Lincoln kisses Imogen, who responds instinctively and eagerly. They kiss and he caresses her, guiding her to her first climax. The intensity of the experience causes her to cry, and Lincoln comforts her tenderly, but struggles with feelings of guilt and shame (since he believes he has taken advantage of her). His demeanor turns cold, and he abruptly orders her to go to bed. Confused and hurt, Imogen concludes that he, too, lost control and now regrets it.

Alone in his room, Lincoln is wracked with guilt and self-loathing. He calls himself a monster for losing control with Imogen, acknowledging that their encounter was immoral because she doesn’t know his true identity or their shared history. His thoughts are consumed by her, oscillating between concern for her well-being and graphic sexual fantasies. Overwhelmed by desire, he masturbates while inhaling the scent of her blood and arousal still on his hand. After climaxing, he is left with a deep sense of shame, convinced his lack of control confirms he is irredeemable.

The next morning, Lincoln prepares to leave for another rescue mission. Pierre confronts him, guessing correctly that Lincoln is running away because something happened with Imogen. Lincoln confesses that he touched her, prompting an exasperated Pierre to accuse him of self-sabotage and of denying himself happiness. Lincoln insists the relationship is wrong because he bought her, but Pierre argues that Imogen is a woman who is clearly falling in love with him. Lincoln feels a pang of guilt for burdening Pierre and reflects on the history that has made Pierre into a staunch ally. Pierre, a former surgeon, watched as members of the Brotherhood murdered his wife and child, and then broke his hands (ending his professional career) and blinded him.

Just before departing, Lincoln leaves a gift for Imogen on the garden table.

Imogen awakens feeling physically sore and emotionally desolate, certain that Lincoln left because of her. In the kitchen, Pierre informs her that Lincoln left a gift for her in the garden. She finds a small package wrapped in brown paper and tied with a purple ribbon. Inside are purple suede gardening gloves and a new pair of pruning shears. She is overcome with emotion, realizing that Pierre must have told Lincoln about her love for gardening and her favorite color. The thoughtful, personal nature of the gift confuses her, as it starkly contrasts with the cold and detached way he pushed her away.

Imogen wakes from a vivid, erotic dream about Lincoln, leaving her feeling aroused and restless. She struggles against her lifelong conditioning that self-pleasure is sinful, but the physical longing is too strong to ignore. Recalling both her dream and Lincoln’s touch, she experiments with touching herself and successfully brings herself to an orgasm. Afterward, she feels not shame but a sense of satisfaction and pride in her newfound ability to create her own pleasure.

A week passes; during his mission, Lincoln tracks, tortures, and kills multiple members of the Brotherhood. He recognizes his actions have become sloppy and reckless, fueled by his unresolved guilt regarding Imogen. He alludes to an undisclosed secret that he is keeping from her, concluding that “that I’m twice her age and I bought her at a fucking auction aren’t even the worst of it” (168). He also reveals that Lincoln Knight is not his real name, and that he has assumed the identity for undisclosed reasons.

After receiving a message from Edgar, who has been cleaning up his messes, Lincoln decides his violent rampage is counterproductive. He misses Imogen and resolves to return home. On the drive, he reflects on his past. Edgar was in a relationship with Lincoln’s sister, Olivia, and her death prompted both to turn against the Brotherhood and begin working to dismantle it. Edgar and Lincoln also worked together to fake his death, passing off the body of a low-ranking member of the Brotherhood named Parker as Lincoln since they shared matching tattoos. After faking his death, Lincoln assumed his new identity and his mission of destroying the Brotherhood.

With Lincoln gone for eight days, Imogen is wracked with insecurity, fearing he has found a replacement for her. When he finally returns, he walks past the kitchen without acknowledging her, leaving her devastated. Mustering her courage, she confronts him in the library and angrily asks if he found a replacement. In response, Lincoln unleashes a torrent of explicit detail about how much he desired her after their night together and the immense willpower it took to stay away.

Stunned and aroused, Imogen admits his words make her feel better and asks why he left if he felt that way. He claims it’s wrong to want her, but she insists it doesn’t feel wrong to her. She begs him to touch her again. He gives in and caresses her, bringing her to orgasm multiple times.

Lincoln carries Imogen upstairs and they have sex for the first time. Imogen experiences intense pleasure, and she feels safe and cared for throughout the experience.

After sex, Lincoln feels a deep possessiveness. When she asks if sex will always be so incredible, he promises it will only get better. Their conversation turns to her past, and she reveals that Larissa was the only person who cared for her. Larissa prepared her to expect only pain and cruelty from sex, even arranging for her to watch pornographic videos as part of her education. Lincoln is enraged by the abuse she was conditioned to endure. When he presses her for more details, Imogen becomes defensive and emotionally withdrawn.

Although he can sense that she wants him to spend the night in her bed, Lincoln decides not to. He knows he will end up initiating sex again and fears that “she’ll let [him] climb on top of her because that’s what she’s been conditioned to do” (191). He is resolved to help Imogen break free of the training that has required her to subordinate herself and reclaim her autonomy.

The next morning, Imogen feels abandoned. At a tense breakfast, Lincoln abruptly announces a new rule: She is no longer permitted to wear panties in the house. Confused and angry, she asks why. He explains it is for his unrestricted access, so he can have sex with her at any moment. Imogen is equal parts indignant and aroused. She stands, removes her underwear, and hands them to him. He takes them and leaves without another word.

For four days, Lincoln remains distant, not touching Imogen despite his no-panty rule. Consumed by longing and frustration, she sits in the garden until he joins her. He asks about the book she is reading, Flowers in the Attic, and his light touch on her arm electrifies her. The conversation shifts to her understanding of sex and consent, and she admits she learned the mechanics from watching pornography at Larissa’s direction. Before the topic can be explored further, Pierre interrupts with a message for Lincoln, who kisses Imogen’s forehead and leaves. Imogen decides to rebel: She will defy his order and wear panties. She feels thrilled by her plan for a small act of disobedience.