In 2003, Ellie is having dinner with her lover, John. Things are going well, and he talks about his recent trip to Dublin. However, he also reveals that he is going away on holiday soon for a couple of weeks with his wife and children. Ellie is upset and jealous, but she nonetheless decides to have sex with him later that evening.

The next day Ellie meets a young librarian named Rory while asking for more newspapers and letters from 1960. After she has finished working in the library for a few hours, they discuss what they thought happened to the “star-crossed lovers” from the letter she originally found, the one from Anthony to Jennifer just before the crash asking her to meet him at the station. Rory infers that the two were having an affair and that Jennifer rebuffed him. When Ellie asks him if he can tell this from experience, he retorts by saying, “I like my life simple” (314).

It is Ellie’s 32nd birthday. She reflects on her life and has coffee with friends, Corrinne and Nicky. When she gets a message from John, that says, “Happy Birthday gorgeous. Present to come later. X” (320) Nicky questions how serious John is about Ellie.