The chapter opens with an excerpt Lila once wrote about marriage as a forgiving, fluctuating partnership, concluding that Dan was her team. Now, Lila remembers its publication just two weeks before Dan left and feels acute shame and sorrow, recalling years that seemed mostly happy, a sunlit family holiday, and the swift one-two of Dan’s exit and Francesca’s death.

While she tries to write at home with noise-cancelling headphones, Lila notices a man lingering in her small front garden, staring up at a tree. Anxious after a neighbor’s recent car theft, she rushes down with Truant, confronts the man in her dressing gown, and loudly warns him off the property, the house, and her tracked Mercedes as Truant barks. The man calmly explains he is looking at the tree; after Lila escalates, he reveals he had an appointment with Bill about the garden. Embarrassed, Lila offers to call Bill, but the man declines and leaves to call him himself.

Later, over lunch, Lila tells Eleanor about the encounter. Eleanor gently but frankly observes that Lila seems “stabby” since the breakup and advises her to moderate the hostile vibe for strangers, reserving it for Dan. Eleanor, radiant and between TV jobs, shares her casual dating and ménage experiences, urging Lila to seek joy and consider dating apps. Lila demurs, insisting she still can’t imagine anyone but Dan, and grows impatient over a slow restaurant bill.

That evening at home, Lila is greeted by the smell of Bill’s steamed fish and lentils. Bill, tidy and formal with Radio 3 on, asks about her day. Lila spots a semi-abstract nude painting unmistakably of Francesca and objects to placing it in the living room, anticipating Celie and Violet’s discomfort. Bill, focused on Francesca’s presence “within” the image, wants her to be part of the family space. Lila suggests Bill keep it in his room or use photos instead.

When Bill quietly admits it sometimes feels like Francesca never existed, Lila recognizes the depth of his grief versus her own. He offers to bring a box of photographs from his other house, which he no longer calls “home.” Moved, Lila softens and agrees to leave the painting where it is for now, deciding the girls might not even notice given their screens.