Lila and Tiernan return to his apartment with Imma. That night, they sleep in the same bed, but Lila lies awake, hurt by her mother’s rejection. Tiernan, also awake, asks what’s wrong. She admits that she has nightmares about her rapist returning, and he promises to kill him if he comes back. Hoping to know him better and feel more comfortable, Lila asks him personal questions. These questions eventually turn to his sex life; Tiernan reveals that he had sex for the first time at age 12 by being forced to sodomize someone at gunpoint. Since then, he has only engaged in anal sex and receiving oral sex.

When she asks what will happen if he dies fighting the Bratva, he assures her his family and the Camorra will protect her. He asks if his death would sadden her. When she gives a generic answer, his hopeful expression fades, and he mockingly references his wedding-night threat. Hurt, Lila turns away, but Tiernan pulls her into his arms and holds her until she calms down. He whispers that nothing can hurt her now that he has claimed her.

In his office with Achilles, Fintan, and Tierney, Tiernan discusses the potential identity of Lila’s rapist. Although he should be focusing on his plans for attacking the Bratva, Tiernan finds himself preoccupied with finding the man who hurt Lila. He has narrowed the suspects down to Angelo Bandini or Tate Blackthorn, who both attended the wedding, but is frustrated because he can’t prove that either man is guilty. Tiernan wants to interrogate Angelo, using torture to obtain a confession, but Achilles refuses. He doesn’t think Angelo is guilty.

Fintan is startled to learn that Lila doesn’t have an intellectual disability. Fintan asks why Lila can’t just identify her attacker; Tiernan explains that she has blocked the memory of his face. They decide to question Tate Blackthorn instead. Achilles informs them that Tate is in England, but Tiernan resolves to lure him back.

A week later, Lila rejoices in her new independence. Tiernan has purchased her several assistive technologies and set her up so that she can order whatever else she wants. Her mother won’t respond to her messages, but she enjoys being able to text freely with Enzo. She senses that Tiernan is attracted to her, but she can also tell that he’s repulsed by her pregnancy.

Tiernan takes her to a shooting range to teach her gun safety. At the range, he presents her with a custom pink, diamond-studded handgun, and she hugs him warmly. He teaches her to shoot with his body pressed against hers and then demonstrates his own marksmanship. They begin kissing passionately, but Lila pulls away, panicked that her wet underwear means something is wrong with the baby. Tiernan, pleased, explains that it’s a natural arousal response. He arranges for her to receive a concealed-carry permit despite her being underage.

Fifteen years ago, in a Siberian work camp, young Tiernan meets Michael, a dying American prisoner. Michael offers to teach Tiernan and Tierney ASL in exchange for food and warm clothes, explaining that the language would allow the twins to communicate secretly. Michael also gives Tiernan information about how to escape: If the latter can get to Yakutsk (a city in Siberia), there’s a man there who is waiting to help get Michael out of the country. The older man accepts that he’s going to die in the camp and hopes that the plans for his escape can benefit Tiernan and Tierney instead. Tiernan recognizes that getting out of the camp and to Yakutsk will be extremely difficult and risky, but he agrees to try. The abuse he endures from Igor has been escalating, and Tiernan suspects that he will be killed soon if he doesn’t escape.

Tiernan abducts Tate Blackthorn and takes him to the Ferrante dungeon, where he administers a polygraph with help from Sam, Enzo, and Luca. Tate denies involvement in Lila’s attack, and the polygraph confirms he’s telling the truth. Tiernan is frustrated because he’s particularly eager to catch Lila’s rapist. He and Lila have been kissing and fondling one another, although they haven’t yet had sex. The escalating intimacy makes Tiernan even more committed to finding her attacker. Tiernan also concedes that if Angelo Bandini turns out to be the rapist, revenge will be much more complicated due to Angelo’s ties to the Camorra and the Ferrante family.

Tate provides an alibi (a timestamped receipt) for the timeframe when the attack took place. With Tate cleared, Angelo becomes the sole remaining suspect. As Tate leaves, he expresses grudging respect toward Tiernan for his efforts to avenge Lila.

