18

Summary

• The storm has ended and only rain remains.
• Maisie and Nell are disappointed as they discuss Sebastian's departure and a fight between him and his brother Duke over a woman named Pallace.
• Information about the fight and the messy situation backstage was relayed by Cat, who came to tell them about costume damage and Pallace's drunken state.
• Maisie and Nell question the narrator about not seeing Duke and suggest he ghosted her.
• The narrator reveals her past relationship with a famous movie star, now deceased, to Maisie and Nell, who express anger toward the star.
• Conversations turn to how the narrator managed to leave the toxic situation, and Nell works out that it was not Sebastian but Ripley who came to help her leave.
• A flashback is presented where Ripley arrives at the cottage to take the narrator to California, detailing his own inconvenience and the narrator's condition.
• The narrator recounts her despair after the events, until Ripley's intervention which was arranged by Duke to get her to California.
• Ripley and the narrator have a discussion about the narrator's future and her adamant feeling of not wanting to be an actress anymore.
• The narrator considers her part in Duke's eventual stardom and reflects on their relationship.
• While staying in Ripley's pool house, the narrator recuperates and prepares for media appearances to promote the film 'Singularity'.
• Ripley expresses his dislike for Duke's manipulative behavior while admitting he might have a part for him in a project.
• After a positive reception to her appearance in the film and on talk shows, the narrator decides to quit acting and return home.
• Ripley drives the narrator to the airport, still trying to convince her to stay in acting, but she leaves convinced that she is done with that life.