While doing research on Èze, Owen reacquainted himself with the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche, whom he studied in college. One idea that has stayed with Owen is Nietzsche’s critique of forgiveness, which he felt signaled weakness. Owen wonders if he himself is beyond forgiveness and if making certain choices will allow him to be forgiven.

Owen opens the camera feed on the tablet and sees the aftermath of Nicholas’s shooting. With only a few seconds left on Nicholas’s 20-minute countdown, Owen prepares to call the police to rescue Nicholas and Hannah. He focuses on Hannah’s face and sees that she looks certain. He wishes he could talk to her to seek direction.

Out on the veranda, Quinn tells Hannah that she never planned to have her and Bailey killed. She would only have had them detained to draw Owen out. Given Hannah and Nicholas’s threats, however, Quinn is forced to reconsider her position.

Hannah acknowledges that Quinn isn’t in a place she ever imagined herself to be in life. Owen’s actions threw her life in an unexpected direction, forcing her to involve herself in the family business. However, Hannah also points out that Owen’s actions were provoked and that the trouble only really began when Kate was killed. Quinn insists that Kate’s death was accidental, and Hannah observes that Quinn feels sincere guilt over the outcome.

Hannah suggests that both of them have only one choice in the situation: agree to end the conflict and drop their grudges. Quinn says that while they can do so individually, it may be harder to convince the rest of the family to do the same. Every action taken against the Campano Pointe family has a cost, which makes Hannah realize that suffering is guaranteed no matter which side of the conflict a person is on. Hannah soon realizes that Nicholas has prepared himself to pay that cost for Bailey’s sake. She also realizes that there is a third person involved in Owen and Nicholas’s plan, someone equally determined to protect his own family.

The novel flashes back to a secret meeting between Nicholas and Frank at Nicholas’s lake house in Texas. Nicholas had reached out to Frank to talk, and when Frank arrived, Nicholas brought Owen in to join their meeting. Though Frank was incensed by Owen’s presence, Nicholas signaled that it was related to the favor Frank owed him.

Frank stabilizes the wound on Nicholas’s shoulder, both of them joking about the drama of the gunshot. Nicholas’s phone buzzes to mark that 20 minutes have elapsed, meaning that Owen will soon call the police. Frank warns Nicholas that the Organization will expect Frank to demand some kind of retribution. Nicholas accepts that this is necessary to prevent Teddy and Quinn from seeking retribution themselves, especially against Bailey and Hannah. All he wants is to prevent Bailey and Hannah from experiencing Kate’s fate. He remembers the day she died and how he found her body on the street.

Frank tells Nicholas that it was smart for Hannah to come because, as a witness whom they are obliged to let go, her presence ensures that Teddy and Quinn won’t try to kill Nicholas at once. Frank suggests that Nicholas should self-exile somewhere remote. Nicholas secretly plans to go to Meredith’s family farm in Tuscany, praying that she never told Frank about it. Though Frank makes one last appeal not to trade in his life for Owen’s, Nicholas answers that he is already dead. Nicholas leaves, knowing that he should have done so 43 years earlier.

The novel flashes back to the last conversation between Nicholas and Owen. Nicholas apologized for his grudge against Owen, but Owen dismissed the apology, redirecting the conversation to Hannah. The men acknowledged their shared desire to keep her out of harm’s way. Nicholas stated that he would say goodbye to Hannah once she figured out their plan.

As they leave the party, Hannah confronts Nicholas over Frank’s involvement in their plan. Nicholas admits that he didn’t tell Hannah because this would allow him to see if the plan would look credible to Teddy and Quinn. Nicholas explains that the intricacy of their plan also helps Frank to address his children’s shortcomings while giving Nicholas the leeway to keep his family safe. It is only then that Hannah realizes that Nicholas will bear the cost that Quinn spoke of and that he will have to spend the rest of his life in exile, hiding from Frank’s family.

Nicholas thanks Hannah for coming with him, indicating that it is the only reason he remains alive now. As they drive to Antibes, Nicholas tells Hannah to tell Bailey that he will return to her in some form and that he is going to one of his favorite places in the world. Hannah is crestfallen, knowing that Bailey is expecting Nicholas to stay in her life.

Hannah and Nicholas meet up with a second car that Seth is driving. They switch places with two lookalikes, who will serve as decoys for Frank’s enforcers to follow back to the United States. Meanwhile, Seth will drive the real Nicholas and Hannah to escape, ultimately bringing Nicholas to Tuscany. Before they part ways, Hannah urges Nicholas to forgive himself, reminding him that he was already big enough to forgive Owen. When Nicholas points out that Hannah has yet to forgive Owen for the recent past, Hannah wants to say something about the effort involved in forgiveness. Instead, she assures Nicholas that they will continue to look after Bailey. They part ways, agreeing not to let this moment be their goodbye.

Hannah arrives at a quiet marina. She searches for the boat that has Bailey and Owen on it and feels like she is back home in Sausalito again, five years earlier. She takes in the peace around her and looks for the same boat she learned how to operate in Santa Cruz. Though Hannah knows that this choice of boat was part of a contingency plan that engaged her sailing skills, she also knows that she, Owen, and Bailey no longer have to worry about going on the run.

Hannah steps onto the boat and immediately looks for Bailey. Bailey is asleep in one of the cabins but wakes up upon sensing Hannah’s presence and acknowledges that Hannah is home. Bailey returns to sleep, and Hannah goes to the upper deck. As she watches the water, she senses Owen approaching her. She imagines what life will be like on their new houseboat, traveling to new destinations across Europe and the Mediterranean. Though she knows they have a reason to be happy again, she feels angry and sad about what it took to get them there. She thinks forward even further to returning to California and settling down in the vineyard that Owen will cultivate. She knows that she has the luxury to be mad at him for what he has done and what he failed to do. Instead, she lets it go to experience the moment she has been imagining for years.

Hannah turns to Owen. Owen calls her name.