In the present, Emmett’s muffled voice through the car window jolts Lucy out of her memory of his past attack. Emmett opens the car door, kneels to her level, and asks Lucy not to leave but to come inside for a minute. Lucy is so frozen by fear and confusion that she can barely respond.

Ben is still on the phone with Lucy, his voice faint from where the phone rests on her thigh. When Emmett notices the call and asks who it is, Lucy weakly says it is Ben. Emmett then loudly and cheerfully addresses Ben, a sharp contrast to the violent image Lucy still has in her mind, and Lucy realizes from a small physical hesitation that Emmett is nervous.

Before Lucy can act, Emmett takes the phone from her hand, tells Ben that Lucy needs a minute, ends the call, and puts Lucy’s phone in his pocket. He then places a gentle hand on Lucy’s arm and tries to coax her inside, offering her water. Lucy shakes her head, but Emmett continues to manage the situation as if he is helping her.

Emmett next takes Lucy’s keys from the passenger seat and tells her he cannot let her drive in her current state. As Lucy notices she is sweating in the hot car, Savvy’s voice erupts in her mind, screaming for Lucy to run. Emmett unbuckles Lucy’s seat belt and grips her arms, speaking softly and tenderly, but the chapter ends with Lucy trapped in the disorienting contrast between his calm tone in the present and his remembered rage.