In the present, Benny goes with Mallory and Quinn to Joy’s house, where a crowd has formed. Joy’s neighbors Emil and Carlotta approach. Benny is suspicious that Carlotta doesn’t think that Joy’s disappearance is a big deal. Benny and Luna meet up with Keller. As far as Luna knows, Xander was unaware of the pending divorce. When Keller pulls out Joy’s phone, Benny is shocked since Joy would never leave home without it. Nobody can unlock it, however. Benny tells no one that he has Joy’s computer.

In the memoir, after a honeymoon period, Joy and Xander settled into regular life. Xander pursued a career in film unsuccessfully; his most recent screenplay sounded to Joy like another failure. He, however, was excited enough to suggest having a baby. Joy believed neither their relationship nor their finances were ready, and she worried about being a mother with narcolepsy. Xander pressured her for months until Joy relented.

In the present, Benny’s neighbor Ted announces that he told the police he knows nothing about the disappearance because he was out of town. Benny and Ted were involved in a lawsuit, so Benny ignores him.

Inside, Benny admits to Luna that the last night he saw Joy, she asked about his divorce from Luna, and Benny said something he shouldn’t have. Luna leaves in anger and tells Benny to call when he has more information.

Benny takes a nap and wakes up to a flood of messages, including from Joy’s parents, who are stuck on a cruise ship. He calls Sarah and asks for her advice; she reminds him to take care of himself first. Benny looks at the last few messages he exchanged with Joy, who texted him about gathering tracks for “XYZ.” Benny recalls seeing a folder on Joy’s computer with the same title. In it, he finds their three most recent podcasts and a locked PDF that he is sure he was meant to find.

In her memoir, Joy has medical tests to explore being pregnant with her condition. When she became pregnant, she wasn’t sure how to feel at first, but Xander was thrilled. However, after Joy gradually started wanting the child, she had a miscarriage. Her world fell apart. She spent months in bed, exhausted by grief. She and Benny grew apart; when he finally showed up, Xander refused to let him see her. Benny accused Xander of forcing Joy into a pregnancy she didn’t want. Benny and Joy didn’t speak again for three years.

In the present, Benny listens to the podcasts in the folder, trying to figure out the password for the locked file. He eventually comes across the first 26 pages of Joy’s memoir. He finds it strange to look back at Joy meeting Xander. Benny regrets not pursuing Joy romantically when he had the chance. Just then, Keller and her partner, Price, knock on the door.

In her memoir, Joy was buying art supplies and ran into Benny by chance. He was surprised but happy to see her, and they reconnected after a moment of unfamiliar awkwardness. Benny had called dozens of times, but Xander said Joy had blocked him. Joy clarified she never had, which meant Xander must have done it in secret. Joy and Benny went for drinks and caught up. It was clear they still cared deeply for one another. Xander wanted to try for another child, but Joy would only consider surrogacy. Benny could sense that she was being pressured. To make Joy happy, Benny suggested making a podcast. Joy felt grateful for her second chance at being Benny’s friend.

In the present, Keller questions Benny about his conflict with Xander. Benny begrudgingly admits that he was upset with Xander for recommending the poisonous protein shake company advertising partner, but Keller is more concerned about a suspicious transaction from the podcast bank account the night Joy disappeared: Someone attempted to transfer a million dollars into Benny’s personal account. Benny denies any involvement and assumes Xander is responsible. Benny calls his financial advisor, wondering if Xander is responsible for Joy’s disappearance. Benny then gets a call from Luna, who sees people inside Joy’s house.

In the memoir, Benny explained his idea for a podcast titled “This Story Might Save Your Life” (129). He thought that their witty dynamic could make survival stories and strategies humorous and entertaining. This turned out to be true; when a celebrity shared the podcast, it exploded in popularity. Xander was hired as the producer, despite Benny’s visible discomfort. When Xander suggested a live tour, Joy was worried about her narcolepsy and stage fright, but Benny was interested, so Joy agreed.

In the present, Benny pulls up to Joy’s house. He is exhausted; two days have gone by since her disappearance. Inside the house are Mallory and Quinn, who are vague about why they are there. The house is covered in police fingerprint dust. As he and Luna clean up, Benny overhears Quinn and Mallory arguing about something related to the podcast. He asks Luna about it, but Luna feels there’s no reason to suspect Mallory of anything.

In the memoir, Joy was nervous on stage at first, but as usual, Benny helped put her at ease with his sweet gaze and clever humor. Joy and Benny joked and told stories together in their usual back-and-forth and the first few shows were a success. Joy and Benny wanted to spend some time together after so many years apart, and Xander eventually gave them “permission” to do so. Joy later returned to find him gone. She went to Benny’s hotel suite to hang out, which is when Benny revealed that Luna was considering divorce. Later, Xander found Joy asleep on Benny’s bed. Instead of realizing that this was a narcolepsy episode, he exploded and violently yanked Joy back to their suite. Joy could tell that the conflict was starting to affect Benny.