Harlan Coben’s Run Away Recap: Episode by Episode Guide and Ending Explained

Harlan Coben’s Run Away premiered on January 1 and is now streaming on Netflix. The eight-episode thriller follows Simon Greene as he searches for his missing daughter, Paige, and is drawn into a web of family secrets, cult influence, and long-buried truths that refuse to stay hidden.

This Harlan Coben’s Run Away recap covers all eight episodes in full, tracking the story from Paige’s disappearance through its final revelations. Below is a detailed episode-by-episode guide, followed by a clear explanation of the ending and how the series resolves its central mysteries.

Spoiler warning: this recap contains full plot details for all episodes of Run Away.

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Episode 1: “Seeing Is Believing”

The series opens with a moment of unease. A young woman hurries across a university campus and enters her dorm room, only to find a masked figure waiting inside. Before the threat can fully register, the scene fractures into violent images of the same man attacking someone else, then cuts away.

One year later, the story settles into the everyday routine of Simon Greene and his family. Simon and his wife, Ingrid, are raising their youngest daughter, Anya, while their son, Sam, is away at university. The absence that still defines the household is Paige, their eldest daughter, who disappeared months earlier. During a hurried morning, Simon receives a message from a contact he does not fully trust. The sender claims to know where Paige is and demands money in return.

Simon follows the lead to a public park. While sitting alone, watching old videos of Paige on his phone, he hears a familiar voice nearby. Paige is there, playing music for spare change. She looks injured and exhausted. When Simon approaches, she panics and runs. He chases her, pleading with her to come home, but the encounter escalates quickly. A man intervenes, Simon lashes out, and bystanders begin filming as the situation spirals. Paige disappears into the crowd, while Simon is restrained and taken into custody.

At the police station, Simon meets his lawyer, Jessica Kinberg. Footage of the altercation has already spread online, reshaping the situation before Simon can explain himself. He tells Jessica that Paige briefly returned home six months earlier but was unstable and ultimately left again. Since then, he has been quietly searching for her on his own.

The fallout reaches the rest of the family fast. Ingrid learns about the incident at work, and Anya sees the footage circulating among her classmates. That evening, the family confronts Simon, forced to reckon with how public his private desperation has become.

Elsewhere, private investigator Elena Ravenscroft is introduced mid-job, orchestrating the theft and return of a dog to expose something off about its owner. Her instincts remain unsettled even after the case appears resolved. Soon after, she is contacted by Sebastian Thorpe, a wealthy man whose adult son, Henry, has vanished. Henry has a history of minor trouble and strained relations with his father, but his final message, claiming he was leaving with friends for weeks, does not sit right. Elena agrees to take the case.

As she begins digging, Elena notices an unusual comment on Henry’s last social media post from a private account. She asks her tech contact, Lou, to investigate further while quietly continuing to observe the restaurant owner from her earlier case.

The episode darkens with the discovery of Aaron Corval’s body. Aaron, Paige’s boyfriend, has been murdered in his home. Detectives Isaac Fagbenle and Ruby Todd quickly focus on Paige as a person of interest, since she was last seen with him. When they come across the viral video of Simon’s outburst in the park, their attention shifts toward him as well.

Simon is questioned aggressively about his movements on the night of Aaron’s death. Though the detectives suspect he knows more than he is saying, they are unable to place him at the scene. During the interrogation, it becomes clear that Paige had been involved with drugs, complicating every assumption about her disappearance. Jessica warns Simon that the investigation is tightening and that any inconsistency could turn him into a prime suspect.

Intercut with the investigation, two unidentified figures are shown watching a house from a parked car. When a man arrives and enters his garage, one of them approaches and shoots him dead. They leave without explanation, their motives still unclear.

Back at home, Simon updates Sam about the growing danger surrounding Paige. Later, Simon and Ingrid walk together, sharing new information Jessica uncovered about Aaron’s death. The murder was especially brutal, raising the possibility of criminal involvement beyond a personal dispute. Refusing to sit still, they decide to search Aaron’s home themselves.

Inside the building, they encounter Cornelius, a friend of Paige’s. He tells them he saw her days earlier, injured and desperate for drugs. According to him, she was heading to a nearby dealer named Rocco, for whom Aaron once worked. This is the last confirmed sighting of Paige.

Simon and Ingrid track Rocco down and attempt to buy information. The conversation turns dangerous when another man, Luther, enters armed. At the same time, Elena receives confirmation from Lou that the mysterious online account connected to Henry belongs to Paige. The revelation raises new questions about how these disappearances may be linked.

The episode ends in chaos. Luther opens fire, striking Ingrid. Simon collapses beside her, trying to stop the bleeding as another shot rings out, cutting the episode to black.

Episode 2: “Tattoos While You Wait”

Ingrid survives the chaos at Rocco’s place and is rushed into surgery, while Simon is left waiting, shaken and powerless. It soon becomes clear that the second shot fired the night before did not hit Simon. Luther was the one who was wounded. As Ingrid fights for her life, Detectives Fagbenle and Todd examine the crime scene, trying to make sense of Simon’s growing connection to multiple locations tied to Aaron’s murder.

