Blake, reeling from his fight with Krista and her departure, takes a long, aimless walk in the cold rain to clear his head. He insists to himself that he did not plant his phone in Whitney’s room or put bleach in the closet, and concludes Whitney’s goal has been to break up his relationship, fearing this is only the beginning.

Returning home after 8 p.m., Blake sees a light upstairs and briefly hopes Krista has returned, but realizes it is Whitney. Hungry, he grabs leftover lo mein from the refrigerator along with a beer and settles on the couch to eat.

On his first bite, Blake gags as multiple long hairs catch in his throat. He spits out the food, discovers the container is threaded with numerous long brown hairs, and painstakingly pulls several intact strands from his mouth, including one about a ruler’s length. He believes the hair is Whitney’s and is overcome with rage.

Struggling to control violent impulses, Blake storms upstairs and pounds on Whitney’s door. Whitney eventually opens it in pajamas, unfazed. Blake demands she leave immediately; Whitney replies it is the middle of the night and asserts tenant rights, refusing to go on the spot.

Blake threatens her safety, then reins himself in and instead gives her formal thirty-day notice to vacate. Whitney laughs and says she will be gone “long before then,” slamming and locking the door. The tone makes Blake uneasy; he interprets her parting words as a threat rather than reassurance.