The Expatriates

Mercy and her mother are living happily together. Mercy is visibly pregnant, and her mother helps to support them with savings she hid from Mercy’s father. Together, they attend a Korean church. Her mother shows her off proudly, and they eat snacks after the service. Mercy is happy to be with her mother and the other Koreans in the community.

The expat community is sparse in the summer as people travel for vacation. Clarke suggests that they go to California and visit family. Margaret doesn’t refuse but privately wonders if she will be able to do it. She thinks about the aftermath of the party and wonders if she is capable of forgiving Mercy. She types a hasty email to her on her phone.

Hilary has been moving forward with the adoption. She meets David for lunch, and he apologizes for blowing up their lives so hastily but admits that they are better off divorced. He also agrees to remain her husband on the adoption paperwork to make the process go smoothly.

Reluctantly, he confesses that he met Mercy (whom Hilary does not know) and got her pregnant. Hilary manages to get over her initial hurt and is indignant when she learns that he has been so absent from Mercy’s life.