Harris announces he is throwing a brunch the following Sunday to celebrate Caro's new single. The narrator offers to leave during the event, but Harris, still cold and distant, whispers that he wants to be with someone who actually wants to be there. During one of Harris's Monday overnight absences, the narrator masturbates angrily to thoughts of Harris and Caro together, then texts Jordi. Jordi has started sleeping at her own studio one night a week, inspired by the narrator's arrangement. Jordi encourages the narrator to find a ritual or special place to reconnect with Harris, and the narrator mentions the saluting gesture they've shared since they first met. Jordi explains that salutes originated as gestures of trust, showing no weapon was held.

At Parent Night, Harris is absent—working late with Caro and a Japanese cellist—leaving the narrator to field questions alone. The narrator sends Sam's drawing of basalt to her father, who then volunteers detailed memories of her mother Elaine's menopause. He reveals that Elaine moved out for a full month after her surgery triggered sudden menopause, only returning after an arrhythmia diagnosis. The narrator recalls visiting her mother's tiny studio and its cupboard of canned soups, and remembers being sixteen, caring for her father in her mother's absence. One night she found him wedged between furniture, speaking in a strange accent and claiming he could sing with perfect pitch—a delusion she recognized. Afterward, she stopped caring for him, paralyzed by guilt but unable to stay in his grief.

The narrator intensifies her workout regimen, adding an extra day. Her trainers Scarlett and Brett speculate about her motives—Brett suggesting she's preparing to re-enter the dating market, Scarlett crediting the mind-body connection. The narrator feels she has "incarnated" more fully into her body through the relentless physical work, her brain now spread across her whole body rather than just her head. She reflects that exercise and recovery are the secret underpinnings of how people survive.

At the Sunday brunch, the narrator and Harris perform the role of a happy couple for their guests. Sam charmingly offers Altoids to everyone. The narrator avoids Caro by talking to boring guests, and in one exchange blurts out her marital dynamics to a stranger. When Caro approaches, the narrator finds herself unexpectedly liking the young artist—Caro is strange, unselfconscious, and openly picks her nose. The narrator observes Harris place his hand on Caro's bare back and realizes her envy is not about sex but about the freedom Caro enjoys: she is committed to Harris professionally yet remains sexually and socially free, and Harris admires rather than judges her for it.

After the guests leave, the couple drops their act and resumes their silence. While cleaning up, the narrator suffers a sudden panic attack—heart hammering, unable to breathe. She considers going to Harris but realizes it's only panic, not a medical emergency, and there is no reason "good enough" to go to him. She weeps quietly while tying trash bags, arriving at a grim epiphany: the standstill between them is just life, a struggle that cannot be fixed or outsourced. She pauses outside, looking at the lit windows of her house, watching Harris pass by. The chapter ends by noting that the next day, Tim Yoon—the retired cop—will finally call back.