The Names

During his final year at university, Bear goes home to visit Cora. Gordon has been released from prison and is living with his parents. Cora tells Bear that Gordon intended to follow in the footsteps of his father, a renowned brain surgeon, but a hand tremor prevented him from doing so. Gordon’s father belittled his son’s role as a family practitioner and made fun of his tremor. While Gordon claimed his tremor had a neurological cause, Cora suspected it was psychological.

Cora and her children commemorate the anniversary of Vihaan’s death each year. Bear notices that the date on his birth certificate corresponds with the day Vihaan died. He asks Cora what triggered his father to kill Vihaan, and she claims that she cannot remember.

After graduating, Bear travels to Jordan to work on an archeological excavation. His girlfriend, Lily, secretly wishes Bear would settle down with her in England, but she accepts his wanderlust as an integral part of his character. She takes a job as an English professor’s assistant in Rome, eager to prove to Bear that she is an independent woman.

Stuck in a traffic jam with her girlfriend, Charlotte, Maia sees her father in the car beside them. As Gordon stares back at her, Maia is terrified.