The detectives begin to build a working theory. They suspect Simon may have killed Aaron and then sought out Rocco because someone witnessed the crime. In their minds, Luther could have been that witness, which would explain Simon’s presence there. It is only speculation, but it tightens the net around him.

The focus then shifts back to the unidentified killers introduced earlier. The man and woman are now waiting outside a tattoo shop, tracking another target. The woman is revealed to be Dee Dee, reunited with her partner after time apart. Their exchange hints at unfinished business and a past she is being warned not to return to. When their target arrives, the man follows and shoots him without hesitation.

As they argue afterward, a teenage boy unexpectedly steps into view and sees Dee Dee’s face. Realizing the risk, the man chases him inside the building and shoots him in the back. The boy, later identified as Ash, dies from his injuries.

Back at the hospital the following day, Simon speaks with Yvonne, his business partner and Ingrid’s sister, who reassures him that Anya will be brought to see her mother. A doctor informs Simon that Ingrid has been moved into intensive care. Simon finally visits her, facing the weight of how close he came to losing her.

Elena Ravenscroft continues her own investigation. She meets again with Sebastian Thorpe and tells him that Paige commented on Henry’s final social media post before he disappeared. Sebastian admits he knew Paige only vaguely, recalling an argument that erupted when his wife questioned Henry about her. Elena senses that Henry deliberately kept that relationship hidden.

While leaving, Elena contacts Lou about a phone number she found on a tattoo shop flier discovered in Henry’s room. She asks Lou to investigate both the number and Paige herself. The tattoo shop catches Elena’s attention for another reason. It is the same location where Dee Dee and the shooter carried out their hit.

At the hospital, Fagbenle and Todd question Simon again about his movements the night before. Through a flashback, it is revealed that Cornelius was the one who shot Luther, though Simon does not share this with the police. When Simon learns that Luther is alive and recovering in the same hospital, he rushes to confront him, only to be pulled away before things escalate further.

Later, Todd informs Fagbenle that she traced the spare key back to Cornelius through Aaron’s apartment. Fagbenle visits Cornelius’s building, hoping to learn more about Rocco, but no one answers the door. As he leaves, Cornelius watches silently from inside.

Elena resurfaces at Maria’s vegan restaurant, this time openly observing her and her daughter, Daisy. Lou calls with new information. She tells Elena that Simon, now widely visible online, is Paige’s father. Even more troubling, Paige had sent Henry an email shortly before he vanished.

Meanwhile, Sam meets a man named Paul at a bar to sell Paige’s guitar. The exchange turns unsettling when Paul suddenly destroys the instrument. Soon after, Sam learns from Yvonne that Ingrid is hospitalized. He calls Simon, and the conversation quickly deteriorates into anger and blame.

Simon later seeks out Cornelius again, pressing him for Rocco’s whereabouts. Cornelius warns him that pushing further could be dangerous, but Simon refuses to stop. At the hospital, Fagbenle questions Ingrid’s doctor, who is also a personal friend of hers. The doctor offers nothing beyond what is officially documented.

Simon eventually confronts Rocco at his mother’s house. Rocco claims he has no loyalty to Paige and insists the last time he saw her, she was desperate for drugs and visibly injured. He cannot say for certain whether that encounter occurred before or after Aaron’s murder. When Rocco suggests Paige may have been involved in the killing, Simon flatly rejects the idea. As Rocco orders them to leave, Simon offers him money in exchange for help finding Paige. Rocco hesitates, clearly tempted.

That night, Fagbenle and Todd receive surveillance footage from the hospital taken on the night of Aaron’s murder. The video shows Ingrid leaving the building, contradicting her earlier statement that she was working there the entire time.

Elsewhere in the hospital, Sam transfers money electronically while Yvonne looks on and tells him that everything has been taken care of. The meaning of her reassurance remains unclear.

When Cornelius receives a call that a woman has been seen inside Aaron’s apartment, he and Simon rush over, fearing it might be Paige. Instead, they find Elena there, searching for answers of her own.

The episode closes with Dee Dee driving away in a new car alongside Ash. She scrolls through photos of their recent victims before stopping on an image of Paige and Aaron. She studies it with quiet satisfaction, hinting that Paige is far more entangled in this web than anyone yet understands.

Episode 3: “Breaking Point”

The episode opens with a look into Elena Ravenscroft’s past. Twenty-five years earlier, she is working as a police officer alongside her unit when a routine operation turns violent. In the chaos, Elena is shot while shielding a fellow officer. The man she tries to protect is Joel Ravenscroft.

In the present, Elena sits quietly at Joel’s grave. The moment establishes how deeply he mattered to her, and the shared surname hints at a personal bond that still defines her. After the credits, the story returns to where the previous episode ended, with Simon and Cornelius encountering Elena at Aaron’s apartment.

