The chapter flashes back to April, before Daphne knew her life would unravel. Daphne recounts how she met Peter Collins in a park when the wind blew her hat off; he asked sincere questions and revealed he wanted a big family, charming her despite her usual difficulty trusting men. They moved in together within five weeks, their best friends Cooper and Sadie also began dating, and within two years they were engaged.

While wedding planning, Peter's parents sent a listing for a Victorian house in Waning Bay, Michigan, his hometown. With Peter's job remote and a children's librarian position open at the local library, Daphne agreed to move. Peter, who had better finances, bought the house in his name and paid the mortgage; Daphne, raised by her hyperindependent mother Holly, was uncomfortable but agreed to furnish the home as compromise.

Three weeks before the present, Peter went out for his bachelor party while Daphne stayed home. He texted group photos featuring his lifelong best friend, Petra Collins—beautiful, wealthy, and disarmingly nice. Petra's boyfriend Miles wasn't invited because Peter looked down on him as a stoner. Daphne fell asleep on the couch waiting up for Peter.

Peter returned at dawn and stiffly told Daphne they needed to talk. He confessed that he and Petra had realized they were in love, denying it was cheating. He handed her a printout of local apartment listings, revealing that since the house was in his name, Daphne was expected to move out. He and Petra were leaving on a trip together, giving her a week to figure things out.

Enraged, Daphne chased Peter outside in her pajamas, hurling Jordan almonds at Petra's Jeep as they drove off. She collapsed on the lawn, then went inside and cried. Soon after, Miles pounded on the door, holding a three-sentence breakup note from Petra. Numb but practical, channeling her mother's resourcefulness, Daphne asked Miles how many bedrooms his apartment had—setting up their unlikely living arrangement.