Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of pregnancy loss, suicidal ideation, sexual content, illness, cursing, violence, and death.

The narrative point of view shifts to Rosalie. Rosalie tells the reader that she is not dead. She is “very much alive,” but is also “afraid that [her] husband is a murderer” (183). The narrative then flashes back to 12 years earlier.

Rosalie rides, blindfolded, in the car with Nick. He is adamant that he has a surprise for her. She thinks of how she has been in love with Nick since they were 16. When she decided she wanted to be a chef instead of a teacher, Nick supported her, even while her parents essentially disowned her.

When Nick stops, he lets her take off her blindfold to reveal a broken-down, one-story building. He tells her that it is her new restaurant. She is skeptical, as it looks like the building should be condemned, but he is adamant that it is a good location and that he will fix it up for her.

The timeline then shifts to nine years earlier. Rosalie and Nick are at the carnival. Rosalie thinks about the last three years, during which they fixed up the restaurant and then opened.