Malik relates the aftermath of the theater collapse. A balcony’s columns give way, killing two people and injuring 43 more: “I can see that two columns supporting the balcony gave way, sending several rows—maybe fifteen, twenty seats—to the ground floor. These are the seats that landed on the audience sitting directly below” (196). Malik works to help the injured until one o’clock in the morning. As he sorts through the rubble, he finds some decorative brick that’s lighter than it should be—and the bricks have indentations in their centers, which makes no sense. Samir is there, too, assisting the police. He asks Malik to take Sheela home since Ravi is nowhere to be found.

Back at her house, Sheela offers Malik a drink. Given their last flirtatious encounter, he’s wary but accepts the offer. They talk and drink for a while until Malik suggests that Sheela should relax by taking a bath. He’s about to leave but fears that Sheela might accidentally drown because she’s groggy from too much alcohol. He bolts back upstairs but finds her washing her hair while naked. She asks Malik to help her, and he does so.

They continue to discuss the theater collapse, during which Sheela hotly defends her husband, saying it isn’t his fault: “He’s very good in math and material sciences.