After the twins are born by cesarean section, Verity reflects that all of her attempts to end the pregnancy failed. She privately connects Chastin's facial scar to her own efforts to harm the babies before birth, while Jeremy worries aloud to the pediatrician that the mark may signal something serious. The doctor reassures Jeremy that both girls are healthy and suggests the scar could have happened naturally in utero.

Once they are alone, Jeremy is affectionate and excited, while Verity feels detached and uneasy about being seen as a mother. When Verity asks for the baby with the scar, Jeremy reacts to her cold wording, but he still places the infant in her arms. Verity forces herself to act loving, then names the girls Chastin and Harper using names Jeremy had favored, hoping the gesture will make him feel she is trying.

When Chastin begins crying, Jeremy and a nurse assume the baby is hungry and ask Verity about breastfeeding. Verity immediately resists because she does not want the physical effects of nursing, but she notices Jeremy's disappointment and agrees to try in order to please him. Although the baby latches successfully, Verity feels disgust rather than tenderness and cannot tolerate the experience.

Verity tells Jeremy she cannot continue, and Jeremy immediately supports her decision by telling the nurse they will use formula instead. Verity is relieved and grateful because Jeremy's response reassures her that he still chooses her side. For a moment, she takes comfort in his support and in the belief that she still matters to him.

That comfort fades when Jeremy openly marvels at how fiercely he already loves and wants to protect the twins. Verity watches him cry and speak about loving the girls more intensely than he has ever loved anything, and she becomes jealous and alienated. The chapter ends with Verity realizing that Jeremy's devotion has shifted toward the babies, which deepens her resentment and sense of exclusion.