40: Larissa

Larissa wakes in the front seat of Chris’s car, weak but stabilizing after anaphylaxis. She has refused to go into the hospital due to cost, and declines Chris’s suggestion to file a police report against Mike for the assault. During the late-night drive, they drop off Heather and arrive at Mike’s guesthouse, where Larissa dreads going inside.

Exhausted and shaken by the events—Mike’s kiss, the allergic reaction, and Chris pummeling Mike—Larissa agrees to Chris’s plea to come stay with him so he can keep her safe. She decides she only wants to retrieve her jewelry box immediately, fearing future confrontations or retaliation from Mike.

As snow begins to fall, Larissa discovers her own EpiPen unused in her purse and confronts Chris about whose pen saved her. Pressed, Chris admits he carried one for her, that Heather prescribed it, and that he has been quietly protecting her for months. Larissa demands full honesty.

Chris confesses he orchestrated many “Mike” gestures: pushing Mike to fix her car, prompting the jewelry box gift, replacing Mike’s bad Christmas gift, clearing snow from her car, discarding nuts, and carrying the EpiPen because his worst fear is harm coming to her. He admits he would do anything to keep her safe.

Larissa realizes the thoughtful acts she attributed to Mike were actually Chris’s. Heartbroken by the truth and the timing, she tells Chris he should have let her see Mike for who he was. In their charged silence, Larissa acknowledges that she would have been happier with Chris.