Back at her apartment, Lowen reflects on an old boyfriend’s sexual fetish and uses the memory to remind herself that her life could be worse. That perspective is tested when her ex-boyfriend and agent, Corey, arrives holding another eviction notice from her door and a bottle of champagne to celebrate her new contract. Lowen hides the notice because the money from Pantem has not arrived yet, and her immediate housing situation is still unstable.

As they settle in, the old physical routine between them is absent. Lowen brings up Corey’s girlfriend, Rebecca, making it clear she knows he has been dating someone and that she ended their sexual relationship out of respect for Rebecca, not jealousy. When Corey tries to celebrate the contract, Lowen cannot fully enjoy it because she feels uneasy profiting from Verity Crawford’s misfortune and from books that are not truly hers.

While washing dishes, Lowen explains that she has forty-eight hours to leave the apartment, has put most of her belongings into storage, and has applied for a new place that will not be available for two weeks. Because of that gap, and because Jeremy Crawford wants her to review Verity’s extensive notes in person, Lowen reveals that she will go to the Crawfords’ house on Sunday and stay there while sorting through thirteen years of material. Her financial pressure and lack of options make the arrangement feel necessary.

Corey reacts with concern and warns that staying in Jeremy’s home may not be safe, given that Jeremy and Verity lost two daughters and Verity was later severely injured in a car crash. Lowen challenges the implication that Jeremy could be responsible and explains what she has researched online: one daughter died from an allergic reaction at a sleepover, the other drowned in the lake behind the house, and both deaths were ruled accidental. When Corey points out that Verity’s crash reportedly involved no skid marks, Lowen argues that, after losing both children, Verity may simply have wanted to die rather than suggesting a criminal explanation.

The conversation leaves Lowen irritated because she sees Corey’s warning as jealousy disguised as concern, especially since he did not support her while her mother was dying. When Corey leaves, he offers a more sincere congratulations and asks her to text when she arrives in Vermont or if she needs help moving. Lowen remains distant, and the awkward goodbye confirms for her that their relationship has finally shifted into what it should be: author and agent, with nothing more between them.