Avery leaves Hawthorne House despite Oren’s objections. To protect Avery and Eve from the paparazzi, Oren sends three identical SUVs through the gates so no one can tell which vehicle carries them.

Xander is the only Hawthorne brother who accompanies Avery and Eve. Xander comes because Rebecca matters to him, and Eve allows him to join; Grayson and Jameson remain behind at the house.

On the drive, Eve asks Xander what Mallory Laughlin, Eve’s grandmother, is like. Xander explains that Mallory was once a surgeon but gave up her career after Emily was born with a heart condition, then began drinking after Emily died while Rebecca’s father retreated into long business trips. Eve quietly recognizes that her arrival is likely to make an already painful family situation worse.

Avery texts Thea to warn Thea about the visit but receives no response. Avery checks Thea’s social media and finds a series of dramatic posts: three black-and-white self-portraits and one color photo of Thea laughing with Emily Laughlin. The caption insists that Emily was Thea’s best friend and that outsiders do not know the truth.

Xander shows Avery a video Thea has posted. In it, Thea addresses the rumors about Emily, the Hawthorne brothers, and Eve, calls the situation a mess, then publicly denies the rumors about Grayson, Jameson, and Emily by claiming Thea herself started them. Avery realizes Thea is doing damage control that Avery cannot manage directly.

After watching, Xander jokes that Thea is the most magnificent and terrifying person Xander has ever fake dated. Eve reacts casually and normally, which unsettles Avery because Avery found nothing suspicious on Eve’s phone but still feels she must stay guarded.