Elena explains that she is searching for Paige as part of her investigation into Henry’s disappearance. Paige was the last person known to be in contact with him. Simon tells her that Paige is missing as well and agrees to check whether his other children ever mentioned Henry. He also fills Elena in on Aaron’s murder and the police scrutiny surrounding it. When Simon asks how she obtained the apartment address, Elena explains that Paige initially emailed Henry with the location, then followed up urgently, warning him not to go there.

Elena reveals another key detail. The email was sent from an IP address traced to Maybridge University. Paige had been on campus roughly a week before vanishing. Simon connects the dots almost immediately. His son Sam attends that university, raising new questions about what Paige was doing there.

As Elena drives Simon back to the hospital, their conversation turns more personal. She speaks about Joel, acknowledging that despite their marriage and closeness, parts of his life remained unknown to her. The admission lingers, suggesting that hidden truths have shaped her long before this case.

Meanwhile, Detectives Fagbenle and Todd review security footage from the hospital on the night of Aaron’s murder. The video shows Ingrid leaving the building, contradicting her statement that she remained on duty throughout her shift. With this discovery, Simon begins to slip out of focus as their primary suspect, replaced by growing doubts about Ingrid’s movements.

At the hospital, Simon tells his family that he and Elena are now working together to find Paige, a declaration that catches Elena off guard. Shortly afterward, Simon confronts Sam, pressing him about Maybridge. Sam admits the truth. Paige came to his dorm shortly after the incident in the park and stayed with him for several days. During that time, she stole money and belongings from him and his roommates before disappearing again.

Panicked and ashamed, Sam went to Yvonne for help without revealing Paige’s involvement. He claimed responsibility for the thefts and accepted money to cover the losses. The confession sparks a bitter argument between father and son, exposing how deeply Paige’s disappearance has fractured the family.

Later, Simon and Elena talk in the hospital cafeteria. Simon admits that Paige had stolen from the family before and that Ingrid had eventually reached her limit, believing Paige could no longer be helped. Simon never accepted that conclusion and continued searching for her alone. Elena suggests that Aaron’s memorial service could offer answers, either through Paige’s possible appearance or through conversations with Aaron’s parents. She, meanwhile, plans to visit the tattoo shop linked to Henry’s case.

That night, Elena breaks into Maria’s house. While searching, she finds a photograph of Lou among Maria’s belongings, a discovery that raises immediate alarm. Before she can investigate further, Maria arrives home with her daughter, forcing Elena to slip away unnoticed. Still, Maria later notices something out of place, suggesting Elena’s presence did not go entirely undetected.

Elsewhere, Dee Dee and Ash continue moving from place to place. Their conversation reveals that they grew up together in foster care before being separated. Dee Dee tracked Ash down as an adult, drawing him back into her life. She promises to take him somewhere meaningful, though Ash appears uneasy.

Back at the hospital, Fagbenle questions Dr. Stanfield again. Confronted with footage showing Ingrid leaving the hospital, the doctor changes his story, claiming she briefly stepped out to arrange food for staff. Though the explanation is thin, Fagbenle lets him go, clearly unconvinced.

The next day, Simon attends Aaron’s memorial. Aaron’s father, Wiley Corval, refuses to engage with him, but Aaron’s stepmother, Enid, eventually agrees to talk. She reveals that much of what she was told about Aaron’s past was a lie. Wiley claimed Aaron’s biological mother died in Italy, but Enid later discovered he never even had a passport. The truth about Aaron’s origins remains unresolved, casting his entire backstory into doubt.

At the same time, Elena heads toward the tattoo shop after learning from Lou that the number on the flier belongs to a man named Damien Gorsch. When she arrives, the shop has already become a crime scene. The police believe the killings were the result of a robbery, but Elena quickly suspects otherwise. She speaks briefly with Damien’s husband, Neil, who allows her access to the shop’s records.

Detectives Fagbenle and Todd follow up on Ingrid’s alibi by visiting the restaurant she supposedly visited that night. The owner confirms Ingrid placed an order but did not collect it herself, requesting delivery instead and leaving through a rear exit. The detail deepens their suspicion.

Later, Simon confronts Wiley at his farm. Their argument turns personal, with Simon accusing Aaron of pulling Paige into drugs and dangerous circles. Wiley counters that Paige sought Aaron out, not the other way around, insisting she was the driving force in their relationship. Shaken, Simon leaves and calls Elena, leaving a voicemail filled with new doubts about what may have happened to Paige during her time at her former university.

That night, Simon searches Aaron’s old RV. Inside, he finds Paige’s jacket, confirming she was there more recently than anyone admitted.

Elsewhere, Maria reviews her home security footage and realizes Elena was inside her house. Dee Dee and Ash arrive at their former foster home, the weight of the past visibly heavy on Ash. At the tattoo shop, Elena examines Damien’s laptop and discovers he was using an ancestry website. Knowing Henry was adopted, she begins to suspect a deeper connection between the two men.

The episode ends with Fagbenle and Todd reviewing additional restaurant footage. Ingrid is seen leaving with Dr. Stanfield, following closely behind. The revelation ties multiple lies together just as Simon stands in the RV, holding proof that Paige was closer than he ever realized.

