Only the Beautiful

Rosie continues to progress with her pregnancy, but her therapy sessions shift from simple questioning and observation to outright experimentation as Dr. Townsend actively attempts to remove her ability to see colors in her mind. As Rosie states, “During my sessions, when the doctor produces sounds and I describe the colors I see, […] he gives me a tiny electrical shock—enough to startle me, enough to hurt” (92). Meanwhile, she and Belle explore different possibilities for their escape plan. They eventually abandon the hope of escaping via the kitchens. Instead, Belle plans to manipulate one of the custodians into falling in love with her so that he will give her the keys and allow her to escape. When the doctor notices Rosie befriending Belle, he warns her that Belle is a pathological liar. This causes Rosie to have small doubts about Belle’s intentions.

Eventually, Rosie is less than two months away from her expected delivery date, and she begins to worry they won’t escape in time; she knows that the institution plans to take her child away from her. In the meantime, more women are taken away for the salpingectomy procedure, and Belle discovers that this procedure involves sterilizing the women so that they can no longer conceive children.