As a child, Gordon enjoyed an outing with his father to buy a pencil case and eat at Pizza Express. Seeking approval, Gordon tried jokes and then answered probing questions about Cora’s behavior. He embellished minor faults to keep his father’s attention, which his father later used to tease Cora at dinner, leaving Gordon both validated and uneasy when Maia confronted him.

At school, Gordon attempted to write “Luke” on his tray card, the name he wished to have. Mrs. Bellamy publicly rejected this by tearing up his label and replacing it with “Gordon” in indelible ink. Humiliated and angry, Gordon felt disliked and envisioned a year branded by his given name. That night, craving more approval, he resolved to collect more “wrongs” about Cora to tell his father.

Meanwhile, teenage Maia babysat for the Radleys, contrasting their warm, messy home with her family’s tidy, oppressive house. She reflected on her lack of interest in boys, her attraction to girls, and her ambition to study medicine, admiring her father’s clinical competence despite fearing him. She considered faraway universities and secretly cherished her grandmother’s Irish name, Sílbhe, as a symbol of resistance.

After witnessing her father force Cora to eat spoiled food from a bowl as punishment, Maia vomited on the landing and then concealed what she saw. The next day, she wrote to Sílbhe from the school library, funded by coins she scavenged, asking for help.

On a Tuesday, Sílbhe phoned Cora, revealing Maia’s letter. Cora, panicked that her husband might overhear, insisted she could not leave because he had arranged medical records labeling her on antipsychotics, jeopardizing any custody claim. Cora minimized the abuse, emphasizing the children’s material provision, while Sílbhe offered to send money; Cora said access and surveillance made escape impossible.

Later, Cora confronted Maia gently about the letter. Maia asked for help; Cora explained that disclosure could cost her custody, and admitted Gordon might not even want to stay with her. Maia revealed she had seen the kitchen abuse. Cora tried to compose herself with a dancer’s posture, which Maia rejected as a mask; Cora reaffirmed that staying was her chosen way to remain with the children despite the harm.

After days of unanswered calls from Sílbhe, a police officer arrived for a welfare check. Recognizing the officer as her husband’s patient, Cora neutralized the inquiry by claiming her mother had dementia and fabricated stories. The officer relaxed, apologized, and left, and as he placed his hat back on, Cora felt the quiet death of hope.