Episode 4: “A Different Time”

The episode opens with a flashback set one year earlier. A young man is training alone in a university gym when he is suddenly attacked by a figure dressed in black. Paige is nearby, witnessing the assault without intervening. The moment echoes the disturbing images shown at the very start of the series. The story then cuts to the present, where the same man, now marked by a facial scar, watches Simon as he walks across the campus of Lanford University.

Simon has come to Lanford determined to understand what changed Paige while she was a student there. As he moves through the campus, he remembers the day the family helped Paige settle into her dorm. In that memory, her roommates Katie and Judy are introduced. Back in the present, Simon tracks Katie down and asks her directly about Paige.

Katie confirms that Paige first connected with Aaron after seeking him out herself. She also explains that Paige was once her closest friend, but something shifted suddenly. Paige became hostile and distant long before drugs entered the picture. When Simon suggests addiction might explain the change, Katie rejects the idea. According to her, the drugs came later, after Paige was already spiraling. The revelation leaves Simon visibly shaken.

When Katie tries to leave, Simon blurts out that Aaron has been murdered. Her reaction is immediate, and she demands to know who did it. Simon admits he doesn’t know, but confesses his fear that whoever killed Aaron may also be after Paige. He asks Katie for help in uncovering what happened at Lanford. Katie hesitates, then says Paige once hinted at problems at home, and abruptly ends the conversation. When Simon asks about Judy, Katie claims she left campus early for the break, though the explanation feels thin.

Elsewhere, Dee Dee and Ash visit their former foster mother, Mrs. O’Hara. They invent a harmless reason for stopping by, and she accepts it without suspicion. At the hospital, Detective Fagbenle confronts Dr. Stanfield after identifying him on CCTV footage following Ingrid from a restaurant. He insists they continue the conversation at the station.

During questioning, Dr. Stanfield admits that he and Ingrid had a romantic relationship years earlier, before she met Simon. He argues that Ingrid is innocent, but Fagbenle points out that her original alibi no longer holds. Pressed further, Dr. Stanfield claims that Ingrid left the restaurant to meet him that night, offering a new version of events that only deepens the mystery.

Back at Lanford, Simon calls Sam and asks him to search Paige’s belongings for anything she left behind. Sam finds her planner and begins reading through it. Paige repeatedly wrote the initials “PVB,” beginning shortly after she arrived at Lanford. Sam also notes her involvement in a group called the Family Tree Club. Before they can go further, Judy appears in front of Simon.

Meanwhile, Ash drifts through memories of his childhood as Dee Dee talks with him at the foster home. Their conversation reveals that Ash works as a hired killer, with Dee Dee acting as his partner. Dee Dee urges him to stay put, insisting that the past must be confronted before they move on. She references an organization called The Shining Truth, which she credits with helping her face what happened to them. Ash resists, unwilling to reopen old wounds.

Back on campus, Simon asks Judy about the initials in Paige’s planner. She explains that “PVB” refers to Professor van de Beek, a biology lecturer who ran the Family Tree Club. According to Judy, Paige was close to him, and he even supported her plans to transfer into medicine. Judy then drops another bombshell. Paige and Katie had a major falling-out, after which Katie forced Paige out of their dorm. When Judy takes Simon to find Katie, her room is empty. She has vanished from campus.

At the tattoo shop, Elena learns from a police officer that Damien’s husband knew about his involvement with a DNA database. Damien had been adopted and was likely searching for biological relatives. The information aligns with Elena’s growing suspicion that adopted individuals are being targeted.

Simon learns that Professor van de Beek has been on extended leave for roughly a year, coinciding with Paige’s withdrawal from the university. Attempting to investigate further, Simon tries to access the professor’s office but is stopped by the scarred student from earlier. The student warns him about rumors involving inappropriate relationships between van de Beek and students.

Simon immediately contacts Elena. At the same time, Elena meets Sebastian to update him on the case. She reveals that Damien was adopted through an agency called Hope and Growth. The name hits Sebastian hard. It is the same agency that adopted Henry. Elena assures him she is closing in on the truth.

Later, Simon and Elena meet at Maria’s restaurant to exchange updates. Simon notices Elena’s fixation on Maria, prompting her to finally explain. Maria is the daughter Elena’s late husband never told her about. Lou, Elena’s mother-in-law, knew the truth and kept it from her. The revelation reframes Elena’s behavior and deepens the sense of betrayal surrounding her past.

Alone in his car afterward, Simon recalls a confrontation with Paige years earlier, when he discovered explicit messages on her laptop and reacted harshly. Combined with Katie’s comments, the memory leaves Simon questioning his role in Paige’s disappearance.

Back at home, Simon is confronted by Fagbenle, who informs him that Ingrid’s alibi has changed. She was not at the hospital all night, but instead left to meet Dr. Stanfield. Simon struggles to accept the possibility, but doubt begins to take hold.

