After Lily leaves, Louisa feels alone and useless. She spends the next day mentally talking to Will and wandering around the city. That evening, she cleans her flat and cries over a letter Will wrote her before he died.

Nathan calls Louisa at two am. He explains that the Gopnik family he lives with is looking for help. They’re a wealthy couple, and Mr. Gopnik wants to hire a companion and helper for Mrs. Gopnik; Nathan thinks Louisa would be perfect for the job, which includes benefits and housing. Louisa agrees to a video interview with Mr. Gopnik. She spends the rest of the night emailing Nathan about the job. In the morning, she feels more hopeful.

Louisa returns to the Moving On Circle. She listens to other people’s stories but doesn’t feel like sharing. However, when Marc encourages her, Louisa opens up about Lily. Marc reminds her to prioritize self-care.

Louisa interviews with Mr. Gopnik. She doubts she’ll get the job but feels proud of herself for trying. Remembering Marc’s words, Lily starts to feel “a little better” (194). At home, she dons Will’s old sweater and climbs up to the roof for the first time since the accident. She’s shocked to discover that Lily replanted the rooftop garden.

The next day, Louisa repeatedly texts Lily but doesn’t receive an answer. Then Sam shows up on her block, eager to talk. He wants to understand why she’s upset with him. She explains, and he reveals that he’s not Jake’s dad; he’s his uncle. (Jake’s mom was his sister.) Feeling silly and relieved, Louisa invites him in. They spend the evening talking and having sex. They wake up in the middle of the night side by side. Sam encourages Louisa not to overthink their situation.

Louisa and Sam spend the next three days together. They get to know each other better, and Louisa feels more at peace. Then one evening, Sam opens up about his late sister, Ellen, and his last girlfriend; Louisa opens up about New York.

Louisa spends several days sorting, furnishing, and decorating her flat with Sam’s help. Meanwhile, she keeps texting Lily without receiving a response. Finally, she shows Sam Lily’s garden and opens up about what happened. (Louisa is still blaming herself for pushing Lily away.) Sam comforts Louisa and suggests they go to the movies.

At the cinema, Camilla calls Louisa, asking for Lily. Louisa explains that she hasn’t heard from her. After the film, Louisa and Sam drive to Tanya’s to talk to Lily. Tanya hasn’t seen or heard from her in over a week. Louisa panics; Lily left her flat 10 days prior.

Tanya tells Louisa and Sam about Lily’s behavioral issues, insisting this behavior is typical, and the cops won’t care that she’s missing because she’s disappeared before. Frustrated, Louisa and Sam leave. They drive around for several hours looking for Lily without success. Sam reassures Louisa when he drops her off at home. Alone, she goes back up to the roof. Then she receives a message from Nathan saying Mr. Gopnik wants to hire her.

The narrative shifts into the third-person point of view and follows Lily’s story.

Lily hasn’t been able to escape Peter for weeks. He shows up again, insisting that he give her more money. The two met at a party. Lily’s peers dared her to perform fellatio on Peter. Lily didn’t want to do it but went through with it because she feared the group would make fun of her. Peter took a picture of her with his penis in her mouth to prove that the encounter had happened. Ever since, he’s been using the photo to blackmail her—threatening to publicize it if she doesn’t give him money. She has given him all her allowance and stolen jewelry from Tanya and Louisa to pay him.

Then one day, Lily’s stepdad’s colleague, Mr. Garside, notices her interacting with Peter in the street and asks if she’s okay. Lily surprises herself and tells Garside that Peter is blackmailing her. Garside threatens Peter if he doesn’t give him his phone. He then gives Lily a ride to a hotel. She feels better that night.

In the morning, she has breakfast with Garside, and he asks about her plans for the future. They go up to Lily’s room where Garside threatens to release the photo if Lily doesn’t perform sexual favors for him. Terrified, Lily flees. She spends the next few nights sleeping on friends’ couches and wandering the city, unsure what to do or where to go.

Louisa calls Camilla to inform her Lily is missing, and Tanya isn’t getting involved. Camilla takes Tanya’s number, insisting she’ll call her.

Louisa calls out of work to continue looking for Lily. She keeps asking Will for help and intermittently texts Sam. She calls Treena about the situation, too. During one call, she tells Treena about New York but insists she can’t take the job given Lily’s disappearance. Treena threatens to stop talking to her if she doesn’t take the opportunity.

Louisa has a revelation and drives to Martin’s house, convinced Lily might be there. Martin is confused, explaining he’s only seen or talked to Lily once since he and Tanya broke up. Defeated, Louisa continues driving around in search of Lily. Then Sam calls to say he found her sleeping at the hospital. Louisa races there and holds Lily in her arms.

Louisa takes Lily home. She spends two days sleeping. When she wakes back up, she studies the changes in Louisa’s space. The two go up to the garden together, where Louisa assures Lily she can tell her what happened. She shares a story from her past that she thinks might be similar to Lily’s situation. Lily listens intently before opening up about Peter and Garside. She explains that Garside still has the phone, and she’s afraid he’ll keep blackmailing her with the photo.

That evening, Sam comes over, and Louisa tells him about Lily’s situation. The two make a plan to confront Garside and retrieve the phone. With Lily’s help, they bait Garside. He agrees to come see Lily at Louisa’s apartment. When he arrives, Louisa and Sam emerge and demand that he give them the phone. Then a furious Louisa punches Garside in the face before he leaves. Afterward, she and Sam comfort and reassure Lily.