Chapter 7

Naomi, alone in the dusty apartment meant for Jeremy’s late parents, rereads an email from attorney Leonard Hardwick representing Jeremy in the divorce. Shocked by the speed, she concludes Jeremy has planned this for some time. She drafts but does not send a confident reply claiming they will reconcile.

Clinging to the amethyst necklace Jeremy gave her for calm, Naomi saves the draft to laugh about later, though she struggles to believe it. She is on edge about Teddy at school when her phone rings; it is her mother, whose intuition immediately senses trouble.

Naomi tries to minimize the situation, but admits she and Jeremy have split. Her mother, a thrice-divorced skeptic who believes she’s psychic, insists there must be another woman and dismisses Naomi’s denial, arguing Jeremy’s looks and money make infidelity likely.

The call dredges up family history—her mother’s past divorces, Naomi’s absent father, and Jeremy’s old paternity-test request—undermining Naomi’s confidence. Her mother criticizes Naomi for leaving the house and urges her to “get rid of” the supposed other woman if she wants Jeremy back.

Naomi maintains there is no affair and asserts they will reunite for Teddy’s sake, yet the conversation leaves her shaken. She ends the call with lingering uncertainty, questioning whether she would know if there truly were someone else.