At the restaurant, Elena searches obituaries and adoption records, discovering the name Kevin Gano, another adopted man who was recently killed. Maria confronts her over the break-in, and police arrive to take Elena in.

At the foster home, Dee Dee decides it is time to act. She confronts Mrs. O’Hara about the abuse she inflicted on the children in her care. Ash learns that Dee Dee was also a victim, not just himself. When Mrs. O’Hara attempts to call for help, Ash shoots her repeatedly. Dee Dee watches without hesitation, while Ash is visibly shaken by what he has done.

At the hospital, Simon confronts Yvonne about Ingrid’s relationship with Dr. Stanfield. His fear escalates into a devastating question: whether Paige is truly his daughter. Yvonne is stunned, but Simon remains deeply unsettled.

Fagbenle and Todd later identify the weapon used against Luther as a military-grade firearm, drawing attention back to Cornelius’s army background.

The episode closes with Simon sitting beside Ingrid’s hospital bed, asking her directly if Paige is his child. Before she can respond, Ingrid goes into cardiac arrest. As doctors rush her away, Katie attempts to warn Professor van de Beek via email, only for the message to fail. On her laptop, intimate photos of the professor appear, decorated with hearts. At a bar, the scarred student studies old images of himself with Paige.

Simon watches helplessly as the hospital doors close, leaving him alone with questions that continue to multiply.

Episode 5: “Forever Be the Shining Truth”

The episode opens three weeks earlier at a secluded compound belonging to The Shining Truth. Dee Dee is there under the name Holly, fully immersed in the group’s rituals. The scene establishes that the murders carried out so far were not random. The killings were assigned by The Shining Truth, with Dee Dee acting as the intermediary who recruited Ash, her childhood friend and a professional hitman, to execute them. Two names on the list have already been crossed off: Kevin Gano and Damien Gorsch. Henry’s fate remains uncertain. He has vanished, but no one has yet confirmed whether he is dead.

In the present, Dee Dee and Ash travel toward the compound again. Dee Dee is eager, believing the group wants to recognize their work. Ash is uneasy. He openly calls The Shining Truth a cult and tells Dee Dee she has changed since joining. She dismisses his concerns, convinced they are part of something meaningful.

At the hospital, Simon updates Yvonne by phone. Ingrid is still in surgery, and Simon asks her not to alarm Sam or Anya yet. Nearby, Elena is released after police questioning and finds Lou waiting by her car. Elena confronts her about Maria. Lou admits she learned about Maria only after Joel’s death, when she discovered paperwork showing he deliberately kept his name off Maria’s birth certificate. Elena is furious and cuts Lou off, telling her to contact her only for work-related matters.

Elena then meets Simon at the hospital and shares new information. Sebastian has found a charge on Henry’s bank account linked to the same DNA website Damien used. Elena believes Henry and Damien may have connected through ancestry research and could even be related. Simon, already spiraling, confesses his fear that Ingrid may have had an affair and that Paige might not be his biological child. Elena advises him to check Paige’s financial records. Simon does and finds a charge to an ancestry service called Absolute Ancestry. Shaken, he quietly contacts his lawyer and arranges a paternity test for all three children.

At the police station, Fagbenle admits to Todd that he once lived next door to Cornelius. Despite evidence pointing toward him, Fagbenle struggles to reconcile the man he knew with the violence now surrounding him.

As Dee Dee prepares Ash for their arrival at the compound, she explains the rules of respect. The leader of The Shining Truth is introduced: Casper Vartage, known within the group as The One. His sons, The Visitor and The Volunteer, occupy elevated roles beside him.

Fagbenle later visits Cornelius in person. Cornelius denies shooting Luther, but his evasiveness is obvious. Fagbenle leaves without proof, disturbed by the growing realization that Cornelius is hiding something.

At home, Simon collects toothbrushes from himself, Sam, and Anya for the DNA test. Tensions erupt when Sam learns Ingrid has been in surgery without his knowledge. The argument cools, and Simon finally shares what he knows about Paige, though answers remain scarce.

At the compound, Dee Dee and Ash are separated. Dee Dee joins a women-only ceremony, while Ash is taken to meet a woman who questions him about the remaining names on the list. When Ash refuses to answer and lashes out, he is forcibly subdued. The encounter leaves him rattled.

Meanwhile, Elena visits the Hope and Growth adoption agency and requests access to records tied to Henry, Damien, and Aaron. The request is denied. After she leaves, an employee alerts a woman named Alison, who oversaw those adoptions. Unbeknownst to him, Elena has bugged the office and listens in, tracing Alison’s business number and location.

Simon meets his lawyer at a nail salon to hand over the toothbrushes. As he leaves, Katie urgently asks him to meet. At a dock, she finally tells the truth. Paige’s relationship with Professor van de Beek caused their falling-out. Katie admits Paige later developed a drug problem and apologizes for not being honest sooner, explaining that van de Beek had also made advances toward her. She does not know where the professor is now.

