The Finish Line

Tobias wakes at 4 am in Cecelia Horner’s Virginia house to Beau, her French bulldog, standing on his chest and barking. He realizes Cecelia is gone from the bed and feels mounting panic. The previous day, after eight months away, he arrived exhausted from Dubai and immediately fell asleep, breaking his promise of breakfast and explanations. Finding the kitchen empty, he grows fearful she has left, then spots her working in the predawn cold at her garden in flannel pajamas.

Tobias approaches and offers a coat, which she reluctantly accepts. When he asks about her dream, she reveals that it centered on his past relationship with Alicia—specifically, that Alicia knew him intimately in ways Cecelia never experienced. Tobias admits to letting Cecelia believe lies but insists he never lived with Alicia. In retaliation, he throws Cecelia’s former engagement in her face, immediately regretting it.

Cecelia demands to know why he returned now, after she has built a new life. Tobias begins explaining: He spent years executing plans tied to Tyler’s rise toward the White House, vetting successors with Sean, his trusted ally, to ensure he could commit to this without having to leave again mid-reconciliation. He also reveals that when she disappeared, he searched frantically for seven weeks before finding her. The tension between them remains palpable as they battle through mutual hurt and unspoken need.

Cecelia reacts with shock as Tobias reveals that he tracked down Jerry, a man tied to her father’s past, and killed him after obtaining a confession that Jerry sent the Miami chapter of their criminal organization, the Ravens, to come after them, leading to the bloodbath that killed Tobias’s brother, Dominic [as detailed in Exodus]. Tobias tracked Jerry’s communications, confirmed retaliation plans were underway, and buried him to protect Cecelia.

Tobias declares he will kill anyone who threatens her, then orders her never to disappear on him again. Cecelia asks how he found her, and Tobias explains that his brother Sean knew her location the entire time because he had installed a tracking device on the Camaro he gave her, which previously belonged to Dominic. Sean also assigned two permanent surveillance operatives to Cecelia.

Tobias explains that he stayed away initially to allow Cecelia a chance at a normal life after everything that had happened. Her choices—college, engagement to another man, selling the company, cutting all ties to Triple Falls, their hometown—indicated she was moving on, and he felt obligated to respect that decision. He insists he believed she was thriving at first, though his view eventually changed. Despite her protests, Tobias carries Cecelia inside.

In the bathroom, he removes her clothing and kisses and touches her body while she responds with both desire and resistance. He stops short of consummation, telling her to shower while he makes breakfast. After a failed cooking attempt, Cecelia prepares to leave for her café, and Tobias announces he is coming along.

In a flashback, 11-year-old Tobias hears the front door slam and realizes his aunt Delphine is drinking and will not drive him and his younger brother Dominic to school. Months after their parents’ death, they live with the indifferent and cruel Delphine. Tobias fears that truancy will draw social services scrutiny and result in separation from his brother.

Tobias finds Dominic ill with chickenpox. When Delphine refuses to miss work, Tobias insists on staying home with his brother. Delphine admits she does not want to be a mother. Tobias offers to handle all of Dominic’s care if she leaves them alone. After Delphine gives him medicine for the fever, Tobias steals $20 from her wallet; when confronted, he stands his ground, and she relents.

With the money he took, Tobias runs toward the drugstore, obsessively counting his locks three times to ensure Dominic’s safety. A pregnant woman sees him wandering alone and offers him a ride to the pharmacy, where she insists on paying for the supplies he needs.

The narrative returns to the present, where Tobias loads bags into the Camaro and recalls Dom’s dying request that Tobias take care of Cecelia.

At her café, Cecelia stares out the window, denying she is searching for the Camaro despite repeatedly checking for Tobias, who dropped her off three hours earlier after revealing he returned from Europe for her, left his old life, and killed again to protect her.

Marissa, her employee, announces that someone has returned, and Cecelia panics before realizing it is Greg, a customer she thinks of as Mr. Handsome, not Tobias. Cecelia serves Greg’s usual order and retreats to avoid conversation. She wrestles with desire for Tobias and resentment, knowing he forced her to let him go.

Travis, her cook, calls out an order. When Marissa bursts into Cecelia’s office moments later in shock, applying lip gloss frantically, she begs Cecelia to confirm that the man exiting Cecelia’s Camaro is her adopted brother—a panicked joke to make sense of Tobias’s presence. Cecelia answers that the situation is complicated and prepares to face Tobias’s arrival.

Inside Meggie’s Café, Tobias thinks Dominic would have loved the space. When Cecelia pours coffee, their eyes lock, and the impact of seeing her strikes him forcefully.

Cecelia serves him coffee with mild sarcasm. Tobias notices the man beside him watching Cecelia. Greg introduces himself, mentions that he visits the café daily, and announces his intention to pursue Cecelia.

When Greg asks Cecelia to dinner, Tobias interrupts, claiming that he has protected Cecelia since she was 11 and that she is his to possess. Cecelia hisses a warning, but Tobias tells Greg the answer is no and to leave an address for a wedding save-the-date. Greg apologizes and leaves. Cecelia slams Tobias’s laptop shut and warns him that caveman behavior will not work with her. Tobias demands her phone number, prompting her to call him a bastard.

An older customer named Billy questions Tobias about his background. Tobias implies that he recently left military service and introduces himself as Cecelia’s boyfriend. Cecelia publicly lists Tobias’s offenses—lying, theft, kissing without permission, betrayal—and says she is considering rejecting him. When Billy asks if Tobias has any defense, Tobias admits all accusations are true and claims he stopped lying yesterday.

Cecelia returns to serving customers while Tobias tries to work. He finds himself constantly distracted by Cecelia’s beauty, intelligence, and the respect she commands. Jealousy is a destabilizing new emotion for him.

Tobias texts Sean from his new phone, surprising himself when Sean asks how things are going—an unexpected olive branch, as the two have been estranged for some time. Tobias complains that Cecelia prioritizes her dog and café above him. Sean teases him, then advises him that the pain will be worth it.

Tobias feels unexpected emotion and a release of tension at this renewal of friendly relations with his brother. He sees Cecelia watching him before she returns to work.

Moments later, Cecelia sets a fresh plate of food in front of Tobias and tells him to eat before it gets cold. He kisses the back of her hand and thanks her.

Cecelia struggles with vulnerability, wanting to believe in Tobias’s good intentions but fearing she will be fooled again. She also senses that something was not quite right during the day but compartmentalizes the suspicion.

At the house, Tobias unlocks the door, then abruptly pins Cecelia against the brick wall and kisses her intensely. She responds with arousal, gripping him as they both become lost in the moment. When he pulls back, he admits wanting to do that all day and explains that inside the house he might not have been able to stop. He declares that he will never ask permission to kiss her.

Inside, Tobias avoids looking at her and tells her to shower while he walks Beau and warms the soup he requested from the café. He asks to take care of her for the night, noting that she has not eaten or slept, and promises that tomorrow she can express her anger freely. Cecelia wants to pursue him but chooses restraint and goes to shower.

After eating half the soup, Cecelia finds a note saying Tobias went for a run. His absence brings no relief. She reflects on their changed dynamic—they are now intimate strangers with the ability to be open publicly without repercussions. She fears he will leave again due to threats or boredom and resents that the reunion is on his timeline. She retires early and falls asleep exhausted.