Helena arrives at Lila’s cottage and is pulled into an emotional reunion, but the joy is immediately strained when Lila sees Kaine. Lila tries to attack him, and Helena intervenes, explaining that Kaine is no longer Undying and that Helena brought him there. Helena warns Lila not to harm him, making clear that Kaine is part of her escape and her future.

Inside, Helena sees that Lila still wears resonance-dampening manacles and learns that Lila has spent years in hiding with her son, Apollo, called Pol. Lila explains that pregnancy, disability, lack of refuge, fear for Pol’s status, and hope that Helena might come kept her from running. Helena tells Lila they will leave by ship, then lies about Lucien’s final moments, saying Luc asked Helena to care for Lila and Pol before he died. Kaine later gives Lila the key to her manacles and reveals that he preserved her prosthetic, which Helena refits.

The group prepares to depart during the Abeyance. Helena meets shy little Pol, whose resemblance to Lucien overwhelms her. Kaine, disguised with darkened hair, keeps mostly to the stable with Amaris, struggling over whether to kill the transformed animal rather than abandon her. Helena persuades him to spare Amaris, and they leave without her. At the crowded port, false papers get them aboard a ship, where they learn from a bulletin that the world believes the High Reeve is dead and that allied countries are preparing to move against Paladia. Lila is shaken by how much has happened without her knowledge.

After a seasick journey, the group reaches Kaine’s prepared island refuge near Etras. The house is large, furnished, and filled with books, supplies, and writing materials meant for Helena, but safety feels unreal to her after years of fear. Kaine comes when Helena summons him through her ring, and they admit that an ordinary life may never feel natural. Helena insists that Kaine must rest too, disarms him of hidden weapons, and stays beside him as he sleeps for days while his soul begins to integrate. Lila later tells Helena that she still hates Kaine but does not want Helena trapped by old promises, and Helena tells Kaine that she chooses him daily.

Newspapers confirm that Spirefell burned, that Kaine, Aurelia, and Atreus are listed as dead, and that Ivy Purnell has been blamed for the High Reeve’s death and other assassinations. Island life slows: Helena makes medicines for the village, Lila helps maintain social ties, and Kaine remains watchful. Amaris unexpectedly finds them, giving Kaine an attachment and purpose beyond vigilance. As Helena’s pregnancy advances, she notices Kaine’s devotion remains focused on her rather than their unborn daughter, so Helena forces him to promise that if Helena is not there, he will choose to love their child.

In the final month, Helena’s weakened heart forces her onto bedrest, and Kaine obsessively studies pregnancy texts while Lila and village women help manage the household. Helena writes down her account of events for her child. After a long, painful labour, Lila helps deliver the baby while Kaine steadies Helena’s heart. Helena holds her newborn daughter, sees dark curls and brilliant silver eyes like Kaine’s, and tearfully tells Kaine that the baby has his eyes.