Elena tracks down Alison and confronts her about the adoption records, but once Elena identifies herself as a private investigator, Alison flees. Elena loses her in the process.

Back at the compound, Ash wakes up lying on a stone altar, surrounded by Dee Dee and other members. The woman who questioned him earlier is revealed as Mother Adiona. Dee Dee announces that Casper wants to see them. Casper thanks them for their work and supplies them with a new list of names, a car, and access to more weapons. As they leave, Mother Adiona watches them closely.

At the hospital, Simon confronts Dr. Stanfield about his relationship with Ingrid. The answers are vague and unsatisfying. Elsewhere, Elena waits outside Alison’s workplace, hoping she will reappear.

As Dee Dee sleeps in the car, Ash discovers a note hidden in his sock. Mother Adiona slipped it to him at the compound. It warns him not to trust Dee Dee and not to kill the remaining targets. For the first time, Ash begins to question everything.

At the police station, Fagbenle quietly clears Cornelius’s alibi for the night Luther was shot, despite knowing the truth. Later, Cornelius returns to Aaron’s apartment. The episode cuts to a flashback of the night of the murder, showing Cornelius discovering Aaron’s body, removing the knife, and disposing of it in water. The episode ends on Cornelius in the present, his silence now carrying far more weight.

Episode 6: “The Man I Knew”

The episode opens a year earlier at a wedding. Elena and Joel attend together, relaxed and affectionate, sharing an easy intimacy that contrasts sharply with Elena’s present-day isolation. The moment lingers briefly before the story returns to the present, where Elena remains parked outside Alison’s workplace. Unbeknownst to her, Alison has already noticed the surveillance and quietly phones someone, warning that trouble is close.

Back at the Greene house, Simon searches through Ingrid’s belongings until Sam catches him. Simon deflects with a flimsy excuse, then sits down to breakfast with Sam and Anya, attempting a sense of normalcy. Elsewhere, Dee Dee and Ash move through wooded land, retrieving weapons hidden earlier. Dee Dee receives a call that signals their next assignment.

At the police station, Detectives Fagbenle and Todd pivot toward the possibility that Aaron’s murder was tied to drug activity. With Rocco still missing, they question Luther, now recovered enough to speak. He offers little, keeping his distance from anything that could implicate him or others.

Elena continues working the adoption angle. She learns from Alison’s staff that Alison has a girlfriend named Stephanie and may be staying with her. She also speaks with Alex, an officer connected to Kevin Gano’s death. Although the case was ruled a suicide, Elena is troubled by evidence suggesting the gun was fired before Kevin supposedly took his own life. Her suspicion that he was murdered only deepens.

Elena updates Simon, explaining that Kevin was adopted and had been actively searching for his biological family before his death. Digging further into Damien’s ancestry account, Elena uncovers the truth. Damien has multiple half-sibling matches. Henry, Kevin, and Aaron are all biologically connected to him.

Simon, meanwhile, tracks down Professor van de Beek after learning he is now teaching at Brookebridge University. At the same time, Fagbenle learns Luther has been released. He informs Cornelius, who reacts with unsettling calm.

Simon’s meeting with Professor van de Beek upends much of what he believed. The professor denies any inappropriate relationship with Paige and explains that Katie fabricated rumors out of obsession. He shows Simon emails from Paige that led to his temporary reassignment, insisting their relationship never crossed professional boundaries. Simon believes him.

What follows is far more devastating. Professor van de Beek reveals that Paige was assaulted at a party while she was still a student. Someone drugged her drink, and she woke up the next morning in a stranger’s bed with no memory of what happened. She reported the incident to the university but refused to involve the police. Shortly afterward, she withdrew from him entirely.

The professor explains that another violent incident occurred soon after. A student named Doug Mulzer was brutally attacked in the gym. Simon quickly realizes Doug is the scarred student he has already encountered. Professor van de Beek adds that the day after the attack, Paige appeared unusually elated and later hugged someone after class. He suspected that the person was responsible for attacking Doug on her behalf. When Simon shows him a photo of Aaron, the professor confirms it was him.

Elsewhere, Elena interviews one of Kevin’s neighbors, who recalls seeing a young man and woman sitting in a car nearby the night Kevin died. The detail gives Elena a new direction, but also places her closer to danger.

Simon goes to the police and reports Paige’s assault, demanding Doug’s arrest. Without Paige present to file a complaint, they are unable to act, but they promise to pursue the case if Paige is found.

The following day, Fagbenle admits to Todd that he knowingly cleared Cornelius’s alibi despite believing he shot Luther. The revelation fractures their trust. Todd does not report him, but makes it clear that the consequences will not disappear.

Elena returns home to find Lou waiting. Elena shares her suspicions about Kevin’s murder and asks Lou to pull traffic camera footage from the area. Inside, Lou finally tells the truth about Maria. Joel never had an affair. Maria was conceived through sperm donation. Joel hid the truth because Elena cannot have children, and he did not want to hurt her. The revelation reframes everything Elena thought she knew about her marriage.

Lou tells Elena that Maria wants to meet her. After hesitating, Elena agrees to dinner.

