On the drive home from the lake, Ursula suddenly becomes convinced that the family’s ordeal is somehow her fault. As Bela sits alone in the back seat, Ursula tells Russ that the haunting feels like retribution for the way she has treated relationships, family, and the life they built together. Russ rejects the idea that they deserve any of this and insists they are simply traumatized, but Ursula keeps circling back to guilt, ingratitude, and the fear that she has brought ruin on the family.

As the argument continues, Ursula links Other Mommy to her own failures as a wife and mother. She says Bela is innocent, but she blames herself for taking her family for granted and for listening to Lois Anthony’s plan out of desperation. Russ tries to reframe what happened as the result of extreme fear rather than moral failure, yet Ursula only grows harsher with herself, saying there may be some law of energy or comeuppance at work behind everything that has happened.

While Ursula and Russ argue, Bela becomes aware of something moving in the trunk behind the back seat. She hears sounds, feels pressure against the seat, briefly sees what looks like a fingertip pushing through, and smells the presence she associates with Other Mommy. Bela tries to get her parents’ attention, but because Ursula and Russ are absorbed in their fight, they do not fully notice what Bela is experiencing. The effect is to suggest that the threat has followed them from the lake and may already be in the car with them.

Ursula’s guilt deepens into confession. She admits that there were times she wanted to escape parenting, describes having been drunk while Bela was supposed to be in her care, and says she is not even sure she has learned any lesson from what is happening. Russ keeps insisting that no one could remain stable under such terror, but Ursula turns their dynamic into another accusation, saying Russ is always the bright one and that his optimism forced her into the darker role in the family.

As they near home, Russ says they should keep living, loving, and carrying on because that is what strong people do. Ursula answers that they are not strong, then says she loves Russ and Bela and is sorry she has not been thankful. When they pull into the driveway, they find Ruth already there because Russ texted her for support. Bela immediately asks Ruth if she is really her grandmother, and Ruth answers yes. The chapter ends with the four of them standing together in the driveway, facing the house and whatever still waits inside.