Back in New York, Jack is relieved to escape the funeral rituals he has always hated. He recalls his mother’s bleak funeral, which had no flowers or mourners. Elizabeth had encouraged him and the girls to return to New York, demonstrating her strength in crisis.

Overwhelmed by paperwork, Jack realizes he needs an assistant. He decides to offer the position to Sally, his former Portland colleague, rationalizing it as purely business despite his past attraction to her. He reminds himself that he has remained faithful throughout his marriage.

Unable to sleep at Sweetwater, Elizabeth goes to the moonlit garden, a place where she once tried to feel her mother’s spirit. Anita joins her and reveals that she has always tended the roses herself after once smelling Elizabeth’s mother’s perfume there, which helped her understand Elizabeth’s childhood pain. Elizabeth expresses frustration that her father never spoke about her mother, leaving her with fading memories. Anita recalls Edward’s worry that Elizabeth would forget how to fly if she did not spread her wings. When Elizabeth asks why Anita and Edward never had children, Anita deflects. Their chance for intimacy has passed. From inside, Elizabeth watches Anita standing alone in the garden, crying.

At the Nashville airport, Elizabeth’s flight to New York is delayed. She recalls the magazine article about Costa Rica her father had marked, remembering his dream of going to an adventure camp there. While waiting in a restaurant, her father’s words about her unhappiness and loveless marriage flood her mind. She realizes she does not want to go to New York and continue trimming her life to fit Jack’s. She buys stationery and writes Jack a letter saying she is not coming to New York but returning to Oregon to find her lost voice.

After a few days at their Oregon beach house, Elizabeth feels rejuvenated. She spends her time walking the beach and sketching, having conquered her old fears of the rickety stairs and tides. She postpones reinstalling the phone and keeps her cell phone off to avoid Jack. While sketching, she feels a veil lift and sees the world’s colors vibrantly again, inspiring a need to paint.

A violent storm forces her inside. When the power goes out, she panics momentarily, recalling that Jack always handled emergencies. She calms herself, builds a fire, and finds candles, feeling triumphant. Wrapped in a sleeping bag, she watches the storm from the porch, determined to conquer her fears.

A car arrives. The visitor is Jack, who has flown from New York after receiving her letter. Elizabeth feels possessive of her new solitude but invites him inside. They are awkward with each other. He changes into a too-small pink robe.

Elizabeth confronts him, asking if he was relieved by her letter. When he deflects, she states they have not been happy in a long time. He insists he loves her, but when she challenges him to give up his New York job and move back home, he refuses. She explains that she feels empty after decades of following his dreams and needs time to find her own. Realizing she is serious, Jack defensively asks if she wants a divorce—a word she had not considered. He brings up their daughters, causing Elizabeth to panic at the full implications. Jack shows her an envelope containing an unsigned lease for a house in East Hampton, meant as a Valentine’s Day surprise. Devastated but resolute, Elizabeth remains silent. Jack says he loves her, his voice breaking. She replies that she loves him too. He asks how that is supposed to help, then walks out and slams the door.

Jack sits in his rental car, questioning why he said the word “divorce.” He admits to himself that Elizabeth was right about their unhappiness and that returning would mean falling into their old half-love rut. He whispers that he loved her, using the past tense to acknowledge the end.

The next day, movers deliver Elizabeth’s furniture, after which she goes to bed and stays there for three days in deep depression. She reflects on the safety of a known relationship and worries about being alone forever. To combat her depression, she writes to Meghann, admitting she is separated and more unhappy than before. Remembering her promise to her dying father, she writes to Anita offering support and suggesting they forge a new relationship. After mailing the letters, Elizabeth realizes she is now one of the “passionless women” from the support group.

