Margaret describes waking in an ambulance after the collision and being brought to the ER two blocks from the crash site. Dr. Cecil Willoughby informed her that Cosmo was in surgery for a collapsed lung and brain swelling, while Margaret’s pain was due to appendicitis; after her operation, Cecil had to tell her that Cosmo had died. Margaret’s parents were present, but Laura did not come, and Margaret and Laura stopped speaking because Laura was afraid to return to the spotlight and Margaret could not forgive her.

Margaret explains that her father arranged four days of privacy before a press conference where Cecil announced Cosmo’s death as the family slipped out. Harassed by the media, Margaret initially leaned into a "madwoman" narrative—destroying gardens, cutting her hair, wearing her wedding dress to the burial—seeking control over her portrayal. The spectacle lost its numbing power, and she dismissed staff and isolated herself for two years, seeing only Cecil regularly. He eventually returned to Switzerland to be with Laura but continued to check on Margaret by phone.

At her father’s urging, Margaret later moved back to the House of Ives, avoiding the family wing. She learned that Laura and Cecil married in Europe, which nearly prompted reconciliation, but she stayed away. She then discovered Laura had given birth to a daughter, but insists she remains the last bearer of the Ives name because Laura and Cecil changed their surnames and raised the child in Europe, keeping distance from the U.S. media while staying in occasional contact with Margaret’s parents.

Margaret reveals why she avoided Laura: years of slanderous coverage had convinced her that the vilified public persona—"Pushy Peggy," "Me-Me-Me Margaret"—might be true, and she feared bringing harm to Laura. She shows Alice a box of degrading clippings, recounting how the narrative eroded her sense of self. She spent her parents’ remaining years with them, then buried her father, stepfather, and mother. In 1985 she attempted to disappear via repeated moves (London, Miami, Providence) but the press followed, so she returned to California and lived in seclusion for two more decades.

In spring 2003, her niece Jodi appeared at Margaret’s gate, persistent until admitted, and told Margaret that Laura was sick. Margaret sent Jodi away and, in despair, burned family journals and letters to sever ties, though she kept Jodi’s card and memorized the contact information. When Alice asks whether disappearing was to get Laura back, Margaret withholds the full story, saying only the book’s author gets that answer.

Shifting to the present, Alice spends the night drafting proposal pages and leaves snacks for Hayden as he prepares his pitch. After Hayden’s Friday presentation, he visits Alice; they share champagne, a walk, and dinner, and their relationship deepens physically and emotionally. On their way home, Alice suggests coauthoring the book; Hayden reveals he already asked Margaret and was declined, and he tells Alice she deserves the job alone. They spend the night together, and Alice resolves to confess her love after her own pitch.