Chapter 16 Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

At around one in the morning, Ula Zero wakes Pepper from a restless sleep. Ula, now dressed in a new all-black outfit, insists that they must retrieve the painting from the postal museum before the men pursuing them find their hideout. Pepper, still reeling from the emotional weight of her situation, feels a deep, sudden longing for her two mothers, Annie and Lydia, and the ordinary comforts of home. She reluctantly agrees to go, hoping to end the ordeal and stop living in fear.

The two take a circuitous, scenic route through the foggy streets of Wrocław, arriving at the museum near three a.m. Ula reveals her intention to steal the painting, arguing that she no longer knows who legally owns it. Pepper is shocked, pointing out that Ula painted it, but Ula explains that she sold it long ago and has lost track of its ownership. She warns that if the Everett Group gets their hands on it, the consequences for Pepper and all the alternate selves would be catastrophic.

Their argument escalates when Pepper asks for a plan, and Ula admits she doesn't have one, blaming Pepper for leading their pursuers to her. The tension is broken when they hear voices approaching. Ula tells Pepper to break in and grab the painting while she distracts the newcomers, then disappears into the mist.

Pepper finds the main doors locked and the windows barred. Desperate and alone, she begins a slow, frantic text conversation with Isaac, her wife. Through a series of messages, she confesses her love, apologizes for her past behavior, and explains the absurd situation: the nine Ulas, the painting, and her current predicament outside a post office in Poland. Isaac, initially skeptical, offers a mix of humor and practical advice, referencing famous heists and suggesting she look for another entrance.

Pepper discovers a rickety wooden side door. Using a metal rib from a broken umbrella she finds on the ground, she attempts to pick the lock, cutting her palm in the process. As she wrenches the door, a siren blares and flashing lights appear. In a final text, Pepper tells Isaac she is about to be arrested, reveals the painting's title—Self-Portrait with Nothing—and identifies herself as the