On the day before Christmas Eve, Martha met Grace for lunch at a festive café after a hectic morning at her flower shop. They exchanged a small gift and ordered food and wine, catching up for the first time since Nala’s hospital scare nearly three weeks earlier. Martha reported that things with Alistair had been “really, really good” since he stopped working, saying he was attentive, present, and excellent with the children. She highlighted that Jonah had opened up to Alistair about gender dysphoria, which impressed her deeply.

Grace responded supportively but with a hint of skepticism. She admitted she had previously feared Alistair might be a manipulative serial deceiver because of his disappearances and lack of visible friends, colleagues, or family, referencing a book about a similar man. Martha rejected the comparison, asserting that Alistair’s empathy toward Jonah proved he was not a psychopath, and that although he had a murky past and a habit of running when stressed, he now felt safe and settled with her and the children.

After lunch, they parted warmly on the pavement, agreeing to see each other more, possibly for cocktails in the New Year. Martha walked back through Christmas-lit streets feeling content and eager to see Alistair, relishing the comfort of her shop as a safe haven.

Inside, Milly greeted her and mentioned delaying her own break to cover the shop. When Martha looked for Alistair, Milly said he had left about half an hour earlier to go “somewhere,” assuming it was work. Martha, aware Alistair was not working, stopped herself from explaining and asked if he had said when he would return; he had not.

Once Milly departed for lunch, Martha called Alistair, but the call went straight to voicemail. She then checked the tracker app, only to find no trace of his location, the blue dot absent. The chapter closed with Martha confronted by Alistair’s unexplained absence and unreachable phone.