Nate comes home in an unusually cheerful mood after the poetry magazine meeting. He tells Eve that one student showed real promise, and his excitement makes Eve remember the early stage of their relationship, when Nate wrote romantic poems about her. The memory only deepens her sadness, because Nate no longer makes her feel admired in that way.

While finishing her grading, Eve checks Addie Severson's homework closely and sees that Addie is only getting about half the answers right, which makes Eve worry about Addie's upcoming exam. Eve then lies to Nate and says she is going out to dinner with Shelby. Nate accepts the explanation easily, and Eve is struck again by how he says all the right things without truly knowing or questioning her.

After grading the rest of the papers, Eve gets dressed and leaves without saying goodbye, since Nate has shut himself in the bedroom to write. She drives to Simon's Shoes shortly before closing, feeling both excited and nervous. At the store, she notices a pair of Christian Louboutin pumps and briefly considers buying them in secret on another credit card so Nate will not know.

A male salesman approaches Eve, compliments the shoes, and takes control of the fitting. As he removes Eve's boots and puts the pumps on her, the interaction becomes flirtatious and physically charged. Eve notices that the store has closed and the doors have apparently been locked. When the salesman lets his hand move up Eve's thigh and asks what she thinks, Eve signals that she wants more, and he grabs her and kisses her.