Addie realizes Henry’s relentless urgency and constant note-taking were driven by his bargain with Luc: Henry’s time is running out. Horrified that Henry traded so much for a single year, Addie confronts the fact that she is falling in love with someone she is about to lose.

Furious, Addie storms into the street and uses the wooden ring to summon Luc. When nothing happens at first, she throws the ring, and the streetlight dies as Luc’s voice answers from the dark. Addie demands that Luc undo Henry’s deal, but Luc refuses, insisting Henry accepted the cost.

Luc offers a conditional bargain: if Addie spends the following night with him to mark their “anniversary,” he will consider freeing Henry from his obligation—something Addie recognizes as a trap but cannot ignore. Addie agrees, and Luc disappears.

Addie returns to the Merchant, only to find Henry gone. She tracks him to his apartment, where he sits in the dark on the edge of the bed, overwhelmed and withdrawn.

Henry apologizes repeatedly and explains why he kept the deadline from her, comparing it to how people pre-mourned his terminally ill uncle. When Addie forces herself to ask how much time remains, Henry admits there were thirty-six days left—now thirty-five, because it is already after midnight. They cling to each other as if holding on can keep him from slipping away.