Feeling their dynamic has shifted, Ethan thinks Sloane is demanding too much. He works 10-hour days, and seeing her regularly means he doesn’t have time for himself. He’s getting fed up with her always about their relationship status, especially after she has a couple of glasses of wine. He works out and goes to the sauna, thinking about how much he’s missed having time to himself.

Ethan returns to his apartment, annoyed to find Sloane waiting with dinner; he didn’t invite her, and she didn’t let him know she was coming over. His roommate, Noah, let her in. Sensing his disappointment, she asks if he wants her to leave, but he says she should stay.

Over dinner, she drinks half a bottle of wine, which makes him uncomfortable. He initiates sex to avoid a potential argument about their relationship. During sex, Sloane almost says she loves him but turns it into a flippant comment. Ethan ignores the slip and makes sure the conversation doesn’t go further. He waits until she falls asleep turned away from him and questions his choices.

Sloane meets Lauren for drinks and overhears Lauren and Miles saying “I love you” on a call. The next night, Ethan rejects a call from the same Wilmington number, dismissing it as spam. Sloane’s mother calls, telling Sloane she plans to be in London for Thanksgiving and won’t be able to see her. She doesn’t want to spend Thanksgiving with her dad, and Ethan casually suggests they stay in the city and get takeout.

At work, Sloane struggles to write an article about marriage, which depresses her because half of marriages end in divorce. She then fantasizes about marrying her soulmate. That evening, Lauren announces she is moving in with Miles. Sloane feels happy for Lauren but insecure about her own situation with Ethan.

Ethan ignores another call, knowing it is his father, recently released from prison. He remembers Graham’s parents telling him about the release and giving his father his number. Alone, he listens to months of voicemails from his father asking to reconnect. He calls Graham, who advises him to consider a conversation for closure and warns he risks losing Sloane if he keeps pushing her away. Still undecided but needing comfort, Ethan texts Sloane to come over, and she arrives 15 minutes later.

Sloane declines Lauren’s Thanksgiving invitation, choosing to be alone; Ethan went to Wilmington for Thanksgiving but didn’t tell Sloane why. Not knowing about his past, she suggests that next year, they could invite their parents and spend Thanksgiving together.

On Thanksgiving Eve, Sloane drinks wine and cries while watching the Sex and the City movie. She worries about Ethan leaving her and relates to Carrie’s comment: “Some love stories aren’t epic novels. Some are short stories, but that doesn’t make them any less filled with love” (239).

She wakes on the holiday hungover and without any messages from him. Her mother calls from London to say happy Thanksgiving. She’s sent Sloane a bottle of champagne and looks forward to seeing her at Christmas. Afterward, Ethan sends a lighthearted holiday text. The message briefly lifts her mood.

Ethan arrives in Wilmington and meets Graham for beers. He meets his father at a motel, seeing him for the first time in a decade. They go to dinner. His father explains that Ethan’s mother asked him to stay away years ago so she could start over, and that he never intended to abandon him. He wants to rebuild their relationship, and Ethan considers giving him a second chance.

A week after Thanksgiving, Ethan is still ignoring Sloane. Sloane comes home from work and finds Lauren making dinner for four; she assumes Ethan is coming over for a double date. Sloane lies, telling Lauren that he’s busy at work. She then breaks down and admits the truth. Lauren urges her to walk away.

The next morning, Ethan texts a brief apology, saying he needs space. When they meet later at her apartment, they argue. He is vague, promising only to try not to shut her out, though he insists they aren’t dating. He rejects her offer to drink wine and watch TV. She drinks anyway, nearly finishing the bottle. Later, they have sex, and Ethan seems distant; she feels objectified and alone. He leaves afterward to sleep at his own apartment. Alone, Sloane calmly acknowledges she deserves more.

In December 2018, Sloane receives Graham and Emily’s wedding invitation and fantasizes about marrying Ethan. She’s preparing to move out of her apartment, and almost everything is packed except her wineglasses. She drinks Cabernet to calm her nerves while Ethan brings over takeout.

That night at dinner, Ethan abruptly ends their relationship. Shocked, Sloane drops her wineglass, cutting her hand. Crying, she picks up the pieces, not realizing a shard of glass is embedded in her palm.

Ethan wraps a dishtowel around her hand, apologizing. They call an Uber and go to the ER. The wound isn’t serious, and the doctor cleans and wraps it before sending her home.

Outside Sloane’s building, Ethan asks to talk, but she refuses. She tells him it is over for good. She loves him so much “that it hurts” (256), but she won’t let him treat her this way. Inside, she sobs and cleans up the broken glass.

The chapter rewinds to the week after Thanksgiving. After avoiding Sloane’s texts, Ethan sends her a quick “I’m sorry” text, knowing she’ll question him later.

When he gets to her apartment for dinner, he sees the empty wine bottle, and her drinking reminds him of his parents’ alcoholism. He wonders if Sloane uses drinking as a coping mechanism and knows that he can’t have a future with her if she does. During their argument, he concludes that he cannot be the person she wants and leaves to avoid her pity. His life is a series of “unfortunate events,” and he believes he’ll always be alone.

After the ER, he waits outside until Sloane goes into her apartment. He returns to his apartment and smokes with his roommates. The next morning, he feels empty. He reaches for his phone out of habit, then stops, wondering why he pushes love away.

Days later, Lauren brings Sloane to Miles’s Chelsea loft. On the roof, they drink tequila and reminisce. Lauren reassures Sloane she deserves better. Passing Reese’s building in the Uber home, Sloane cries and calls him, but he doesn’t answer. Late that night, she sees on Instagram that he has a new girlfriend. She texts Ethan and asks him to come over. He never responds. She wakes to silence and accepts it is over.

A month later, Sloane moves into a new studio in the West Village. She stands in the empty space, feeling both the pain of the breakup and a sense of independence. She treats the new apartment as a clean start to center her own life. As she unpacks, tears come and go, but she keeps moving forward. She commits to making the place her own.

Nine months later, Sloane has a cat named Ollie and a growing blog. Graham recently invited her to his wedding, apologizing for his role in her history with Ethan. Sloane and Lauren attend the ceremony together. She spots Ethan among the groomsmen, and they share a strained smile. During Emily’s vows, Sloane cries, recognizing she loved Ethan more than he could love her back. She accepts their story is over and looks toward the future.