It Ends with Us Chapter 25: A Turning Point for Lily
Spoiler Notice
Warning: This chapter summary contains major spoilers for It Ends with Us. If you haven’t read the book yet, proceed with caution.
Summary
The chapter begins with Lily waking in Atlas’s apartment to the smell of toast. For a fleeting moment, she imagines Ryle made breakfast, but reality crashes down. She realizes she is there because Ryle physically hurt her. Determined to gather strength, she forces herself to eat.
Atlas, who spent the night in a chair turned toward her bed to watch for signs of concussion, has prepared a gourmet breakfast: crepes with syrup and whipped cream, fresh fruit, and orange juice. As they eat, he shares that he learned to cook as a child because his mother worked nights. He bought a yard-sale cookbook at thirteen and made every recipe. Later, he cooked in the Marines. He confides that Lily is the only person who knows his life before age nineteen. Before leaving for work, he writes down his contact information, home and work addresses, and a note that says, “Just keep swimming.”
Alone, Lily spends hours on the couch wrestling with her emotions. She turns to her journal, addressing Ellen DeGeneres for the first time since she was sixteen. She explains that she cut out the show because it reminded her of Atlas, but now she needs to process her pain. The journal entry becomes a raw exploration of her internal war: she loves Ryle and hates him; she reasons that she should have been more honest, that she can prevent his anger; she feels she has already failed the unborn child she carries. She acknowledges her past judgment of her mother and women who return to abusers, now understanding the power of love, fear, and twisted reasoning. The entry ends with a defiant rejection of the “for better, for worse” marriage vow: “Fuck. That. Shit.”
Key Events
- Lily wakes to the smell of toast and momentarily forgets her reality, then remembers Ryle’s assault.
- Atlas has watched over her during the night and cooks her a beautifully plated breakfast.
- Atlas shares his cooking origins, revealing he was self-taught as a hungry teenager.
- He leaves his contact and address details along with the motivational phrase “Just keep swimming.”
- Alone, Lily writes a lengthy journal entry to Ellen, confessing her internal conflict about staying with Ryle.
- In the journal, she confronts her childhood judgments of her mother and the 85% statistic of women who return.
- She wrestles with her pregnancy and feels she has already failed the baby.
- She ends by cursing the wedding vow “for better, for worse” as a justification for abuse.
Character Development
Lily Bloom
Lily’s internal perspective reaches a crucial reckoning. The journal entry forces her to articulate the competing emotions of love, grief, and hatred. For the first time, she explicitly names the abuse and connects her current paralysis to her mother’s experiences. The act of writing — especially the “naked truth” she demands of herself — helps her see how reasoning and hope can trap someone in a cycle of violence. The final rejection of the marital vow signals a shift from passive reasoning to active defiance, even if only on paper for now.
Atlas Corrigan
Atlas provides a safe haven without asking questions. His actions — watching over Lily through the night, cooking a nurturing breakfast, and writing down every possible contact — demonstrate a protective, respectful care. The “Just keep swimming” note ties directly to their shared history, offering her a lifeline of continuity. His willingness to leave her alone while still ensuring she knows she is not abandoned reflects his understanding of her need for space and agency.