chapter forty -two

Belly watches Conrad return from a run and resolves to finally tell him how she feels before summer ends. She confesses she has loved him since childhood, recalling moments he protected her and insisting he’s the only boy who matters.

Conrad rejects her, saying, “I’m not the one,” and dismisses her as a kid. Hurt and angry, Belly presses him to admit he cares, accusing him of stringing her along. Their confrontation escalates as Conrad denies it and mocks her, while Belly calls out his selfishness and blames his behavior on his parents’ divorce.

Jeremiah arrives to find Belly in tears and confronts Conrad. The brothers’ anger boils over into a physical fight, knocking over Susannah’s sun tea as they trade blows. Laurel intervenes with firm, sorrowful authority, separating them and implying a shared knowledge the boys already carry.

Susannah appears frail in the doorway, apologizing, and Jeremiah breaks down in her arms while Conrad remains detached. Laurel brings Belly upstairs and reveals the truth: Susannah’s cancer has returned and spread to her liver. Belly realizes everyone else knew, and the revelation reframes the summer’s tensions.

That night, Belly grieves alone, recognizing that the world she knows is ending and nothing will be the same. The emotional stakes shift from romantic turmoil to the family’s looming loss.