In the manuscript, Verity says she became pregnant with Crew soon after lying to Jeremy about already being pregnant. As her career grew, Verity hired a full-time nanny but hid that fact by calling the woman a housekeeper because Jeremy, who had quit his job to stay home with the children, thought extra help was unnecessary. Verity enjoyed a version of motherhood built around ease and distance, and she even lied about work trips so she could spend time alone before returning home to renewed attention from Jeremy.

That period ends abruptly when Jeremy answers a phone call while Verity is in the kitchen. The call informs Jeremy that Chastin, who had been at a sleepover at Maria's house, has been taken to the hospital. At once, Jeremy is devastated, and Verity follows him there while privately wondering whether Harper somehow caused Chastin's death.

At the hospital, Kitty, Maria's mother, tells them only that Chastin would not wake up. Jeremy initially clings to hope, but hospital staff direct the family to the room used for grieving relatives, confirming the loss. Later, doctors determine that Chastin died of anaphylaxis after the girls secretly took snacks from the pantry during the night; although Kitty knew about the peanut allergy and Chastin carried an EpiPen, Harper says neither twin realized the snacks contained peanuts.

Jeremy accepts the death as a terrible accident and sinks into prolonged grief, but Verity insists to herself that Harper deliberately killed Chastin and merely hid it well. Rather than focus on mourning, Verity becomes frustrated by Jeremy's emotional withdrawal and lack of sexual interest. She ends the chapter blaming herself not for Chastin's death, but for failing to kill Harper earlier, revealing how completely her jealousy, cruelty, and obsession have warped her view of her family.