It Ends with Us ending explained: Do Lily and Ryle end up co-parenting their child?

Based on Colleen Hoover's 2016 novel of the same name, It Ends With Us, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, was released in theatres on August 9, 2024. The film's plot chronicles Lily Bloom's life, focusing on her troubled childhood and an equally troubling adult life, forcing her to make some difficult decisions.

What starts as a whirlwind romance between Lily, played by Blake Lively, and Ryle, played by Justin Baldoni, soon turns sour after he starts abusing Lily. Initially oblivious to the abuse, Lily first realizes its signs after she crosses paths with her first love, Atlas (Brandon Sklenar), who starts pointing it out.

After some tribulations, she finally manages to cut ties with Ryle and asks for a divorce but not before giving birth to their child, Emerson. Given the circumstances, instead of having Ryle co-parent, It Ends With Us movie concludes with Lily taking sole responsibility for their daughter.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers. Please read at your discretion.

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It Ends With Us shows Lily Bloom as a single mother taking care of Emerson

The film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's massively popular novel It Ends With Us makes some deviations from the original text material. One of the biggest ones is Lily and Ryle's co-parenting situation after Lily leaves Ryle.

While in the book, Ryle is portrayed as a changed man after he has sought help concerning his abusive tendencies, in the film, no such arc has been explored for the character. In the film, Lily is the only one taking care of Emerson.

This is implied in a very subtle manner towards the end of the film when Atlas crosses paths with Lily again, several years after she has left her husband. When Atlas asks her about Ryle, she says "Just the two of us," hinting at Ryle's absence from the equation.

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It Ends With Us is about breaking generational cycles

The ongoing theme in It Ends With Us is the effects people's past have on their present and how the cycle of generational trauma must be broken to ensure a better future for themselves and their upcoming generations.

The movie's protagonist, Lily, grew up in an abusive household where her father used to be hostile towards both her mother and herself. As she grew up, she became more aware of the abuse they faced. However, that did not prevent her from unknowingly landing in an equally abusive situation.

Lily met Ryle when she was working as a florist and he was working as a neurosurgeon. They had a whirlwind romance that lasted a while before they decided to get married. A little into their marriage, Lily started noticing signs that reminded her of her parents' abusive marriage but neglected it.

However, with her former flame, Atlas's reintroduction in her life, she finally started noticing things as they were. Lily endured both physical and psychological abuse at the hands of Ryle for an extended period. She finally left him when Ryle forced himself on Lily, resulting in her pregnancy.

Lily gave birth to Emerson, and in a later scene in the movie, it is revealed that she is taking care of her by herself. This is a small step that will ensure that Emerson is not exposed to someone who has caused grave harm to her mother in the past.

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Atlas helps Lily recognize the first signs of abuse

When the first instances of Ryle's abuse begin to surface in It Ends With Us, it takes Atlas' intervention for Lily to notice the signs. It is he who first points it out, making the connection between Lily's current experience and that of her childhood.

He was able to do this because Atlas grew up near Lily's house and had first-hand experience of the abuse Lily's father inflicted on her and her mother. Shortly after this intervention, Lily begins to notice other signs of her husband Ryle's abusive behavior. She eventually gives up on her marriage and leaves him after he forces himself on her, putting an end to the abuse.

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Besides Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, and Brandon Sklenar, It Ends With Us also features Jenny Slate, and Hasan Minhaj.