Content Warning: This section contains descriptions of violence against women, rape, and abortion.

Kate receives a text from Simon. Apparently, he did see her email with her contact information and is now threatening to arrive soon. She is terrified. Her car is stuck in a ditch, so she can’t drive away. Emily and the police are some distance from the cottage and may not arrive in time. Kate starts looking for a place to hide. The attic seems like the best option, so she struggles to move a ladder below the trap door. Shortly after getting inside the attic and pulling the ladder up, she hears Simon crashing through the back door.

Because of blood loss, Violet drifts in and out of consciousness. When she finally awakens, she realizes that her abortion was successful: “She lifted the candle and pushed back the covers. It had worked. There was nothing of Frederick inside her anymore. She was free” (272). Her next task is to get rid of the residue, but she is too weak to stand.

As Simon prowls the downstairs rooms looking for her, Kate texts Emily and asks her to call the police. In the attic, she notices the bureau drawers are etched with the same “W” as her locket.