Lila is shaken by Jensen’s harsh reaction to her memoir draft and finds herself unable to write. On a dog walk, Eleanor advises Lila to speak to her publishers and to drop the explicit chapter, warning that publishing intimate details invites judgment and may not be right for Lila.

Restless and ashamed, Lila follows Francesca’s old rule to keep moving and decides to organize the house. With winter cold setting in and Gene’s new boxes clogging the hall, she turns to clearing the attic. On the stairs she meets Bill, newly shorn and carrying tea with Penelope, who mentions Jensen seemed curt and reminds Lila of Jensen’s note about the front tree, further unsettling her.

In the attic’s melancholy quiet, Lila sorts through Dan’s CDs and old decorations. Bill joins her, sharing gentle nostalgia over photos and Lila’s childhood. They make steady progress and break for lunch before returning to clear more items.

They uncover Lila’s old doll’s house that Bill built for her eighth birthday. The find prompts a warm moment between Lila and Bill, admiring its tiny details and lit rooms. Gene arrives, upbeat from an audition, but his reaction to the doll’s house is cool, and he pointedly comments that not everyone wants to “play house,” creating a slight tension with Bill.

Lila opens a box labeled with Francesca’s things. She and Bill sift through certificates, jewelry, and letters, trying to be selective. Among them is a letter from Francesca’s friend Dorothy mentioning Francesca’s trip to Dublin in 2006, meeting Gene at the Temple Bar, and buying Celie a dress. Bill, confused because he believed Francesca had not been to Ireland as an adult, realizes this implies a secret trip with Gene.

Pressed by the letter’s details, Gene admits Francesca visited him in Dublin while he was filming and that they slept together once. He minimizes it as meaningless and attributes it to mutual low spirits, while Bill, stricken, demands details. The admission devastates Bill, who quietly says he needs space and leaves the house.

After Bill departs, Lila erupts at Gene, accusing him of destroying what remained of Bill’s bond with Francesca and of repeatedly crashing through their lives without care. Overcome with anger and grief, Lila orders Gene to leave and flees to the bathroom in tears.