Exodus

During a tense week, Cecelia and Tobias work in silence from adjacent offices. Their stalemate is interrupted by Ryan, who brings news that their clandestine operation against a rival businessman, Jerry Siegal, has succeeded. Cecelia gets Jerry on a speakerphone call, and with Tobias and Shelly listening in, she taunts Siegal about his corporate defeat. Jerry responds with a direct threat against her.

Furious, Tobias confronts Cecelia about the dangers involved in her activities. She reveals that her “side gig” of targeting corrupt individuals is extensive. He warns her that Siegal has connections to the crew that was behind the attack on her house years ago, when Dominic died. Concerned for her safety but proud of her efforts to counter corporate corruption, Tobias leaves, only to return later with a bottle of her favorite wine and a veiled threat before disappearing for the next day.

On Thursday, Ryan picks Cecelia up from jail after she is arrested for speeding and for possession of marijuana. She admits that she intentionally provoked Tobias, and Ryan informs her that her impounded car was likely a setup that Tobias intended as a warning. Back at her father’s house, Cecelia insists that Ryan leave her to face the consequences alone.

Their goodbye is emotional. Ryan confesses his feelings for her and urges her to be cautious, adding that he believes Tobias is in love with her. Now alone, Cecelia prepares for the confrontation that she has engineered with Tobias.

After Tobias avoids her at the office all week, Cecelia visits a local dress shop that she used to frequent and is shocked to find that the owner, an acquaintance of hers named Tessa, is now married to Sean Roberts. The couple has two children: Dominic and Baily.

Tessa confesses that she once resented Cecelia, but she is now secure in her marriage. Before Cecelia shamefacedly leaves, Tessa offers a cryptic warning to be careful. The encounter leaves Cecelia feeling profoundly isolated, and she reflects morosely on the fact that so many of her former associates have moved on while she has yet to do so.

Seeking an escape from her intense emotions and the revelations of the day, Cecelia goes to a local bar, even though she knows that it belongs to The Ravenhood. The bartender, Eddie, recognizes the tense atmosphere coming from the other patrons upon her arrival, and he warns her to leave. Suddenly, her old friend Tyler approaches and reveals that after leaving Triple Falls, he and Dominic’s aunt, Delphine, reconciled and were a couple for two years before Delphine’s death.

After Tyler leaves, a reckless Cecelia deliberately provokes a stranger named Jack by asking for drugs. The man grows aggressive, and just as Eddie intervenes, a furious Tobias appears at the bar’s entrance.

Tobias violently clears the bar and drags Cecelia into an alley. Their argument is cut short by the arrival of a woman named Alicia, who kisses Tobias, revealing that the two are a couple. Devastated and chastened, Cecelia allows Tobias to drive her home. During the drive, she drunkenly confesses her unwavering love for Tobias and expresses the pain that she has endured, then passes out.

Later, in a semiconscious state, she feels Tobias putting her to bed. As she drifts in and out of awareness, she hears him speak in French, confessing his own tortured, hateful love for her.

The next morning, Cecelia finds Tobias waiting by the pool. He gives her the copy of The Thorn Birds that she stole from the library as a child, then engages in a full confession about their fraught past. He details his own family’s history, describes the fire that killed his parents in Roman Horner’s plant, and outlines the formation of the Ravenhood, explaining that he, Sean, and Tyler were raised by his aunt, Delphine.

Tobias reveals that years ago, he saw the young Cecelia in the library on the day she stole The Thorn Birds. Seeing her innocence and realizing that she had nothing to do with his vendetta against Roman, Tobias vowed then that he would keep her out of his violent world, but he later broke this vow. He concludes with a final revelation: that on the night Dominic died, Tobias had received a tip from Cecelia’s father, Roman Horner, warning of the impending attack.

By the pool, Tobias explains the secret deal that he made with Roman Horner after the attack. He explains how Cecelia’s panicked actions that night (in which she slashed The Ravenhood’s tires) left them vulnerable. However, he absolves her of any guilt, blaming himself for not having made her aware of the bigger picture and the dangers surrounding the group on that night. He then claims that Alicia is the only person he can trust now, and he once again tells Cecelia to leave Triple Falls.

Cecelia refuses, declaring her love and insisting that he is pushing her away out of guilt. Her words break through his defenses, and he pulls her into his arms. Just as they are about to reconcile, they are interrupted by the sudden arrival of her ex-fiancé, Collin.