The chapter opens with Lila’s reflection on long-term marriage as a series of compromises, which frames the following confrontation with Dan about finances. During a phone call, Dan says he needs to reduce what he pays Lila so he can afford a larger home near the girls and support Marja taking time off when the baby arrives. When Dan suggests Lila get a smaller house, Lila ends the call in cold fury.

Galvanized by anger, Lila writes another three thousand words that afternoon with unusual ease, using work as an outlet.

In the ensuing days, Gene’s presence proves disruptive. Gene sleeps late, makes household messes, mishandles laundry, and spends afternoons entertaining Jensen and bonding with Violet over Star Squadron Zero. In the evenings, Gene disappears to the local pub for beers, returning boisterous, which exacerbates Bill’s simmering resentment.

Lila tolerates Gene’s absences for the short-term peace but resents his failure to contribute money for food or lodging. His scent and scattered belongings in her study make working there uncomfortable, so Lila relocates to the girls’ rooms when they are out. On a rainy dog walk, Lila tells Eleanor that Bill and Gene loathe each other for long-standing reasons tied to Francesca, predicting a tense few weeks; Eleanor jokes about Gene’s bad influence and asks about Gabriel.

At school, Gabriel is seldom at pickup, often delegating to a babysitter or his mother. Lila feels foolish for having sensed interest. Pickup has become painful because Marja’s visible pregnancy draws constant attention; the sight leaves Lila numb, so she asks Bill to handle pickups while she focuses on drafting the three chapters she hopes will stabilize her career.

One evening after a fractious dinner, Gene and Bill argue over Gene’s boxes: Gene insists they contain priceless memorabilia and shouldn’t be in the shed, while Bill says Gene should move them himself. The household tensions spill over; Celie protests being treated like a child, and Violet discovers an empty ice cream carton and spoon in Gene’s room, cooling her initial affection.

While Lila soaks in the bath with noise-canceling headphones, Gabriel texts after finding her number on the school WhatsApp. He checks in, sympathizes about single parenting, and flirts lightly. Lila replies, feels a jolt of pleasure, and debates whether to add kisses, ultimately deleting them but wondering if she should have kept them.