She's Not Sorry

Meghan runs into an unfamiliar woman in the ICU at the end of her shift one night. She and Meghan watch Caitlin and her family. The woman tells Meghan that she’s Caitlin’s former roommate and friend and that Caitlin hated her parents and wouldn’t have wanted them tending to her. Confused, Meghan wants to ask more questions, but the woman disappears while she’s not looking.

Meghan races outside in search of the woman. She catches up to her and grabs her arm. The woman explains more about her relationship with Caitlin and Caitlin’s fraught dynamic with her family. Shortly after she leaves, Tom catches up to Meghan. He insists on walking with her, asking her question after question. Tom begs Meghan not to dig into their family or Jackson any further, insisting it’s all too hard for Amelia. He then reveals that Caitlin reported Amelia for child abuse years prior and that Amelia got in trouble at the school where she taught for being inappropriate with a student. Ever since, Amelia has been afraid of setting Caitlin off. Amelia calls Tom, interrupting the conversation, and Meghan heads home.

Meghan has a bad night’s sleep. Throughout the day, she texts with Sienna about the concert. Hours later, Meghan realizes that Sienna has abruptly stopped responding. She was supposed to return home after school, where she’d wait with Nat until Meghan got off from work. Meghan races home after her shift, convinced Sienna is in trouble. Meghan finds her unpacking in her room. Sienna insists that she’s fine and tells Meghan that Nat never showed up. Meghan notices that Nat’s bedding is folded on the couch and that her belongings are missing. Meghan fears that Nat has returned to Declan and texts her to see if she’s alright. Nat doesn’t respond.

The next day, Meghan watches Sienna prepare and leave for school. They say goodbye, and Meghan begins her chores and errands for her day off. She’s at the store picking up some things for Sienna when her phone starts ringing. She hears Sienna screaming for her in the background. A man comes on the line and threatens to kill Sienna if Meghan doesn’t wire him $10,000 in the next five minutes. Meghan hangs up and processes the transfer. She then tracks Sienna’s phone, discovering she’s at school. Convinced that Sienna is being held under duress, she calls the school’s office and the police and races over. At the school, the teachers lead Sienna outside; she’s fine. When police hear Meghan’s story, they explain that what happened is called a virtual kidnapping. A scammer targeted Meghan and used a voice disguiser and recorder to manipulate her into paying them. Meghan is thankful Sienna is fine but can’t figure out who would do this to her.

Meghan and Sienna pick up some food on their way home. While Sienna is collecting the order, Meghan notices Milo waiting for her in the shadows on the street. She approaches him, and he explains his story. He insists that he didn’t hurt Caitlin. She worked for him in California and stole from him. Then she broke into his house, downloaded child pornography on his computer, and turned him in to the police. He’s now a registered sex offender, and he lost his wife and child because of the scandal. He came to Chicago to seek revenge because Caitlin ruined his life. He’s terrified he’ll now go to jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Meghan almost calls the police after talking to Milo but decides against it.

Meghan worries about Nat all night. She logs on to Facebook to check Nat’s page, but her profile and photos are gone. The next day, Meghan decides to visit Nat’s Lincoln Park school to check up on her. The office informs Meghan that no one named Nat Cohen works there. Then Meghan goes to Tanner & Levine and asks to see Declan. The woman at the desk informs her that there is no employee named Declan Roche. Meghan notices a pamphlet with Declan’s photo on the cover. She asks the woman about the man in the photo and learns that the image is a stock photo.

Meghan suddenly understands that all of Nat’s Facebook photos were doctored and that she’s been lying the whole time. Meghan can’t understand why Nat would pretend to be married to this man. On her way home, she decides to call Nat’s high school best friend, Emily Miller. She calls Emily, who reveals that Nat and her family died in a car accident 19 years ago. Meghan corroborates Emily’s story online. She realizes that the woman she’s been spending time with is a stranger.

“Christmas comes and goes” (224), and Meghan’s life stays the same. She hasn’t heard from Nat again, and she still struggles to focus at work. One day, she discovers that her wedding and engagement rings are missing from her jewelry box. She guesses Nat stole them when she left. She tries to forget about the situation and focus on the present.

Meghan feels a bit better when she visits her doctor and learns that the lump in her breast isn’t cancerous and that she doesn’t need another mammogram. When she emerges from the office, she sees Nat on the street. She races after her, following her all the way to the Prairie Avenue District and finally to the bridge at Lake Shore Drive. She corners Nat on the bridge, demanding to know who she is and what she wants from her. During the conversation, Meghan realizes that Nat staged the virtual kidnapping because she needed money. Nat won’t tell her anything else. Meghan threatens to call the police and demands that Nat return her rings. Nat starts insulting Meghan, accusing her of ruining her relationships with Ben and Sienna and threatening to tell them the truth about Sienna’s paternity. Furious, Meghan shoves Nat, who falls over the edge of the bridge. Meghan picks up her wedding ring from where Nat dropped it and races away before someone finds her at the scene.