Back at her family home, Marnie is welcomed by Uncle Martin, Aunt Alda, her mother and a grown grandson, Sparky, in a warm reunion that abruptly cuts to memory. Flashback shows Martin losing his job, Alda's diner failing, debt collectors chasing the family and Martin dying in the escape; their mother later dies of grief. Eleanor's life also unravels—failed exams, a rushed marriage and death at her husband's hands. Determined not to repeat the past, Marnie decides to rewrite her fate: if Wesley refuses to divorce her, she'll use that refusal to force his hand, setting up an imminent confrontation.