In the memoir, at the final show of the tour, Benny was visibly upset about his marriage. Luna wanted to move to San Francisco for work, and she wanted Benny to go with her. This meant being away from Joy and giving up the podcast. Sad about leaving, Benny and Joy embraced and touched foreheads. Xander spotted them. He didn’t react in the moment, but months later, Xander moved Joy to a house far away from the city. Joy despised the isolation, but when she began being stalked by someone who posted daily photos of her, she became paranoid and stopped going out. Soon, however, she didn’t want to be around Xander, either.

In the present, Benny is filled with relief to see Sarah and tells her everything he knows so far. It is clear to Sarah that Benny is overwhelmed. She affirms his belief that Joy left a clue for him in the tracks and suggests that the clue may be in the cut sections. Benny figures out that in all three of the most recent podcasts, Joy mentioned the apartment where they used to live. Its address doesn’t work as the password for the locked file, so he and Sarah decide to drive over there and look for Joy.

In the memoir, Joy asked for time apart from the overbearing Xander. Xander reluctantly let her go, but not before reminding her that her medical condition would be considered a “burden” (173) by many. Joy enjoyed an afternoon to herself and felt young and free again, but when the power went out, she found felt terrified and helpless. Joy wished Xander was there. When she tried calling him, but he didn’t answer, she imagined worst case scenarios. When Xander came home, he found her sleeping on the floor with a knife in her hand. He proposed getting a baby monitor, which Joy found insulting and ridiculous. Their argument spiraled and Joy threw herself at Xander in anger. He pinned her down until she fell asleep. She woke up to Xander tending her bruises.

These incidents became a cycle and Joy began wearing long sleeves to cover up the injuries. She felt trapped and unable to do anything for herself anymore.

In the present, Benny and Sarah reach the old apartment and find nothing. They ask if building residents have seen Joy, but nobody knows anything. Benny doubts there even was a clue and blames himself for Joy’s disappearance. When Sarah wonders whether Joy was being abused by Xander, Benny finally understands the reason for Joy’s changed demeanor and attire. He and Sarah head out to join a search party organized by fans of the podcast.

In the memoir, preoccupied with thoughts of her stalker, Joy lacked the mental energy to be supportive when Benny told her about his divorce.

Months later, Joy convinced Benny to move into a house near her, and suggested to Xander that they hire Mallory to break the tension during podcasting. Soon, Apex Plus was interested in a major deal. When an anonymous tip reported that the protein shakes promoted by the podcast were poisonous, Xander and Benny ignored the warning.

One day, Joy suggested seeing Benny’s renovated shed. In Benny’s back yard, Benny was photographed kissing Joy’s forehead as they hugged.

In the present, Benny and Sarah show up to the search party and are put into a group with Quinn and Mallory. While Mallory goes ahead, Quinn hangs back and admits that Mallory is very stressed out. Quinn explains that as a child, Mallory was often ill, and Xander had to take care of her. That dynamic leaked into adulthood; whenever Quinn brings it up, Mallory gets defensive. Benny asks Quinn about the argument he overheard, but Quinn brushes him off. Benny stares at his text messages from Joy again and suddenly he knows the password to the file.

In the memoir, Benny discovered that Joy’s stalker was Ted, a member of the press. It was unclear how Ted always knew Joy’s whereabouts, but Xander was enthusiastic to sue. The following month, when it became public knowledge that the protein powder was making people viciously ill, Xander admitted that he and Benny had been tipped off about it weeks before. Xander was seemingly sabotaging the podcast, but with apologies and damage control, the show survived and thrived.

At the same time, Joy became suspicious of Mallory. After reading Xander’s text messages, Joy discovered that Mallory was hired to spy on Joy, and to keep Xander informed any time she was with Benny. Frustrated, Joy went for a walk in her PJs; when Ted took a photo of her, she screamed at him, which he recorded and posted. Joy stayed quiet after that, afraid of harming the podcast any further.

In the present, Benny gets home and frantically types in the password he’s finally figured out: the topics of the past three podcasts combined. The locked file is a more extensive version of Joy’s memoir. Benny and Sarah immediately read it. In the final line, Joy states that she is afraid.

Benny recalls his last conversation with Joy on the night she disappeared. She clearly had something to tell him but refused to say it aloud. She insisted on a temporary departure from the podcast, at which point Benny admitted he was divorcing Luna because he loved Joy more. Joy didn’t answer, so Benny assumed she didn’t love him back. When he asked if Xander was abusing Joy, she shut down and told him to leave.

Keller calls. The police have found Xander’s dead body.