Bye, Baby

In shock, Cassie vomits and has the sensation that she is plummeting from a great height. She continues to unsuccessfully call Billie and feels irritated by McKay’s presence. Cassie blames herself for leaving Ella unattended and feels sure that the kidnapping is connected to her involvement in Wade’s death. Just after midnight, she receives a message from Billie saying she is in bed with a migraine.

In Jane’s apartment. Ella continues to sleep while Billie holds her. Billie recalls how Cassie said “Bye, Baby” to her years earlier. She texts Alex to say she has a migraine.

Billie panics when Ella wakes and starts to whimper. Looking for something to use as a disguise, she finds a hat in Jane’s closet. Billie takes the stairwell to the next floor and leaves Ella outside Cassie’s apartment. Keeping her face covered with the hat, she passes the doorman and exits the building.

At Northeastern, Billie’s freshman roommate is Becca, and they soon make friends with Esme. However, most weekends, Billie obeys Cassie's request to visit her at Harvard. They sleep crammed in Cassie’s twin bed.

Cassie likes a group of girls from wealthy families, led by McKay. She spends most weekends on the periphery of their circle at frat parties, obsessing over whether McKay likes her. Cassie is disinterested in even the most handsome boys if they do not come from privileged backgrounds.

Cassie dreams she is nibbling Ella’s foot and then biting it. She wakes up and hears a baby crying, following the sound until she finds Ella outside the door. When Detective Barringer arrives, Grant suggests that the abduction may be related to his wife’s role as an influencer. Cassie admits that 48,000 followers knew about the birthday party but do not know her address. When Barringer suggests that the abduction was likely a “misunderstanding,” Cassie is infuriated, convinced he is not taking the case seriously.

Although relieved by Ella’s return, Cassie remains anxious. She does not bother to change out of her party dress or clean her face of smudged makeup. Her incoming messages and calls go unanswered until she sees Billie’s name appear.

Billie calls Jane in Iceland, revealing how she abducted and returned Ella. Jane is shocked but promises if the police contact her, she will not reveal that Billie was at her apartment. Billie calls Cassie, claiming to have just recovered from her migraine. Cassie explains what happened, claiming that the birthday party was a small, last-minute event arranged by Grant. She begs Billie to come over. Elated to hear Cassie say she needs her, Billie rushes over after briefly messaging Alex.

Billie first meets Remy when he poses for her college life drawing class. Other than Wade, he is the only naked man she has seen, and his graceful body is a complete contrast to her stepfather’s. When she approaches Remy at the end of the class, he reveals he is an artist.

Cassie cannot relax until she knows who took her baby and why. She tells Billie she thinks Ella’s kidnapping is related to Wade’s death. Billie suggests the perpetrator is more likely to be a drunken guest from the party. She brushes off Cassie’s apologies for not inviting her.

Cassie refuses to leave the apartment, and her gaze remains fixed on the baby monitor as Ella sleeps. She agrees when Billie suggests watching one of their favorite movies, You’ve Got Mail. McKay arrives, presenting Cassie with a birthday gift. She is surprised to learn that Ella has been returned, and Cassie did not tell her. McKay tries to coax Cassie outside, suggesting lunch. Cassie finally shouts at McKay that she is not leaving the apartment.

Billie calls Alex, explaining that an unknown person abducted and returned Ella. She claims Cassie is happy with the detective investigating the case, wary of Alex becoming involved. When Grant assures Cassie that Detective Barringer will discover who took their baby, Billie panics and rushes to the bathroom to be sick. When she emerges, McKay stares at her suspiciously. Cassie raises no objections when McKay suggests returning home to her children. However, she begs Billie to stay the night.

Billie falls for Remy despite Cassie’s assertion that she can do better. However, he is slow to initiate a sexual relationship as he senses she is afraid of being touched. Although Billie never tells him about her experience of sexual abuse, he helps her to overcome her residual feelings of shame.

Detective Barringer reveals there are no security recordings of Ella being snatched. However, he has discovered footage of teenage boys on the building’s fire escape an hour before Ella’s disappearance. Cassie dismisses Barringer’s theory that the boys were responsible. She introduces Billie as her “oldest friend” but is shamed into silence when the detective asks if Billie was at the party. Billie saves Cassie from an explanation, saying she couldn’t attend the party as she had a migraine. Cassie realizes Billie must be missing Alex and tells her to invite him over.

Alex arrives at Cassie’s apartment, bringing takeout, and they eat on the couch. Cassie eats very little, keeping the blinds closed and remaining fixated on the baby monitor. She talks disparagingly about Detective Barringer’s theory, leading Alex to offer to look into the investigation. When Alex leaves with Billie, he promises to do whatever he can to find Ella’s kidnapper.

In her senior year, Billie spends Christmas with Cassie’s family, as her mother now lives in Poughkeepsie with Sandra. Billie enjoys herself, but Cassie is irritated by her family, dismissing their gifts as cheap. Grandma Catherine died without leaving Cassie anything other than her college tuition fees. Cassie is convinced her grandmother intended to update the will in her favor.

Cassie is upset that McKay did not include her in the group invited to her family’s villa in St. Barts. Instead, she invites Billie and Remy to celebrate New Year’s at her boyfriend’s family ranch in Aspen. Cassie has been dating Jay, a Harvard economics major, for several months. Billie and Remy cancel their original plans.

On the way to Aspen, Cassie admits she is nervous about meeting Jay’s parents, whom she assumes are wealthy. However, when they reach the ranch, it is a small, one-story building 30 miles from the skiing resorts. Jay explains that his parents have gone to Chicago as there is not enough space for them all to stay there. Cassie’s disappointment is evident.

That night, when they are alone in bed, Remy observes that he and Billie would have cute babies. The comment makes Billie anxious, but she does not respond. A few hours later, they are woken by Cassie, who says they must leave. Crying, Cassie reveals that Jay’s family does not even ski, and she feels that he deliberately deceived her. On the way home, Cassie implies that she envies Billie for her low standards.

Grant arranges a visit to a pediatrician, who confirms that Ella was not harmed by her kidnapper. Afterward, Cassie reacts angrily when an older woman admires Ella and touches her feet.

When they return home, Cassie is shocked to see Lourdes in the kitchen. She reluctantly leaves Ella with Lourdes, telling her to remain in the apartment while she checks her work messages. Feeling overwhelmed, Cassie messages Billie, asking her to contact the managers of her stores and explain that there has been a family emergency. On Instagram, she sees messages from her followers demanding more content. Cassie is suddenly aware that she cannot hear Lourdes. After searching the apartment, she cries hysterically and tells Grant they must call the police. Grant finds Lourdes and Ella on the sunny terrace.

When McKay arrives with lunch uninvited, Cassie is short with her and refuses her suggestion to take it outside. McKay questions why Cassie suddenly wants Billie back in her life and suggests she could be responsible for Ella’s kidnapping. Cassie vehemently defends Billie and is relieved when McKay leaves.

When Grant goes out, Cassie tells Lourdes she no longer needs her for the rest of the week. While she cannot bring herself to fire her housekeeper face-to-face, Cassie intends to do so later by text. Lourdes leaves, upset and confused, and Cassie curls up on the nursery floor next to Ella’s crib.