In the days following Bill’s heart attack, Lila spends every spare hour at the hospital and focuses on Celie and Violet at home. Celie withdraws into drawing, while Violet is traumatized, plagued by night terrors and clinginess. Lila reassures them with cautious optimism, though Bill’s age and weakened heart make outcomes uncertain.

Lila informs Dan, hoping he will provide stability for the girls, but Dan says Marja has a placental complication and he is overwhelmed with work and childcare. Eleanor steps in, handling school pickups, walking the dog, and bringing food. Jensen quietly finishes clearing the storm-felled tree into a neat stack of logs; Lila thanks him by text, and he replies briefly without mentioning her apology letter.

Seeking relief, Lila briefly takes the Mercedes out but feels exposed and returns. Bill undergoes a stent procedure and is slated to remain a week, then recuperate initially at Lila’s home with new medications and possible anxiety or depression. Lila embraces a pared-back routine: feeding Bill and Penelope healthy meals, reporting progress to the girls, and keeping steady through exhausting days.

On a hands-free call, Lila tells her agent Anoushka she must withdraw from the sex-escapades book due to the impact on her children and her changed circumstances. Bracing for fallout, Lila instead receives compassion: no money has exchanged hands, Anoushka will handle the publisher and keep representing Lila, urging her to prioritize family.

Lila sells the Mercedes at a significant loss, haggling modestly and accepting the market reality and roof damage. Leaving the showroom, she feels relief and a return of financial breathing room.

Eleanor gifts Lila a massage. In the quiet room, the masseuse Agnes’s steady touch unlocks Lila’s pent-up emotion, and Lila weeps silently as Agnes rests a reassuring hand on her neck. The wordless connection leaves Lila feeling seen and steadied.

On the day before Bill’s discharge, Lila battles hospital procedures and pharmacy delays while Penelope calmly manages Bill’s clothes and a medication schedule notebook. Rushing back with a bag of prescriptions, Lila spots Gene heading into Bill’s ward. She stops him, accuses him of contributing to Bill’s heart attack by betraying Penelope, and orders him to leave to protect Bill’s need for calm. After initial protest, Gene retreats. Lila ensures he is gone, then enters the ward to continue the discharge process.