The chapter opens with Daniela sitting between Jason and Charlie at Wrigley Field on a clear autumn Saturday. The family revels in a nostalgic Cubs game, and Daniela notes Jason’s buoyant mood and unusual affection, as well as Charlie’s relaxed presence. The moment feels timeless and different, as if a weight has lifted.

After dropping Charlie with friends, Daniela and Jason go downtown without plans. They ride the Navy Pier Ferris wheel, where Jason’s intensity and affection peak, culminating in an ardent kiss at the top, reinforcing a renewed closeness between them.

They dine at an upscale restaurant and talk deeply, not about memories but ideas. Daniela observes that Jason seems to be “romancing” her and probes the cause. Jason attributes his shift to a near-miss with a cab, saying everything now feels more real and fragile, and that he’s acutely aware of how choices create divergent outcomes.

Jason explains a multiverse perspective—how every decision branches into other realities—and introduces dark matter as a possible clue to a broader reality. Using a fish-in-a-pond analogy, he suggests countless unseen worlds exist alongside their own. Daniela is intrigued, recalling how Jason used to speak this way when they first fell in love.

As they watch the river outside the restaurant, Daniela wonders if, in another reality, Jason pursued his research and she became a famous artist. Jason responds by taking her hands and affirming that, among all possible versions of their lives, none could be better than the one they share in this moment, solidifying their emotional bond and the theme of fragile, contingent happiness.