Late on March 10, 2014, Addie walks from Brooklyn into Manhattan rather than take the subway, unnerved by the feeling of being buried underground. Exhausted and cold, she reaches the Baxter and, relying on how quickly people forget her, breezes past the front desk by claiming she is there to see James St. Clair.

Inside James’s apartment, Addie helps herself to wine, cheese, and crackers, and puts on Billie Holiday while she takes in the pristine luxury. The comfort also sharpens her longing for permanence—a home and possessions that would prove her life—while she reflects that everything she tries to keep eventually disappears.

Her thoughts turn to the one object that will not leave her: the wooden ring tied to the dark presence who cursed her. When she fumbles it, red wine spills onto the cream sofa but the stain vanishes, underscoring how even evidence of Addie’s presence refuses to remain. She bathes and savors the temporary indulgence of expensive soap and warm water.

As she soaks, Addie remembers meeting James at a coffee shop while she was using the name Rebecca. James was charming and quickly invited her to ice cream, where Addie realized he was a recognizable actor. James then confessed, distraught, that he is gay and has been using her as a public cover to deflect media attention; Addie, who knows what it is to have truth erased, chooses kindness and companionship, and they become conspirators in his secret.

Back in the present, alone in James’s bedroom, Addie steps onto the balcony, forces herself to look at the ring, and decides she will not give in by putting it on. She drops the wooden band into the night. Returning to the lavish bed, she admits a fresh regret: she wishes she had gone to the Alloway to see Toby instead of choosing isolation.