At the same time, Simon learns from his lawyer that the paternity test results are ready. Before he can retrieve them, Cornelius appears at his door. Cornelius admits he saw Paige the night Aaron was killed and claims she was responsible. Simon listens, unconvinced but shaken.

Elena later heads to a car park after receiving word that Stephanie has agreed to meet her and lead her to Alison. Lou offers to come, but Elena declines. She photographs the license plate of the waiting car and sends it to Lou before approaching.

The driver is not Stephanie. It is Dee Dee.

Elena is taken to a remote house. Inside, she notices a rug on the floor and immediately understands what is coming. Ash steps out behind her, raises his weapon, and fires.

The episode ends on the exterior of the house as the gunshot echoes, cutting Elena’s investigation short at the moment she was closest to the truth.

Episode 7: “Sliding Doors”

The episode opens three weeks earlier, revisiting the moment Dee Dee receives the list of names from The Shining Truth. This time, a crucial detail is revealed. Mother Adiona is secretly listening. Shortly afterward, she contacts a man named Nathan and warns him that Ash and Dee Dee have been sent to kill him. Nathan dismisses her as unstable and drives away, unaware of the danger.

In the present, Ash and Dee Dee bury Elena’s body in a remote location. They search through her phone and discover messages from Simon. After looking him up and finding the viral video, they struggle to understand his connection to Aaron, another name on their list. Around the same time, Simon receives the paternity test results. All three children, Paige, Sam, and Anya, are biologically his. Relieved, he texts Elena with the news.

The message is read by Ash and Dee Dee. Dee Dee immediately sees Simon as a potential threat, believing he is getting too close to uncovering The Shining Truth. She argues that he should be eliminated, just as Elena was. Ash hesitates but does not openly challenge her.

Simon grows uneasy after receiving replies from Elena’s phone that feel wrong. He contacts Lou, and they agree to meet. Lou explains that Elena last told her she was heading to a car park to meet Stephanie, Alison’s girlfriend, and that she sent over a license plate number before going silent. The final text Elena sent, claiming everything was fine, felt out of character. Simon agrees something is wrong, and Lou continues digging into Elena’s last movements.

Back at the hospital, Cornelius approaches Simon with an offer. Rocco and Luther want to meet him at the estate, claiming they have information he needs. Cornelius warns that Simon will need to bring the money he promised.

Lou takes her concerns to the police, filing a missing persons report for Elena. She informs Detectives Fagbenle and Todd that Stephanie is currently on holiday in Brazil, making it impossible for Elena to have met her. Lou is convinced Elena walked into a trap. The detectives begin retracing Elena’s steps.

Fagbenle and Todd then meet with Sebastian, who reveals that Henry had been corresponding with his biological mother, Victoria, through letters. Victoria requested to meet Henry at a specific location. The detectives track her down and speak with her directly.

Meanwhile, Ash’s doubts about Dee Dee finally boil over. At a bowling alley, he confronts her with the note Mother Adiona slipped into his sock. Dee Dee admits the truth. One of the men on their hit list is Mother Adiona’s son, which is why she tried to intervene. Dee Dee then explains the larger purpose behind the killings.

Casper Vartage, the leader of The Shining Truth, is dying. His two acknowledged sons, known as The Visitor and The Volunteer, are meant to inherit everything. But Casper fathered several other sons with women inside the compound and had those children placed for adoption. According to the group’s belief system, all male heirs are entitled to an equal share upon Casper’s death. To prevent that, Casper ordered the elimination of his illegitimate sons. Henry, Damien, Kevin, and Aaron are all his children.

Ash is disturbed but continues on with Dee Dee after receiving instructions for their next assignment. Their plan is to finish the list, starting with Aaron and then moving on to Simon. They head toward the Marinduque Estate, where Aaron once lived.

At a café, Victoria tells Fagbenle and Todd her story. She was a member of The Shining Truth and was told her baby, Henry, died at birth. After Casper cut her off, she escaped the group. Years later, Henry found her through a genealogy site, and they secretly exchanged letters. Her mistake was revealing to the cult leaders that Henry was alive.

Back at the hospital, Simon tells Yvonne about Paige’s assault, only to learn she already knew. Ingrid knew as well. The realization devastates him, but before he can process it, Cornelius messages him again. Rocco and Luther are ready to talk.

Dee Dee and Ash arrive at Aaron’s old apartment and realize someone else has already been there. As they leave, they spot Simon and Cornelius and follow them. At Rocco’s place, Rocco finally shares what he knows. Paige boarded a bus to Brackmere the day after Aaron’s murder. The destination makes little sense to Simon, but he barely has time to react.

Ash and Dee Dee suddenly reveal themselves, triggering a violent shootout. Chaos erupts. Rocco and Luther are killed, and Ash is fatally wounded. As Dee Dee freezes in shock over Ash’s injury, Simon and Cornelius escape.

