It Ends with Us, #2
It Starts with Us
by Colleen Hoover
Contents
Chapter Nine: Atlas
Overview
Bib’s is vandalized for a third time, forcing Atlas to confront the growing practical problem at his restaurant while Brad and Theo help clean up. During a FaceTime call, Atlas and Lily deepen their renewed intimacy when Atlas reveals that he lied as a teenager about having an uncle in Boston and was actually alone, relying on shelters and resources.
The chapter strengthens Atlas and Lily’s emotional connection while showing Atlas’s protectiveness of Lily’s private history. It also keeps the vandalism thread active, with Theo’s suggestion of private security hinting that Atlas may need to respond more seriously.
Summary
On a Sunday when Bib’s is closed, Atlas cleans up after a third vandalism incident. Brad and Theo have come to help despite Atlas not wanting employees to spend their day off at work. While Theo teases Atlas about Lily and asks to see a picture of her, Atlas explains that he does not follow Lily on social media because Ryle might see it and cause problems for Lily.
The conversation turns to the fight Atlas once had with Ryle at the restaurant. Brad realizes for the first time that the man Atlas fought was Lily’s husband. Theo asks what the fight was about, but Atlas chooses not to reveal Lily’s history of abuse, recognizing that it is not his story to share even though Atlas still feels deep anger about how Ryle treated her.
Lily returns Atlas’s FaceTime call, and Theo tries to sneak a look at her before Atlas shuts him out and retreats to his office. Lily tells Atlas about lunch with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, Rob. When Lily asks about the uncle Atlas once said he moved in with at eighteen, Atlas admits that he lied: his uncle died when Atlas was nine, and Atlas actually moved to Boston alone because he needed shelters and resources and wanted Lily not to worry about him.
Lily is upset by the revelation, not because Atlas lied maliciously, but because she realizes how alone and vulnerable Atlas was. Atlas reassures Lily that things worked out and says he is happy with his life, his friends, and his career. Lily asks who his people are now, and Atlas explains that although he has no family, he does not feel empty because of it.
The call grows lighter as they discuss social media, TikTok, and their upcoming date. Lily accidentally angles the phone toward herself while breastfeeding Emerson, then apologizes in embarrassment, but Atlas gently reassures her. Before the call ends, Atlas takes a screenshot of Lily so he can show Theo, though Lily hears the sound and catches him.
Afterward, Atlas finds Brad pretending to sweep so Theo will do most of the outside cleanup as a parenting lesson. Theo complains that the vandalism is out of hand and suggests hiring private security, which Atlas thinks may be a good idea. Atlas shows Theo the screenshot of Lily, and Theo understands why Atlas gets tongue-tied around her.
Who Appears
- Atlas CorriganCleans up vandalism, protects Lily’s privacy, and reveals his teenage homelessness in Boston.
- Lily BloomFaceTimes Atlas, learns the truth about his past, and shares a tender domestic moment.
- TheoBrad’s son; teases Atlas about Lily and suggests hiring private security.
- BradAtlas’s employee and Theo’s father; helps clean and quietly supports Atlas’s discretion.
- EmersonLily’s baby daughter; present during Lily’s call while being breastfed.