On Mrs. De Witt’s insistence, she, Louisa, and Dean Martin take a trip together to Montauk. They stay in a hotel Mrs. De Witt used to frequent every summer for decades when she was younger. While there, Louisa finally calls and tells her parents the truth about the Gopniks; her parents are loving and supportive and call her “wise” and “brave” and tell her they are proud of her. On their last night there, Mrs. De Witt and Louisa have an extravagant dinner on Mrs. De Witt’s assertion that this will probably be her last time visiting. Mrs. De Witt also tells Louisa she did the right thing by breaking up with Josh, and Louisa realizes that if she had stayed with him, she would have “molded [herself] to fit him” (413).

Weeks pass after Louisa and Mrs. De Witt return from Montauk; Louisa continues caring for Mrs. De Witt and Dean Martin and continues to work at the vintage clothes store. She also attends the library marches every Saturday, though the numbers of marchers have been dwindling, as local residents are losing hope. Louisa comes home one day to find that Mrs. De Witt’s son Frank is visiting.