To Paradise

Content Warning: This section discusses sexual assault.

The narrative shifts to the correspondence between C and Peter. It is now 2064. Aubrey died and left the house to Nathaniel. Aubrey also passed a ring down to C. Aubrey’s final illness helped restore some relationship between C and David; C doesn’t talk with David about his involvement in The Light, and David doesn’t talk about C’s work. Shortly after Aubrey’s death, David introduces C to Eden, the woman he is dating. Eden is also involved with The Light and is pregnant. C is concerned because he doesn’t think David is mature enough for this responsibility, and it becomes clear that David and Eden haven’t thought much about their future together. C suspects that Nathaniel will end up caring for the child. Nonetheless, C feels a lot of love for his granddaughter, Charlie Bingham-Griffith.

A few months later, Nathaniel is indeed Charlie’s primary caregiver; David is well-intentioned but inconsistent, and Eden is already largely absent from her daughter’s life. C is also heavily involved with caring for his granddaughter, and this brings him and Nathaniel closer. C describes how “around her, we’re all softer, kinder, as if we’ve mutually agreed to hide from her the truth of who we are” (569).