Jack avoids being alone by arriving early at the office and spending evenings at a sports bar. One night, drunk, he calls Elizabeth. They have a stilted conversation in which he apologizes for bringing up divorce. When he asks what happens now, she says she needs time alone and they will see where the road takes them. He offers to cover bills, but she declines, saying she can handle it. After hanging up, Jack acknowledges to himself that he is not ready to go back to their old life either.

Elizabeth’s confidence grows. She is now comfortable sleeping alone and even eating in restaurants by herself. While preparing to paint at high tide, she recalls a disastrous Florida Keys boating trip with her father. Meghann arrives unexpectedly with a bottle of tequila. After drinking, Elizabeth confesses her fears and loneliness. Meghann suggests she get her master’s degree in fine arts, a dream she deferred long ago. Elizabeth resists, making excuses about her age and lack of recent experience. Meghann warns Elizabeth about the bleak dating prospects for women their age, then Elizabeth drags her drunk friend down to the beach to see the whales, a new nightly ritual.

In New York, Jack’s show is a ratings hit, and he is a celebrity again. At a production meeting with producer Tom Jinaro and assistant Hans, Jack successfully pitches a substantive story idea over a conventional one. After the meeting, Jack calls Sally in Oregon and officially offers her the assistant position. Warren invites Jack to dinner at Sparks Steak House. At the restaurant, the hostess recognizes and flirts with Jack, boosting his ego. Warren and Jack discuss Jack’s career-ending injury. Jack recalls being addicted to painkillers until Elizabeth forced him into recovery. When Warren remarks how lucky Jack is to have Birdie, Jack admits aloud for the first time aloud that they broke up. Warren is shocked. Jack, unwilling to discuss it further, asks to change the subject.

Elizabeth feels stronger and decides to attend the library auction she helped organize. She calls her co-chair, Allison Birch, who is surprised she is back and assumes Jack left her. Allison’s awkward questions about Elizabeth attending the couples-oriented event alone make Elizabeth hesitant. She prepares meticulously, dressing in a red knit dress with a butterfly necklace and shawl. At the hotel, she feels self-conscious and imagines people whispering about her. Looking into the ballroom, she sees her friends at a table with two empty chairs. She has an epiphany: This social scene was part of Jack’s life, not hers. She does not want to be that woman anymore. She leaves and drives to the Women’s Passion support group meeting instead.

At the meeting, Elizabeth shares the story of her separation. Mina hands her a college catalog she saved after noticing a painting class starting soon. After the meeting, Elizabeth approaches Kim, who is smoking outside and appears to have been crying. Kim brings up the Cannon Beach sand castle competition. Elizabeth internally connects it to marriage’s fragility—beautiful one moment, gone the next.

At home, Elizabeth finds graduate school catalogs from Meghann. Intending to leave a message to avoid a difficult conversation, Elizabeth calls her daughters but is surprised when Stephanie, home sick with the flu, answers. Stephanie informs her that she and Jamie will go skiing with Tim’s parents for spring break, which secretly relieves Elizabeth. She lies about why she is still in Oregon, saying she is trying to rent the house. Stephanie mentions that Jamie is struggling with their grandfather’s death and adds that she tried to get Jamie to see a campus counselor, but Jamie refused. Elizabeth admits she used to love painting, a fact Stephanie never knew. She says she is thinking of taking a painting class. Stephanie asks Elizabeth to have Jack call her about his big interview with Jay Leno, which is news to Elizabeth.

Weeks later, as the Grayland case explodes nationwide, Jack becomes a high-profile spokesperson and is booked for major appearances. In the green room for The Tonight Show, Jack is extremely nervous, with Sally by his side. Show assistant Avery Kormane preps him. On stage, Jay Leno greets him, calming his nerves. Jack is surprised that actress Thea Cartwright has remained on the couch to meet him. Thea openly flirts with him, flustering him. The interview is a success. Afterward, Thea approaches Jack, but Sally interrupts, placing a hand on his arm. Thea leaves, telling Jack she hopes to see him again. The chapter ends with Sally looking up at Jack with evident admiration.