In the third episode of "Imperfect Women," Eleanor is shocked when Robert walks into the room. She confronts him about the affair, bringing up the letter. Ellie comes up with her own theories as the spirals, while Robert eventually admits he had a fight with Nancy over her affair.
Nancy admits to the affair when Robert finds the messages to David, and he admits he lost control. He was angry and broke things across the house. He vows he never hurt Nancy, but she never mentioned anything about David. Ellie, however, tells Robert it's not okay for him to lie. Apparently, Nancy went off to visit David and end things with him, and he lied because Robert felt helpless for not going with her that night. Ellie has heard enough and decides to leave, lamenting their sex and admitting she has a work event to attend.
Robert still wants to talk to Ellie through all of this, dropping her a message, but Ellie is busy and ignores him for now. Walking the hallways, Marcus, Mary's son, speaks to Ellie. He's apparently involved in an agreement with her to keep quiet about something that "happened that night." It's all very cryptic, but don't worry, dear readers, we'll have answers later in this episode!
With a journalist from Legacy Magazine running around snapping photos and interviewing Ellie, Jordan shows up all whiny, asking for clarity on his lusty affair with Ellie. She decides they should stop seeing each other and tells him to back off. However, Mary is convinced they need to go to the police with the journal, pointing out that one of the pictures here looks like a self-portrait of the man who was at the funeral last episode. Ellie is not so sure though.
Ellie is consumed by guilt through all of this and eventually heads over to see Robert. We get another unnecessarily long sex scene between them. As they hang out at the pool, things take a turn for the worst when Cora returns with her friend.
Cora knows instantly what's happening with this affair and is shocked over Ellie's actions. They make up a lame excuse about how they were "helping move Nancy's things," but it's not very convincing. The tension in the air is palpable as Ellie tries to navigate her way through this complex web of lies and deceit.
As Cora departs, the lovers continue their passionate embrace, deciding to carry on their clandestine affair, a revelation that brings a genuine sense of contentment to Ellie. The following morning, however, brings a complication at work. Jordan's unexpected absence, attributed to illness, seems like a blessing in disguise as a video surfaces online, exposing Ellie and Robert's affair. The clip swiftly gains traction across the internet, causing concern among some of their work colleagues.
Ellie rushes home, disregarding calls from Detective Ganz, while Donovan seethes over the potential fallout, realizing the viral video could spell trouble for Robert's family, who are determined to clean up their family's mess. Ellie confides in Mary, revealing the truth about her affair and mentioning the apology letter that connects her to Robert. Mary's attention is immediately drawn to Robert, and she suggests taking the letter to the police as evidence.
As Mary and Ellie debate their course of action, their conversation escalates in intensity. It's also revealed that Mary's own relationship began with an affair, and she mentions that she's moving, just as Nancy was planning to do but kept it a secret from Ellie. Eventually, the two part ways as Mary forcefully ejects Ellie from her presence. Unsurprisingly, the press descends upon Ellie's residence, with Ganz already present, waiting for her. He's been informed by Jordan about their affair and Ellie's uninvited midnight visit to his place.
Robert is now more in the line of fire than anyone else here. When Ellie arrives at his doorstep, the police are already swarming the area, searching for evidence. The tension mounts as Ellie confronts Robert amidst the chaos, each step taken feeling like a step closer to unraveling the truth behind their entangled lives.
Ellie believes that a joint statement issued by both parties and a press alert would be beneficial. However, Robert disagrees, opting for a separation and adhering to the legal advice that he must maintain a distance. Left alone, Ellie turns to her brother Donovan for assistance. She laments her unrequited love for Robert, which began when she was 18, and now believes that he might have hurt Nancy. Determined to uncover the truth, Donovan encourages Ellie to confess what happened that night with Nancy. As Donovan acts as her lawyer, Ellie retraces her steps from that fateful night.
En route to Jordan's house, she receives a text from Marcus Simpson, Mary's son, who is in trouble owing a substantial amount of money to bookies. Ellie picks him up and then drives to Jordan's at 1am. Several hours later, Robert calls about Nancy. Ellie decides to keep Marcus's details hidden for Mary's sake, and the detectives agree. Nevertheless, Ellie is not yet out of the woods.
Interestingly, what she chooses to omit is just as significant as what she reveals. A flashback shows that three hours prior to Nancy's disappearance, Ellie went to meet her. Nancy wanted Ellie to join her in turning down David. Apparently, it's much worse than Ellie thought. Tired of listening to Nancy's troubles, Ellie confronts her about her cheating, calls her pathetic and a coward, and then forces her out of the car before driving away.
In the present, Mary visits Ellie and confesses that she knows who David is.