After the interrogation, Tiernan goes home, where Lila excitedly places his hand on her stomach to feel the baby move. Tiernan is particularly bitter about the pregnancy since he’s now convinced that Angelo is likely the rapist and father of Lila’s baby. He fears that this information will lead Vello to force Lila to marry Angelo instead; Tiernan is frustrated while contemplating losing both his key allies in his war with the Bratva and also Lila. He pulls his hand away from Lila’s stomach and rebukes her, saying, “I don’t care about the bastard in your stomach” (248). He also tells her that he doesn’t want to know the baby’s sex, even though he can tell Lila is hurt by his indifference.

That night, he removes his eye patch before bed. When Lila sees his empty eye socket and gasps, he taunts her and aggressively kisses and bites her. She pushes him away, tells him that he can’t make her hate him, and announces that she’ll sleep in the recliner. Before leaving, she reveals that the baby is a boy.

The next day, Lila shops with Tierney and expresses that she’s hurt by Tiernan’s rejection. Afterward, the two women stop at a local deli near Tiernan’s home. When Lila goes to the bathroom, a waiter corners her and touches her without her consent. Tierney intervenes, slapping him and warning of Tiernan’s wrath. Lila concedes that it was careless of her to go into the bathroom without carrying her gun.

Afterward, the two women discuss Lila’s pregnancy. Tierney reveals that she can never have children due to a forced hysterectomy when she was 12; this occurred after a traumatic event in Siberia. Tierney urges Lila to recognize that Tiernan’s cruelty is a reaction to his emotional walls crumbling because of her.

That evening, Lila finds a gift box from Tiernan: It contains the severed penis of the deli worker. She reacts with horror, but he tells her that “[they] do terrible things for family” (260). He suggests that they go downstairs to the pub for a drink, offering to share more about himself. At the pub, a vase of roses triggers memories of her assault since she was wearing a crown of white roses at the wedding. Tiernan knocks the vase down and forbids flowers in the establishment. She asks about the nickname he frequently uses for her, and he reveals that Gealach means “moon,” not “wiseass” as he previously told her. He reminisces about seeing her for the first time after losing his eye, and she confesses that she kept his eyeball in a jar.

Tiernan shares his family history and the origins of the feud with the Bratva. After his father accidentally killed Igor’s wife Luba, the Bratva murdered his mother while she was pregnant; they extracted the twins from their mother’s womb and took them back to Russia. Tiernan and Tierney grew up in Siberia and didn’t see their father or Fintan until they escaped at age 14.

The twins were raised in a Siberian work camp where they learned ASL and Russian. They grew up alongside Igor’s son, Alex. Tiernan exploited this friendship to obtain information such as gate codes, and he and Tierney eventually escaped. They spent time in North Africa before eventually reuniting with their father and brother and moving to New York. Lila is startled that Tiernan speaks flawless English even though he only spoke Russian until he was in his teens. Realizing that she’s falling in love with him, Lila agrees to have dinner and continue their date.

At a pizza place, Tiernan grapples with the unprecedented desire and tenderness he feels toward Lila. He texts Tierney for advice on helping Lila sleep; she recommends an orgasm. Tiernan texts a business acquaintance who moonlights as a male sex worker, asking how to pleasure a woman. After watching an instructional video, Tiernan vaguely proposes that he will do something to help Lila sleep. She agrees without asking for any specifics.

Tiernan performs oral sex on Lila while she also explores his body and pleasures him. Although he intended to focus exclusively on her, she’s clearly eager to explore his body as well. After they both orgasm, Lila falls asleep immediately, and Tiernan watches over her throughout the night.

Fourteen years ago, the twins (now aged 14) are ready to make their escape from the Siberian camp. It has been a year since Tiernan’s encounter with Michael, and they have meticulously developed a plan for getting to Yakutsk. However, they need the code that will open the gate. Tiernan asks Alex for the code, claiming that they simply want to be able to come and go freely. Alex provides the code after making Tiernan swear that they won’t abandon him.

The next morning, the twins escape. After a perilous four-day journey, they reach Yakutsk and find their contact, who helps them board a train to Mongolia, the first leg of a journey west to track their father.