Margaret picks Ivan up from the bus station on Friday night, noticing he seems withdrawn. At the cottage he deflects her concern with affectionate compliments, calling her "a sight for sore eyes," and shows sensitivity to her situation by explaining he avoided taking a taxi so a local driver wouldn't see her house. The next day they drive to the coast, and Ivan tells Margaret about his whippet, Alexei, whom his mother is threatening to give away since Ivan can't keep a dog in his rental. He shows her a photo and video of the dog; in the video his late father briefly appears. When Margaret suggests his brother might help with the dog, Ivan gives a curt, reluctant "No," signaling unspoken tension with Peter.

They change into swimsuits on the empty beach and wade into the freezing sea. The swim is painful and exhilarating—they endure the brutal cold together, emerging breathless and flushed. Afterward Ivan tells Margaret she is the most amazing person he has ever met and asks to kiss her. She consents, and they share a tender, salt-flavored kiss. They climb back to the car and stop for dinner at a quiet country hotel in Knocknagarry, where Ivan touches her hand on the white tablecloth in full view of staff and other diners. Margaret feels life has "slipped free of its netting," perceiving a miraculous, impermanent beauty in the moment.

On the drive home, Ivan asks about her marriage. Margaret reveals that her husband Ricky has a severe drinking problem—hospitalizations, chaos, fear—and that she eventually had to leave. She describes how people around her, including her own mother, have been reluctant to take sides, and how Ricky can present himself convincingly as reformed. Ivan responds with straightforward moral clarity, insisting she has nothing to feel guilty for, which Margaret finds dangerously comforting. Their conversation shifts to God: Ivan describes experiencing God through beauty and order, while Margaret connects God more to morality. Ivan confides that being with Margaret gives him a sense of being loved by God.

Margaret then raises her anxiety about their age gap and secrecy, suggesting she may be taking advantage of Ivan. He pushes back firmly, calling the comparison to a "creepy older guy" scenario unfair and asking her not to dress up a possible rejection as concern for his welfare. Emotionally exhausted, Margaret relents, saying she won't stop them from seeing each other. Back at the cottage, they hang up swimsuits, drink tea, and Ivan kisses the back of her neck.

The chapter shifts to Wednesday evening. Ivan is at his friend Colm's flat watching a Champions League match. His friends tease him about having a girlfriend; Ivan plays coy but is secretly pleased. After the match, he plays a rapid chess game against Colm—an International Master who has recently surpassed Ivan in title—and wins elegantly in twenty-three moves, feeling a mental lightness he hasn't experienced in a long time. Colm asks if Ivan will attend a December norm event; Ivan, buoyed by his performance, begins to reconsider attending despite having previously decided against it.

Walking home alone, Ivan reflects on the weekend with Margaret—the swim, the dinner, her disclosure about Ricky, the closeness he felt. He acknowledges he wanted to tell her he loves her but held back, knowing it would complicate things. His thoughts turn to his father: "I love you" were the last words they exchanged. Ivan recognizes that his intense longing to say and hear those words again is connected to unresolved grief—a love with nowhere to go, lodged inside him. He remembers a summer day filming Alexei in the garden, cooking pasta with his father, and aches to return to that house one more time, bright and alive.