As the story progresses, the idyllic getaway takes a dark turn, revealing hidden agendas and sinister secrets. Adam's shocking confession and the introduction of a mysterious observer ratchet up the tension, while the discovery of the chapel's gruesome past adds a layer of supernatural dread. The characters find themselves trapped not only by a snowstorm but also by their own lies and the malevolent history of their surroundings.
Chapter 25: Adam
From Adam Wright's perspective, the narrative takes a sinister turn as he lies in bed, feigning sleep. He reveals that he has been secretly drugging Amelia Wright with crushed sleeping pills in her tea, justifying it as being "for her own good" due to her anxiety. Once she is asleep, he slips out of bed and heads downstairs, followed by Bob.
His internal monologue is filled with resentment toward his marriage, which he compares to two mismatched puzzle pieces being forced together. He feels Amelia has spent years trying to change him and make him feel smaller. Adam reflects on his wife's jealousy and paranoia, citing an incident where she threw his new running shoes in the trash, suspecting he was having an affair. While he admits to fantasizing about another woman, he claims he learned his lesson from a past infidelity that "did not end well." He then makes a shocking confession: he has never been completely honest with Amelia, and it was he who deliberately turned off the power and trapped her in the crypt earlier. He also disabled the backup generator, ensuring they will remain without electricity. This reveal reframes his character from a passive, forgetful husband to a manipulative and actively cruel partner, highlighting the themes of Secrets and Deception and Marriage and Betrayal.
Chapter 26: Wood (Anniversary Letter)
This chapter is an anniversary letter from Amelia to Adam, dated February 28, 2013, for their fifth anniversary ("Wood"). The letter provides a deep dive into The Inescapable Past of their marriage. Amelia apologizes for her recent jealousy and reflects on their painful, unsuccessful journey with IVF. She explains that she has found a new sense of purpose in her work at the dog's home and has come to see herself as a "good person," despite a childhood where she was told otherwise.
The letter recounts a recent fight where Adam came home drunk, gushing about a young, beautiful actress named October O'Brien who was interested in his Rock Paper Scissors screenplay. Amelia's jealousy was stoked, and she felt hurt when Adam belittled her career in comparison to his own ambitions. On their anniversary, Adam's plan to work is foiled when Amelia comes home early from a play that was cancelled. She discovers Adam in their kitchen with the stunning October O'Brien. However, the situation is defused when October explains she was helping Adam prepare a surprise anniversary dinner for Amelia. The evening turns out to be wonderful, and Amelia is completely won over by October's charm. The letter ends on a hopeful note, with Amelia reaffirming her love for Adam and calling him her "MIP" (Most Important Person).
Chapter 27: Robin
The perspective shifts to Robin, who is hiding inside the chapel. She reveals that she used to live there and knows all its secrets, including a hidden room behind a bookcase. The chapel and its memories are claustrophobic for her, and she avoids staying long. As she hides, she watches her own sad shadow on the wall, making the shapes of rock, paper, and scissors with her hand.
Seeing her reflection in a mirror shocks her; she barely recognizes the old-looking woman staring back. She finds comfort in a worn-down red lipstick in her pocket, a memento from a painful night when she learned to trust only herself. Robin has been listening to Adam and Amelia's arguments and feels contempt for them, viewing them as ungrateful and foolish. She scoffs at their plan to leave in the morning, ominously predicting that the storm has stopped for now, but "nobody is leaving here tomorrow morning." She is certain that at least one of them will never leave the chapel again.
Chapter 28: Amelia
Amelia wakes Adam in a panic, telling him that their dog, Bob, is missing. They search the house, but he is nowhere to be found, even though the doors are locked. As they move through the house, Amelia notices that Adam instinctively knows which floorboards creak, a detail that strikes her as deeply suspicious for someone who has only been there one night. Their search is cut short when they open the front door and discover they are completely snowed in, with a wall of snow higher than their knees.
Adam suggests Bob might be in the crypt, the one place they haven't searched since the power outage. To light the way, he goes to his work satchel and pulls out his mobile phone. Amelia is stunned into silence. Adam had insisted he couldn't find his phone and that it must have been left in London. This blatant lie confirms her growing suspicions that he is hiding something significant from her.
Chapter 29: Adam
Adam searches the crypt with his phone's torch but finds only a dusty, homemade-looking pamphlet. When he returns upstairs, Amelia immediately confronts him about the phone. Caught in his lie, Adam deflects, accusing her of taking the phone from the car in the first place and acting strangely for weeks. Amelia tearfully admits she took it because his constant attention to his phone makes her feel "invisible."
Feeling a mix of guilt and anger, Adam decides to reveal some of his own discoveries. He shows Amelia a kitchen drawer crammed with neatly cut newspaper clippings about the actress October O'Brien, the same woman from the anniversary letter. He then hands her the pamphlet he found in the crypt, telling her, "I don’t think we’re really welcome here." He knows she dislikes secrets and believes she should read its contents for herself.
