Kit drives along the wealthy cliffside coast toward Hope's End, thinking about how far that world is from her own life. On the way, she recalls the basic history of the Hope family and the 1929 murders: Winston Hope, his wife Evangeline, and one daughter were killed, while seventeen-year-old Lenora survived, claimed innocence, and was widely blamed anyway. Kit connects Lenora's public condemnation to her own experience of being judged and notes that Lenora has remained hidden inside the house ever since.

When Kit reaches the estate wall, she sees graffiti reading "ROT IN HELL LENORA HOPE," which confirms that local hatred has endured for decades. Although the vandalism and the house's reputation make her want to leave, Kit keeps going because she urgently needs the money and the chance to change her stalled life. The gate opens only halfway after a curt response on the intercom, immediately showing that the property is both unwelcoming and poorly maintained.

A grounds worker named Carter comes over with a wheelbarrow and helps force the gate open. He explains that the estate once had many employees, but now only a few remain and he handles multiple jobs himself. When Kit asks whether he likes working there, Carter understands that she is really asking whether he is afraid, and he says he is not. Before she drives on, Carter tells Kit to ignore the town's stories and insists that Lenora Hope is completely harmless.

As Kit approaches the mansion, its grandeur gives way to visible decay: broken windows, missing shingles, damaged marble, and signs of long neglect. The deterioration makes the place feel less glamorous and more wounded, which oddly mirrors Kit's own emotional state. After parking, she is met at the door by Mrs. Baker, the severe housekeeper whose clipped manner and scrutiny make the welcome feel cold and formal.

Standing in the doorway, Kit is overwhelmed by the house's scale, its history, and her growing fear of meeting the woman accused of murdering her family. She briefly longs for the home life she once had before her mother's death, but she also knows returning to her father's house would leave her trapped in the same hopeless limbo. Because she needs this job, Kit steps inside Hope's End and commits herself to staying.