Chapter 25 Summary: Key Events and Character Insights

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Amadi arrives early to drive Hannah back to town, explaining that his child is sick at home and his wife is handling it. Hannah packs quickly—there isn't much to do—and even puts Jack's toothpaste cap back on. She briefly considers leaving a note or taking a photo to remember the room, but she falls back on professionalism: there's a leave-no-trace protocol, and she was never really there.

As Amadi loads her suitcase into the company Tahoe, Hannah hesitates. She scans the yard for Jack or Hank, checks the barn (empty), and blows a kiss toward Clipper in the paddock. The idea of leaving without saying goodbye makes her feel panicky, even though she never says goodbye to clients. She stalls by the open car door, then finally climbs in and buckles up.

Amadi pulls onto the gravel drive, but he brakes when he sees Jack running after them down the lane. Hannah gets out and meets him. Jack, out of breath, says he thought they had more time. He apologizes sincerely for the death threats and for putting her life in danger. Hannah half-jokes that she'll be okay as long as she stays away from him, but Jack doesn't find it funny. She reassures him that the Corgi Lady will eventually move on.

Jack thanks her for everything. Hannah says she wanted to say something too, but when he waits, she can't prioritize the flood of thoughts. She settles on telling him he did the right thing reconciling with Hank. They discuss Drew's last wish—Hannah says she doesn't think Drew would want one panicked statement to rip the family apart forever. Jack agrees, noting his mom was right about forcing them together.

Amadi flashes the car lights. Jack says it's time. Hannah hesitates, wanting to tell him something real—that she liked him, that she'd fallen for him, that the fake relationship had become the most real thing in her life. But she chickens out, calling it too unprofessional, too scary, too much like the Corgi Lady. She shakes his hand like a corporate event and says it was great working for him. Jack frowns but shakes back, saying, “Thank you for your service.”

She turns to walk away, but Jack calls her name. He looks at her for a long moment and says, “I will really miss you. And I am not acting.”

Key Events

Amadi arrives early because his child is sick, forcing a quicker departure than planned.
Hannah packs and follows leave-no-trace protocol, resisting the urge to leave a note or take a photo.
She searches for Jack, finds the barn empty, and blows a kiss to Clipper before reluctantly getting in the car.
Jack runs after the Tahoe and stops them on the gravel lane.
Jack apologizes for the death threats and thanks Hannah for everything.
Hannah tells Jack he did the right thing with Hank, and they discuss Drew's last wish.
Hannah considers confessing her feelings but retreats into professionalism, offering a handshake instead.
Jack calls her back and admits he will really miss her and that he is not acting.

Character Development

Hannah reaches a critical turning point here. Throughout the book, she has used professionalism as armor—a way to stay detached and safe. In this chapter, that armor nearly cracks. She feels panicky at the thought of leaving without saying goodbye, and she explicitly acknowledges that her time with Jack has changed her. Yet when the moment comes, she retreats. Her internal admission that she is “scared of cows, and scared of love” shows real self-awareness, but also the depth of her fear. She recognizes the cost of her choice—she may never see Jack again—but she can't bring herself to be vulnerable.

Jack shows growth in a quieter way. He runs after the car, something a detached celebrity wouldn't do. He apologizes sincerely for the death threats, takes responsibility, and thanks Hannah directly. Most importantly, when Hannah retreats into professional distance, he refuses to let her leave without hearing the truth. His final line—“I will really miss you. And I am not acting.”—is a declaration that the fake relationship was never just fake to him. He is willing to be vulnerable in a way Hannah cannot yet match.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Professionalism as a defense mechanism is the dominant theme. Hannah repeatedly falls back on protocol and corporate framing to avoid emotional exposure. The handshake is the clearest symbol of this—a gesture designed for strangers, not for someone who has shared a bed, a family, and a fake engagement.

Fear of vulnerability drives the chapter's central tension. Hannah has a clear chance to confess, and she knows it's her only one, but she can't take the risk. Her comparison of herself to the Corgi Lady—someone whose obsession and lack of boundaries she has judged all book—is striking. She sees herself as equally unable to handle love, just in the opposite direction.

The fake relationship becoming real reaches its culmination. Jack's final line explicitly confirms that what began as a job has become genuine. The chapter also echoes the motif of missed opportunities—Hannah's hesitation, her inability to prioritize her feelings, and her retreat into a handshake all point to the cost of fear.

The pain of goodbye is felt throughout, from Hannah's panicky search for Jack to her internal vow not to cry in front of a colleague. The chapter is built around the ache of an ending that neither character fully wants.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 25 is the emotional climax of the fake-relationship arc. It forces both characters to confront what the arrangement has become, and it sets up the central question of the rest of the book: will they find their way back to each other? Hannah's failure to confess creates the conflict that drives the remaining chapters, while Jack's final admission raises the stakes. The chapter also completes Hannah's internal journey from detached professional to someone who knows she has been changed—even if she can't yet act on that knowledge.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Hannah decide not to tell Jack how she really feels, and what does her reasoning reveal about her character?

Hannah decides not to confess because she considers it too unprofessional, too scary, and too much like the Corgi Lady. This reveals that she equates emotional vulnerability with weakness and loss of control. She has built her identity around being a consummate professional, and admitting her feelings would shatter that identity. Her self-assessment—that she is scared of cows and scared of love—shows she is aware of her fear but not yet able to overcome it.

2. What does Jack's decision to run after the car and his final line reveal about his feelings and his growth?

Jack running after the car shows that he is unwilling to let Hannah leave without saying goodbye, which is a significant departure from his earlier detached behavior. His apology for the death threats shows he takes responsibility for the danger she faced. His final line—“I will really miss you. And I am not acting.”—is a direct confession that his feelings are real, not part of the fake relationship. It reveals that he has grown enough to be vulnerable, even when Hannah cannot.

3. How does the handshake scene function as a turning point in the chapter?

The handshake is the moment Hannah chooses professional distance over emotional honesty. By framing their parting as a corporate goodbye, she forces Jack to follow her lead, and he does—frowning but shaking her hand. The handshake symbolizes everything Hannah is afraid to say. It also creates the dramatic tension that Jack immediately breaks by calling her back, making his confession more powerful because it comes after she has already closed the door.