Martha is working in her shop when Nina Swann and Nina’s now-adult daughter arrive. Recognizing them from a photo she saw at Paddy Swann’s house, Martha braces for a confrontation, unsure whether this is about an affair or something worse. Nina asks to speak privately, and in the back office shows Martha a photo of Alistair, confirming his identity and asking if Martha knows where he is.

Martha assumes Alistair was with Nina, but Nina explains that Alistair—calling himself Nick Radcliffe—had been living with Nina since late December and fled after likely seeing Martha at Nina’s door the previous morning. Nina lays out Alistair’s false backstory and timeline: he claimed to be single, childless, and a wine bar investor, and he began a relationship with Nina last October. Nina’s daughter traced Martha via soaps Alistair said were from Mayfair but actually came from Martha’s shop.

As Martha absorbs this, Nina adds more: there are other wives and children he abandoned, police reports of stalking, and a missing wife suspected to be a murder victim. Martha recalls Alistair’s fixation with Paddy Swann after a dinner at Paddy’s Whitstable restaurant years earlier, and notes Alistair later gifted her Paddy’s cookbook with a pointed remark, behavior that now seems ominous. Nina counters that Alistair had told her he worked in restaurants but was not a chef, contradicting claims he made elsewhere.

Nina reveals Alistair tried to involve her in a Folkestone restaurant investment. This triggers Martha’s memory of Alistair taking her and their child to the seaside pavilion and selling her a dream of converting it, while he slipped away to meet Nina under false pretenses. Martha confesses that Alistair urged her to remortgage her house to fund the project, and she had already started the process with her accountant.

Overwhelmed by the realization that her marriage and plans were built on lies, Martha breaks down. Nina takes her hand and proposes working together to stop Alistair and ensure he faces consequences. Though torn by lingering attachment, Martha agrees and commits to helping bring him down.