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Stephen starts the process of self-publishing his book. His friend Geoff helps him purchase a laptop. Online, Stephen looks up Catherine and her family to fill in details about the “rich life” (60) she has been leading. He finds her home address and hand-delivers the book in the middle of the night. Stephen revels in the thought of Catherine’s surprise when the story forces her to confront her deceptions. Stephen celebrates his actions by opening a jar of homemade preserves. He finds a strand of Nancy’s hair in the jam and takes it as a sign that she approves of his actions.

Stephen goes to Nicholas’s work under the guise of purchasing a vacuum and comes away thinking the boy is a failure. He leaves a copy of the book for Nicholas anonymously. Stephen craves a reaction from Catherine, so he stakes out her house. He finds out, however, that Catherine has moved. Pretending to be Catherine’s godfather, Stephen asks the new owner about his “gift,” which she sent on to Catherine. She refuses to give out Catherine’s new address and slams the door on Stephen. Stephen becomes obsessed with checking his online site for a review from Catherine. He finds a video of her film award acceptance speech, and he is angered by her façade of care.

Catherine takes the subway to work, but she is paranoid that someone will push her onto the track. She successfully makes it to her office and feels relief in the normality of her interactions. She talks with her assistant, Kim, and a rival filmmaker, Simon. Catherine compiles a list of who the author could be. She recalls meeting Nancy Brigstocke five years after the vacation. The woman claimed her husband was dead and she was dying of cancer. She’d sought Catherine out for answers, but Catherine wasn’t strong enough to be forthcoming. Catherine wonders if Nancy is alive and seeking revenge.

Catherine leaves work early to search for a note from Nancy that included her address. Catherine visits the address, which turns out to be Jonathan’s apartment, but no one answers the door. She writes a note and drops it through the letter box. Catherine pretends to be a family friend and asks a neighbor about Nancy. The neighbor reveals that Nancy died several years prior, after living alone in the apartment, and that Stephen—who is alive, contrary to what Nancy said—occasionally visits the apartment. With this new information, Catherine figures out that Stephen wrote the book using details from photos Jonathan took of her.

Stephen returns Nancy’s manuscript to Jonathan’s apartment and finds Catherine’s note. He discovers that Nancy secretly met Catherine and told her he was dead. Stephen takes Nancy’s notebooks home and reads her description of the meeting, feeling closer to his wife through her words. The next day, Geoff surprises Stephen at his house. Stephen is embarrassed by his living conditions; he hasn’t tidied since he ransacked his house looking for hidden items. His toenails are so long they click against the floor, making him self-conscious.

Stephen invites Geoff in for tea and nervously asks his opinion of the book. Geoff liked the book and thinks Stephen should promote it. He took the initiative to place copies in a local bookshop. Stephen imagines Catherine stumbling upon the book in public. Stephen wants to tell Geoff that the story is true, but he holds back. Geoff agrees with Stephen that the main character deserved her fate. Stephen thanks Geoff for his help, and the two plan to put the book in more stores.

At work, Catherine researches the Brigstockes. She confirms that Nancy died of cancer and that Stephen is alive and retired. Catherine received a phone call from the new owners of her old house about Stephen’s visit; she fears Stephen wants to spread her secret, but she doesn’t believe he would harm her. Catherine asks Kim to research Stephen under the pretext of a new project, and Kim uncovers Stephen’s teaching history.

Catherine has difficulty finding people who will talk about Stephen; however, one former student’s mother willingly discusses him. The woman describes Stephen as an uncaring teacher who hated children, and she shares a rumor that Stephen had a strange attachment to one of his students who took a restraining order out against him. After this conversation, Catherine feels calmer knowing more about her “enemy.”

Stephen, wearing Nancy’s cardigan, follows Catherine to work and stands behind her at the subway station. He observes Catherine’s clean hair and manicured nails, and he feels angry that she appears to be living normally. When Catherine steps on the train, Stephen stays behind. Using an extended fishing metaphor, Stephen contemplates his plan for Catherine. He has set his bait for her, and he will patiently wait for her to get caught. Then he will decide if exposing her is enough, or if he will kill her.

Catherine speaks to the mother of Jamie, the student with whom Stephen was obsessed. Stephen helped Jamie get through his GCSEs (high school finishing exams) and into university. At university, Jamie started seeing Stephen, who followed him around, even to his dorm. One night, Stephen showed up banging on Jamie’s door and sobbing. Jamie’s friend beat Stephen up and made him leave. Catherine worries that Stephen is unstable but feels better knowing what she is up against. Kim finds Stephen’s phone number and address.

Catherine takes the long way home and almost stops in a bookshop, but has a spontaneous drink with a friend instead. After the drink, Catherine goes home and contemplates calling Stephen. Catherine decides to leave a vague but sympathetic review on The Perfect Stranger’s website to let Stephen know she read the book. She signs her name as Charlotte, the book’s main character.

Stephen describes changes in his life. He has become nocturnal and orders all his groceries online. Stephen reads Catherine’s review over and over, infuriated by its ambiguity. He wants Catherine to accept responsibility and express her guilt. He decides that he wants Catherine to suffer.

Robert leaves for work early. Catherine decides to work from home. They first met when Robert was a lawyer and she was a journalist. They were both ambitious, with Robert hoping to one day be a politician. The couple talked about this aspiration again the night before, and Catherine was pleased to think of someone other than herself. She checks The Perfect Stranger’s website again. She feels relieved after writing the review and hopes it brings closure to Stephen. She closes the website for good.