After reading another disturbing section of Verity's autobiography, Lowen decides Verity's behavior goes beyond coldness and may fit psychopathy. Lowen uses Verity's computer to review the traits of a psychopath and concludes that Verity matches nearly all of them, though Verity's intense fixation on Jeremy seems to complicate that label. Even so, Lowen becomes more certain that Jeremy married a dangerous woman without ever seeing her true nature.

Jeremy interrupts Lowen's thoughts by asking for help retrieving an old aquarium from the basement for Crew, who wants another turtle. In the basement, Lowen notices neglected storage, an old desk, and a baby monitor that reminds her of Verity's confession that she unplugged the monitor to avoid hearing the twins cry. While searching for the aquarium, Jeremy explains that the basement used to be his office and reveals that he once owned a real estate firm.

Jeremy tells Lowen that he loved the work, but Verity's writing success quickly outpaced his income, and by the time Verity was pregnant with Crew, it made more sense for Jeremy to quit because his job demanded too much time. When Jeremy tests the aquarium light, he accidentally kills the basement power, leaving Lowen frightened in the dark. Jeremy guides Lowen upstairs while carrying the tank, then takes it to the master shower to clean it. Lowen returns to work but cannot focus well because Verity's manuscript and Jeremy keep occupying her thoughts.

Later that night, Lowen decides to sleep in one of Jeremy's shirts and chooses an old "Crawford Realty" T-shirt, a reminder of the career he gave up. In bed, Lowen studies the bite marks Verity left on the headboard and imagines a sexual encounter with Jeremy in the same spot. The fantasy ends when Lowen hears Verity's hospital bed moving overhead, which makes Lowen think about what Verity may still perceive in her immobile state. Lowen concludes that, deserved or not, Verity's stillness has not diminished her power over the people around her.