Dee Dee pursues Simon through the estate. She catches up to him on an upper level and shoots him in the back. As she prepares to fire again, Mother Adiona appears and shoves Dee Dee from the ledge. Dee Dee falls to her death. Mother Adiona flees before Simon can get answers.

The episode ends with the police moving in on The Shining Truth compound, using the address provided by Victoria, as the final pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place.

Episode 8: “It Stays With Us”

The finale begins moments after the shooting at the estate. Simon is rushed to the hospital with a gunshot wound to his back. While being treated, he urges paramedics to contact Detective Fagbenle, insisting he finally has a lead on Paige. At the same time, police descend on the Shining Haven compound. Members of the cult are taken into custody as the operation unfolds.

One man is still unaccounted for: Casper Vartage, the leader known as The One, is eventually found hiding inside a concealed room on the property. Facing arrest, Casper attempts to manipulate Fagbenle, claiming his illness will soon kill him anyway, and asks to be left alone to end his life. Fagbenle refuses. Casper is taken into custody as officers secure the compound.

Despite the arrests, Paige is nowhere to be found. Later, Fagbenle visits Simon in the hospital and explains everything the investigation has uncovered. Casper orchestrated the murders of his biological sons, hiring a hitman to eliminate them before they could surface and challenge his legacy. Fagbenle asks Simon about the woman who saved his life by pushing Dee Dee to her death. Simon denies seeing her. In a brief flashback, it is revealed that Mother Adiona visited Simon earlier at the hospital. Simon chooses to protect her.

When Simon asks about Elena, Fagbenle delivers grim news. Surveillance footage places Ash and Dee Dee in Elena’s car after her disappearance. The implication is clear. Elena is presumed dead. Fagbenle promises to keep searching for Paige.

Time passes. Simon is discharged and continues looking for his daughter. Elena’s body is eventually found, and the news is delivered to Lou, then to Simon. Shortly afterward, Simon returns to the hospital and sees Paige sitting quietly beside Ingrid’s bed. Father and daughter embrace. Paige explains that she has been in rehab the entire time and only came back after learning Ingrid was hospitalized. She admits that being home already feels dangerous for her recovery and insists on returning to finish her program. Simon agrees.

Paige explains what happened after Aaron’s death. She found his body and panicked. Terrified, she ran, hid in his caravan, used drugs, and stayed there for days before checking into rehab again. Simon asks how she knew about the facility. Paige reveals she had been there once before but left after Aaron tracked her down and got her using again. The rehab was recommended by Ingrid, who quietly admitted she had attended years earlier.

As Simon drives Paige back to the facility, he asks if Aaron ever hurt her. Paige admits there was one incident, triggered by Aaron learning about his half-brothers. Afterward, she stayed with Sam for a short time. Simon presses her, sensing she is still holding something back. Paige finally claims she killed Aaron. Simon does not believe her. When he asks if she went to Ingrid after the assault, Paige confirms she did. She then admits the truth. Ingrid killed Aaron. Paige realized it after fleeing and piecing things together. She begs Simon not to tell her mother. He reluctantly agrees.

Ingrid eventually wakes from her coma. Elena is laid to rest, and life slowly resumes. Paige returns home from rehab. One day, Simon and Ingrid walk through the park together. Sitting on a bench, Simon tells Ingrid that he knows she killed Aaron. Ingrid does not deny it. She explains that she acted to protect Paige after learning Aaron assaulted her. She sent Paige back to rehab and arranged an alibi through Dr. Stanfield, who never had an affair with her. Ingrid killed Aaron that night. Luther saw her leaving and later panicked when he encountered her again, believing she was capable of more violence.

Simon asks why Ingrid kept him out of it. She tells him she knew he would try to stop her and wanted to protect both him and the children if she were caught. She promises there will be no more secrets.

Still unsettled, Simon senses one final truth remains buried. He visits Yvonne and looks through old photographs, finding an image of a pregnant Ingrid at the Shining Haven. Back home, Simon speaks with Paige. Together, they uncover the final revelation.

Paige and Aaron were never a couple. Aaron was her half-brother.

Simon learned this after speaking with Doug Mulzer, the man who assaulted Paige. Doug revealed that during the gym attack, Aaron kept repeating that no one would hurt his sister. Paige confirms what Ingrid once told her privately. Ingrid was part of a cult, became pregnant, and was told her baby was stillborn. She escaped, unaware that the child lived.

Aaron was raised within the cult, abused by his father, and deeply damaged. After discovering Paige was his sister, he grew attached to her but feared abandonment. Paige believes he used drugs to keep her close, possibly as a way to punish Ingrid without knowing she was his mother. Paige confronted Ingrid once, but Ingrid denied ever having another child, unaware she had been lied to.

Paige insists Ingrid must never learn the truth. Knowing she killed her own son would destroy her. Simon struggles with the weight of it, but ultimately agrees to protect Ingrid from that knowledge.

The series ends with the Greene family sharing a quiet dinner together. The danger has passed, but the cost remains. Simon sits among them, present yet distant, carrying truths that will stay with him long after everything else has settled.

The Poster