Emboldened by recent survival and a new boldness, Nora initiates intimacy with Hugo and rationalises her forwardness through the many-worlds idea, feeling momentarily absolved of choice. When Hugo states he doesn’t share rooms, Nora challenges the boundary, pressing on with the encounter.

During sex, Nora’s thoughts drift to Camus, an involuntary signal that she is disengaged. The philosophical quotations highlight her craving to be fully present and her immediate sense that the experience is not what she wants.

Nora recognises Hugo’s emotional distance: for someone who has lived many lives, he seems most intimate only with himself. She feels unseen, as if absent from the moment, which reinforces the emptiness of connection without true presence.

Moments later, the life dissolves for Nora. She slips out of this branch, the unsatisfying encounter underlining that sampling possibilities without authentic engagement cannot provide the meaning she seeks.