shocked, believing Susannah and Mr. Fisher to be deeply in love, unlike her own divorced parents.

Jeremiah pushes back at Conrad’s bluntness but then explains that, before they left, their father had been sleeping in the guest room and had moved out many clothes. He asks Belly not to tell Susannah, since Susannah does not know they know.

Belly sees Jeremiah’s distress and realizes Conrad is also hurting beneath his detachment. The revelation reframes Conrad’s recent withdrawn behavior and Susannah’s sadness, and Belly understands the house’s quiet rituals as attempts to hold things together.