Nora arrives outside The Three Horseshoes in the quiet Oxfordshire village of Littleworth, wearing wedding and engagement rings and recognizing her handwriting on the quiz-night chalkboard. Inside the warm pub, she meets the Burmese cat, Voltaire, sees staff clearing up, and then faces Dan—now her husband—who looks older, tired and tipsy.

Dan talks about cleaning beer lines, quiz questions, and seeking a bank loan extension, pours himself more alcohol, and critiques menu and wine choices. Outside, Nora confirms the Oxfordshire setting and receives affectionate whale photos from Izzy in Australia, sensing their friendship is better in this timeline. She also sees a newspaper piece celebrating the couple’s purchase and renovation of the pub.

Upstairs, Nora notices a wedding photo, business and meditation books by their bed, and feels fitter but uneasy. Dan’s tone is colder, and he mentions trying for a baby. Nora grows increasingly uncomfortable sharing a bed with a man who feels like a stranger.

Memories resurface: Dan’s indifference to her song “Beautiful Sky,” jealousy over Ash, and his discouragement when her band had label interest. When Nora probes trust, Dan references “the stuff with Erin,” eventually admitting to drunken affairs. He deflects with counseling advice and minimization, while Nora questions their compatibility and his drinking.

After asserting herself by naming the “icosagon” answer she’d withheld, Nora leaves for the bathroom, feeling herself fade. Concluding this is not the life she imagined, she wishes her reflection luck. Disappointment returns her to the Midnight Library, where Mrs Elm greets her and asks how it went.