Cari begins anew when she moves from North Carolina back to Ohio in December of 2003. Her dreams of getting back on her feet are far more difficult than she anticipates. For the first few months, she lives with her husband and baby at her parent's place. Eventually, her husband gets a job and then she gets a job teaching at Marion Technical College in the Spring of 2004. This allows the Vaughn family to get their own place, but they continue to desire stability they don't have. Cari gets a job teaching at North Central and Columbus State Community College the Fall of 2004. Then, in 2005, she finds an opening at Ashland. But teaching poses a great many challenges for her. Between her financial woes, health problems, a failing marriage and her struggles in teaching, Cari falls into another depression. She reaches out to her ex-boyfriend only to be abandoned by him once again. It takes a long time for her to regain her strength and heal.