Daniel cannot sleep, obsessing over his unused Montblanc pen and the worsening situation around Bea Aguilar. He considers going to the Aguilars’ apartment to surrender himself, but decides that forcing his way in at dawn would only make Bea’s predicament worse.

At the bookshop, the morning passes slowly, and Daniel dozes on his feet. Near lunchtime, Daniel and Fermín carry out the cover story they agreed on the night before: Daniel claims he is going for a walk, and Fermín pretends he has a medical appointment to remove stitches. Daniel feels increasingly uneasy about lying to his father, but Fermín insists that small lies are built into the father-son relationship.

When the time comes, Daniel goes alone to Nuria Monfort’s building in Plaza de San Felipe Neri, still haunted by his memory of her. The square is empty except for pigeons, and Daniel looks for Fermín but cannot find him or guess what disguise Fermín might be using.

Inside, Daniel notices that the letterbox still bears the name “Miquel Moliner,” and wonders if it will expose a weakness in Nuria Monfort’s story. Climbing the dark stairs, Daniel hopes she will not be home, aware of his own guilt and vulnerability as he prepares to confront a liar while being one himself.

At Nuria Monfort’s door, with a neighbor’s radio blaring a religious quiz show down the hall, Daniel presses the bell and almost leaves when there is no immediate answer. Then he hears footsteps, sees light at the peephole, and waits as a key turns in the lock and the door begins to open.