At work, Whitney reads Xavier’s school progress report, disappointed in his marks. There isn’t much time left to mold him into a child she wants. Later, she pulls into the driveway and cannot bring herself to go inside. She sees Blair and Chloe outside, and she longs for the distraction Blair provides. Chloe goes to play with Xavier while Whitney goes to Blair’s house.

Over wine, Whitney asks about Blair’s mother; Blair says her mother used to be fun, but then things changed. Whitney tells her about the train ticket her own mother kept in her pocket, implying she thought about abandoning Whitney and Whitney’s father. Blair praises Whitney’s mother for staying, but Whitney insists that “the sacrifice of motherhood isn’t for everyone” (193). She describes motherhood as a “voluntary death.” Whitney silently ridicules Blair’s prioritization of Chloe’s happiness, believing it’s reasonable to want more than motherhood.

Aiden apologizes to Blair for being so late, saying he didn’t see her texts, and she thinks of how easy it is for him to lie. She goes downstairs to search his pockets for a bar receipt; there is none. She checks his phone and sees that he has deleted her messages, something he never does.