Chapter 56

Shaken by online harassment and isolation, Natalie abandons appeasement and swallows several expired, unlabeled pills she once received at the Mills estate. As the medication takes effect, she drifts through punitive fantasies about Clementine before Caleb enters and probes her about their lack of intimacy.

The conversation turns cruel. Caleb accuses Natalie of humiliating him with Shannon, and Natalie counters that he has been a lifelong embarrassment. When Natalie mentions Shannon would rather die than be with him, Caleb’s composure crumbles. Natalie escalates by insulting his mother, and Caleb suddenly slaps her, leaving her bleeding and dazed.

Caleb unleashes online misogynist rhetoric, claiming Natalie needs discipline, and admits his father once urged divorce. He then reveals Doug now wants Natalie dead, proposing a staged car crash on the mountain roads. Natalie absorbs the threat, recognizing both the terror and the control it creates—keeping her tethered to the ranch.

Pivoting, Natalie tells Caleb he never wanted public life or New York; he only wanted to be left alone. As Caleb panics, Natalie offers a solution: let her talk to Doug. Convinced Doug wants her “fixed” more than dead, she chooses to negotiate.

An hour later, unsteady but determined, Natalie walks the hallway toward Doug, unsure if she is approaching deliverance or death, refusing to look back as she steels herself for the confrontation.