Summary

Ariel and Lucy make a pact. Ariel promises to stop cheating and Lucy promises to stop drinking. They move back in together. Their cat dies. Lucy is devastated and briefly convinced their cat was poisoned by Jim.

Lucy still seems drunk from time to time. Ariel goes back and forth between knowing Lucy is not sober and worrying that the reason Lucy seems off sometimes is because she has an undiagnosed medical problem. They fight about Lucy's two personalities. Lucy says she is merely exhausted from work. Ariel accuses Lucy of drinking again only to feel guilty for not being supportive of her sobriety, convincing herself that Lucy has a brain tumor or Lyme disease. Ariel vacillates between fury and guilt.

Analysis

The death of Lucy and Ariel's cat is symbolic of what is broken in their relationship. Like death, the hurt they have...