Chapter 30: The History of Blackwater Chapel
This chapter consists entirely of the text from the pamphlet Adam found. It details the chapel's gruesome history, transforming the setting from a quirky holiday home into a place of horror. The pamphlet reveals:
- The chapel was used as a witch's prison in the 1500s.
- The bones of over 100 suspected witches and their children were found buried in the crypt.
- Local legends speak of ghostly apparitions of witches with burnt faces searching for their murdered children.
- The last priest, Father Douglas Dalton, was rumored to have fallen to his death from the bell tower in 1948.
- Builders who renovated the property reported feeling an unnatural cold and hearing their names whispered in the crypt.
The pamphlet concludes with the deeply unsettling line: "We hope you enjoy your stay."
Key Events
- Adam's Confession: Adam reveals to the reader that he drugs Amelia and was responsible for trapping her in the crypt.
- The Anniversary Letter: Amelia's fifth-anniversary letter details their past struggles with IVF and introduces the character of October O'Brien, a beautiful actress Adam worked with.
- Robin's Introduction: A new narrator, Robin, is introduced. She is hiding in the chapel, knows its secrets, and has a menacing attitude toward Adam and Amelia.
- Bob's Disappearance: The couple's beloved dog, Bob, goes missing from inside the locked chapel.
- Snowed In: A severe snowstorm traps Adam and Amelia inside the chapel with no way out.
- Adam's Lies Exposed: Amelia discovers Adam has had his phone the entire time, confirming he has been lying to her.
- The Chapel's History: Adam finds a pamphlet revealing the chapel's dark past as a witch's prison, adding a supernatural threat to their predicament.
Character Development
Adam, Amelia, and Robin undergo significant development:
- Adam Wright: Adam's character is dramatically redefined. His internal monologue exposes him as a manipulative, cruel, and deeply resentful husband who actively harms his wife. He is no longer just an unreliable narrator but a clear antagonist in the marital conflict.
- Amelia Wright: The anniversary letter provides a poignant look at a younger, more hopeful Amelia, contrasting sharply with her present-day anxiety and suspicion. Her discovery of Adam's lie about the phone marks a turning point, solidifying her distrust and empowering her to confront him.
- Robin: Robin is introduced as a mysterious and threatening presence. Her connection to the chapel, her painful past, and her ominous predictions establish her as a key player whose motives are still unknown, adding a layer of external danger to the plot.
Themes & Symbols
Several key themes and symbols emerge in these chapters:
- Secrets and Deception: This theme is central. Adam's secret drugging of Amelia, his lie about the phone, and the hidden newspaper clippings all demonstrate the corrosive nature of deceit. Robin's presence in a secret room further underscores the idea that the chapel itself is built on hidden truths.
- Marriage and Betrayal: Adam's actions represent a profound betrayal of marital trust. The anniversary letter explores the fault lines that have existed in their marriage for years—jealousy, career resentment, and emotional distance—showing how past betrayals continue to shape the present.
- The Inescapable Past: The chapel's gruesome history as a witch's prison literally haunts the narrative. For the characters, past events—Amelia's infertility, Adam's past affair, his work with October O'Brien, and Robin's unspoken trauma—are not over but are active forces driving the conflict.
- The Snow: The heavy snowfall acts as a powerful symbol of isolation and entrapment. It physically traps Adam and Amelia, mirroring their emotional and psychological confinement within their broken marriage and the menacing chapel. It also serves to bury the landscape, much like how the characters have buried their secrets.
- Red Lipstick: For Robin, her worn-down lipstick is a symbol of resilience and self-reliance. It is tied to a memory of being hurt and learning not to trust others, representing a "mask" of courage she puts on to face the world and her past.
"nobody is leaving here tomorrow morning."
Robin's ominous prediction underscores the sense of impending doom. Her words suggest that the storm is not the only force keeping them trapped, hinting at a more sinister presence at play.
"I don’t think we’re really welcome here."
Adam's statement after finding the pamphlet is a chilling understatement. It marks a shift in the narrative, acknowledging the supernatural threat and suggesting that their marital problems are now intertwined with the chapel's dark history.
Significance
This section of the novel marks a critical turning point. The reveal of Adam's malicious actions in Chapter 25 completely upends the reader's understanding of the central relationship, shifting the story from a domestic drama about a troubled marriage to a psychological thriller with a clear victim and perpetrator. The introduction of Robin's perspective adds a third, unpredictable element, suggesting that the couple's conflict is being observed and perhaps manipulated by an outside force.
Furthermore, the discovery of the chapel's dark history elevates the stakes, blending the psychological horror of the marriage with supernatural and gothic elements. The combination of being physically trapped by the snow, emotionally trapped in a toxic relationship, and potentially supernaturally trapped by the chapel's past creates an intense, claustrophobic atmosphere that drives the narrative toward its climax. The anniversary letter serves as a crucial piece of exposition, providing context for the couple's long-standing issues while simultaneously functioning as a red herring, painting a picture of resolution that the present-day events prove false.