- Anna is steadily losing it.
- This is the first time that Anna and Vronsky have an argument that lasts all day.
- Anna listens for Vronsky to come in, and hears him go to bed rather than check up on her. This convinces her that their relationship is at an end.
- Anna believes that death is the only way to rekindle his love and punish him at the same time. She no longer cares about obtaining a divorce.
- Anna takes some morphine, lies down in bed, and fantasizes a bit about how Vronsky would regret his treatment of Anna if she died. Then she feels a sudden terror at the idea of death and goes in search of Vronsky.
- She finds him sleeping in his study and she looks at him with love in her eyes.
- The next morning, Anna dreams of the peasant with the matted beard speaking in senseless French. Again, he is doing something with iron that she cannot fully understand but that fills her with terror.
- Anna wakes up and feels calmer.
- But she loses it again when she witnesses a young girl delivering a package to Vronsky. It turns out that the young girl is the princess that Vronsky's mother wants him to marry.
- She runs to his study. He asks him how her head is doing this morning, but Anna just stares at him gloomily.
- He tells her that it's impossible to live like this.
- Anna says that he will regret this and leaves.
- Vronsky almost runs after her, but then convinces himself that he's tried everything but ignoring her. So he ignores her.
- He leaves in the carriage.
- Anna hears someone run upstairs again, but it turns out to be his valet fetching a pair of forgotten gloves. Vronsky receives the gloves and drives away from the house.