Hello Beautiful

During William’s hospitalization, everyone thinks that Sylvie is his wife; however, Sylvie tells Dr. Dembria the truth after he is transferred. At first, Sylvie rationalizes that there are two reasons she needs to continue visiting William. This first is to be a liaison with his doctor since he has no one else and to find out whether he wants to see Julia. Sylvie also continues visiting for her own personal motivations that are not completely clear to her.

One night after having dinner at Julia’s with the rest of her sisters, Sylvie can no longer keep the secret from them and confesses to Emeline and Cecelia that she has been continuing to visit William in the hospital. This forces Sylvie to confront what she really wants, which she finally admits to herself is William. With William, she feels truly seen and capable of rising to her full potential. However, this realization brings her shame and sadness because she knows that being with him could irreparably damage her relationship with Julia.

After William asks Sylvie to write down his secrets, she shares everything he told her with Cecelia and Emeline. The girls are stunned to hear he had a sister. Sylvie shares William’s mantra of “No bullshit and no secrets” (197), and this prompts Emeline to confess that she has also struggled with depression in the past. When her sisters ask her why, she tells them her own secret: She is a lesbian and has a crush on her coworker, Josie. Her sisters reassure her that despite their shock, they still love her. Emeline asks them to share their own secrets with her. Sylvie wishes she could tell her sisters about her feelings for William but instead tells them that she is writing the family stories of their childhood and adolescence.

The morning before Julia’s flight to New York, Sylvie visits her and Alice in their apartment. Sylvie feels the loss of Julia and Alice in her life deeply and knows she will miss them. But before they part, Julia tells Sylvie that she knows Sylvie has been visiting William in the hospital and gives her the divorce papers to give to William.

The morning that William is scheduled to check out of the hospital, Arash, Kent, and Sylvie go to meet him. William thanks Sylvie for her care and tells her that he will be okay and that she no longer needs to worry about or check on him. Sylvie tells him she held his hand in the ambulance and requests to hold his hand one more time before he leaves. They hold hands for a few moments, and Sylvie realizes that William is the great love for whom she has been waiting all her life.

William adjusts to his new life in the dorm room, taking one day at a time. He is visited by the sisters that remain in Chicago. One day, Cecelia brings by a painting she made of Alice, but William tells her he doesn’t want it. Although Cecelia questions his choice, she tells him that she feels it is bold and that she is finally getting to know him.

Over Christmas, William goes to Sylvie’s apartment to celebrate with the Padavano sisters, promising himself this will be the last time he sees them. While there, he avoids looking at or interacting with Sylvie. When he returns home, he is surprised when Sylvie shows up at his door. She tells him that Julia left and now he’s leaving too, pointing out that sometimes he pretends not to be home when she comes by. William tells her that he is broken and she is better off without him, but Sylvie points out that by hiding, he’s returning to his old ways of keeping secrets.

When he doesn’t speak, Sylvie shares with him her childhood and adolescent dream of finding a great love who could really see the best version of her. She thought this was an impossible dream, but as she is speaking, she and William gaze at one another, and William understands. He tells her he sees all of her but doesn’t deserve her. Sylvie replies, “Well, I do” (219-20), and the two kiss.

Sylvie and William agree to keep their relationship a secret, and Sylvie spends most nights in his room on campus. Sylvie feels that their connection goes beyond a traditional relationship, as if all walls have been knocked down and they are free to be themselves. While Sylvie wants to keep the relationship hidden because of her sister, William wants to keep it hidden to delay the inevitable heartbreak that will come when they break up. Sylvie leaves after an argument with William and heads toward the bus stop, imagining Julia shaking her head at her for her actions. Despite her physical absence, Julia remains a constant presence in Sylvie's life. Meanwhile, Professor Cooper’s project has been extended, and Julia stays in New York to work with him.

Kent and his girlfriend, Nicole, visit William, and Kent notices that something about him has changed. After some prodding, William confesses to them that he is in love with Sylvie. William insists that their relationship won’t continue and that they need to keep it a secret, but Kent argues that secrecy is unhealthy and that William needs to tell his therapist and everyone else. Sylvie also realizes that it is dangerous for William to continue living with lies and secrets, so with Kent’s assistance, she agrees to tell everyone.

First, Sylvie calls Cecelia and Emeline to share the news. The sisters are initially upset, and Emeline points out that if she continues this relationship, Julia and Alice may never return to Chicago. For a while, Sylvie’s two younger sisters avoid her. When Sylvie talks to Julia on the phone, she tries to make their conversations last longer, as she worries that their relationship will soon be over. Meanwhile, William comes to terms with their relationship after initially feeling scared about it. Sylvie spends a lot of time alone during this time, but she doesn't regret her choice. Finally, after three months of distance, Emeline comes to the library and hugs her, initiating their reconciliation.

Emeline visits Julia in New York City after she and Alice have been living there for a year. Julia finds the city to be intense but also a relief from her old life. She feels grateful to Manhattan for offering her a new start, even though she faces many new demands. Julia visits Rose in Florida for Christmas and finally receives her mother's approval of her new life. In the spring, when Professor Cooper's project with the communications company is extended, he offers Julia the option of returning to Chicago to be closer to her family. Julia thinks about this and ultimately decides to stay in Manhattan, feeling like she's on a path to fulfilling her potential there. However, she still worries about the complication of William and how to explain his absence to her daughter. Ultimately, she decides that she will tell her that William is dead.

Despite her success, Julia struggles to make new friends and misses her sisters. She is thrilled during Emeline’s visit and fantasizes about Emeline moving to join her on the East Coast. When Emeline tells Julia about Sylvie and William, Julia is shocked and in denial. She is also furious with herself for not realizing what was happening. She calls Rose, but Rose blames her for not staying by William’s side in the hospital. She is plagued by a recurring dream in which an older Alice asks to go live with William and Sylvie because they are a real family.

Feeling betrayed, Julia further detaches from her family, for a while only communicating with them through postcards. Through postcards, she learns about her family's updates, including Emeline, Josie, and Cecelia moving into a new house together and Sylvie and William getting married in a small ceremony in the back room of the Lozano Library.

William’s life gradually improves with the help of Sylvie and his medical team, and he goes back to work at Northwestern. Arash helps William apply for the graduate program in sports physiology, and William steadily gets better at his job, creating a structure of interviews during the semester to assess players’ weaknesses and potential injuries. Arash tells him, “[Y]ou built us an infrastructure of kindness” (256). Between his fulfilling work and domestic happiness, William begins to feel a deep gratitude for his life. As he becomes more stable, Sylvie asks him if he wants to reconsider his position on Alice, but he continues to keep her out of his life. At Sylvie’s request, the two move in together and experience a season of bliss.

Five years after Julia moves to New York, Kent and Nicole get married in Emeline and Cecelia’s backyard. A month later, William and Sylvie are married in a book room of the Lorenzo Library, with only a few close friends and family in attendance.