Three months before the grave-digging scene, Eve wakes beside her husband, Nate, and frames her life as one others envy. As they get ready together, Nate hums the same Elvis song he always uses to time his toothbrushing, and Eve's irritation shows how deeply she resents the rigid routines that govern their marriage.

In the bathroom and bedroom, Eve notices the contrast between Nate's polished attractiveness and her own harsh self-image. She also hints at Nate's quiet control: when Nate questions whether Eve's designer shoes are new, Eve lies to avoid criticism, and Nate responds with restrained disapproval rather than open anger.

Eve explains that she and Nate have been married eight years and both teach at Caseham High, where they are heading for the first day of school. Nate teaches English and is widely admired, especially by female students, while Eve teaches math. Their marriage is equally structured outside the classroom, with scheduled kisses, sex only once a month, and Nate always driving when they travel together.

As Eve leaves their small but carefully maintained house with Nate, she acknowledges the life they are supposed to want, including the possibility of children, though their increasingly limited intimacy has made that unlikely despite stopping birth control a year earlier. The chapter ends by exposing the depth of Eve's despair: while Nate drives them to school, Eve privately wishes that a truck would hit the car and kill them both instantly.