Chapter 25

Fern wakes to find Will gone with no note or messages. She checks his cabin, waits for replies that never come, and drifts through work in a fog of worry. As the lodge prepares for the end-of-summer dance, her dread deepens, and she keeps calling and texting without response.

That evening, Fern enters the transformed, pink-lit dining room. Jamie proudly reveals the Dirty Dancing–inspired playlist, briefly lifting Fern’s spirits as the party thrives. Still scanning the doorway for Will, Fern grows increasingly heartsick as he never arrives.

Peter invites Fern to dance and tells her she has Margaret’s grit and that he always wanted Maggie, not simply marriage. His steadiness sharpens Fern’s focus; she checks the front desk records and confirms Will checked out that morning, planning to send for his things.

Outside, Whitney catches up as Fern reveals Will’s abrupt departure. Back at the house, Fern repeatedly calls until Will answers from a windy corridor and says he’s at the hospital because Sofia is sick. When Fern offers to come help, he refuses and declares their relationship a mistake. Fern confesses she loves him; Will does not reciprocate and hangs up.

Shaking with fury, Fern goes to Will’s cabin intending to destroy his clothes. There she discovers scattered sketches and a full sketchbook: drawings of the resort, of her, and finally an image of her waiting on the dock—with her bag and hat from years ago. The realization lands: Will had seen her then and still didn’t meet her. She breaks down as the dance’s final song drifts in from afar.