Part 2, Chapters 18-22 Summary

Tereza keeps in contact with her mother. Her mother blames her for all of the bad things in her life, but also claims that Tereza is the only person left to care for her. She eventually tells Tereza that she has cancer. Tereza is overcome with anger toward Tomas's infidelities, as she feels she has forsaken her mother for this philandering man. Tomas has his hospital find out that Tereza's mother does not have cancer, so Tereza does not go to visit her. Tereza is emotionally exhausted and falls in the street, hurting her ankle, so that physically, she is in a constant state of vertigo.

Tereza recalls the letter Sabina wrote to Tomas, asking him to come to her studio and make love. It begins to excite her, and she begins to think that maybe she can share...