Sloane and Lucian go to her hotel room and engage in a combination of verbal sparring and sex.

The narrative shifts to 22 years in the past. Because a young Lucian is confined behind bars for six days, he misses his 18th birthday and his high school graduation. Chief Ogden unjustly tries to charge Lucian as an adult, and a district attorney suggests a plea deal for eight years in prison. Meanwhile, Sloane plans to record Ansel’s next incident of domestic abuse in order to gain irrefutable proof to put him behind bars. When the time finally comes, she calls the police, but before they can get there, Sloane sees Ansel place a knife to his wife’s throat, so she breaks into the house to defend her. Ansel breaks Sloane’s wrist.

The novel returns to the present moment. Sloane sneaks out the next morning, but Lucian comes to her home later, and they have sex once again, promising each other that it will be the last time.