Sarah Morgan watches her husband, Adam Morgan, in the interrogation room, steeling herself to transition from betrayed wife to formidable defense attorney. Despite the shock of Adam's affair, she clings to the belief that he is not a murderer. Sheriff Ryan Stevens briefs her on the grim details of the case, treating her with newfound respect.
Chapter 11: The Facts of the Case
The victim, Kelly Summers, was found stabbed thirty-seven times in the Morgans' lake house bed, suggesting a crime of passion. The absence of defensive wounds indicates she was likely asleep during the initial attack, though her open eyes suggest she awoke during the assault. Toxicology reports are pending, with suspicion of drug use. The preliminary autopsy reveals semen in her mouth, vagina, and anus, along with bruising and small tears indicative of rape or rough sex. Crucially, skin is found under her fingernails.
As Sarah absorbs these details, Adam erupts in the next room, throwing a chair against the glass and collapsing in rage. The outburst shocks Sarah, who has never witnessed such violence from him, causing her to question his true nature. She sees a "wild animal backed into a corner" and wonders if he is capable of murder.
Chapter 12: Lawyer, Not Your Wife
Sarah enters the interrogation room, her composure a stark contrast to Adam's distress. She immediately establishes a professional boundary, unnerving him with her cold demeanor. Adam pleads his innocence, admitting the affair but denying any harm to Kelly. He professes his love for Sarah, promising to make amends if she secures his release.
Sarah remains emotionally detached, rejecting his touch. When Adam questions her motives for defending him, she responds with icy resolve: “Because when I said ‘til death do us part’ I meant it and I’m the only person that has any chance in hell of getting you off.” This statement underscores the complete breakdown of their personal relationship, replaced by a grim professional contract that highlights The Façade of a Perfect Marriage. Defeated, Adam agrees to cooperate, knowing the evidence is stacked against him, and Sarah instructs him to recount every detail of his relationship with Kelly.
Chapter 13: The Day Kelly Entered My Life
In a flashback, Adam recounts the beginning of his affair sixteen months prior. Feeling lonely and neglected by an overworked Sarah, he visits a local café near their lake house. There, he first sees Kelly Summers and is instantly captivated. He describes her as "imperfectly perfect," a stark contrast to Sarah's calculated nature. He feels an immediate, magnetic pull toward her, sensing a shared sadness and loneliness in her eyes. This chapter delves deeply into the theme of Love and Infidelity, as Adam justifies his actions through a narrative of emotional neglect and instant connection.
Adam and Kelly quickly bond, noticing each other's wedding rings but finding understanding in their mutual unhappiness. Kelly speaks of her husband, Scott Summers, with "dark undertones" that make Adam believe he is abusive. After hours of conversation, Kelly impulsively goes back to the lake house with Adam. Inside, their connection erupts into passionate sex on a bearskin rug. Adam describes the encounter as intoxicating, comparing Kelly to a drug he becomes instantly addicted to, an addiction that ends only with her death.
Chapter 14: This is Unacceptable
Back in the present, Sarah listens to Adam’s confession without emotion, channeling her pain into professional focus. The details of his Betrayal and Deception are agonizing, but she sees a potential legal strategy. Adam insists that Kelly’s husband, Scott, was abusive and must be the killer. Sarah recognizes that painting Scott as a jealous, violent husband is a viable defense strategy to create reasonable doubt. However, she momentarily questions her ability to separate her personal fury from her professional duty.
Her contemplation is violently interrupted when a deputy bursts into the room and brutally attacks Adam. Sarah is thrown against a table in the chaos, sustaining a cut on her forehead. The attacker pummels a defenseless Adam until Sheriff Stevens and other officers restrain him. The man is revealed to be Deputy Scott Summers, Kelly’s husband. Overcome with rage and grief, Scott breaks down completely. In the aftermath, Sheriff Stevens tends to Sarah’s injury with surprising tenderness. He then asks her directly if she believes Adam is guilty. When she says no, he makes an unorthodox offer: to take her to the crime scene himself, suggesting he may have his own doubts about the case.
Chapter 15: I'll Get to the Bottom of This
Adam awakens in a hospital room, handcuffed to the bed and nursing his injuries. He recalls the attack and realizes with horror that Kelly’s husband is a police officer, which explains why she was so afraid and felt she could never escape him. He is now more certain than ever that Scott is the murderer, but he also feels hopeless, believing a cop would know exactly how to frame someone and get away with it.
Sheriff Stevens visits Adam in the hospital, apologizing for Scott’s actions and confirming he has been suspended. When Adam vehemently accuses Scott of being the killer, Stevens listens with genuine curiosity rather than dismissal. In a shocking admission, Stevens tells Adam that he has never liked Scott Summers, finding his "all-American boy persona" suspicious and noting that "the people who appear to be good are usually the worst of them all." He promises Adam that while he isn't convinced of his innocence, he isn't convinced of his guilt either. He vows to investigate Scott thoroughly, promising to "get to the bottom of this."
Key Events
- Sarah learns the graphic details of Kelly Summers's murder.
- Adam has a violent outburst in the interrogation room.
- Adam confesses the full extent of his affair with Kelly to Sarah.
- Adam provides a detailed flashback of how he met Kelly.
- Scott Summers violently attacks Adam in the interrogation room.
- Sheriff Stevens admits his own suspicions about Scott Summers to Adam and agrees to investigate him.
Character Development
- Sarah Morgan: She demonstrates immense professional fortitude, compartmentalizing her personal devastation to focus on her legal duties. However, Adam's violent outburst and the raw details of his affair visibly shake her carefully constructed composure.
- Adam Morgan: He is portrayed as a man consumed by guilt, desperation, and self-pity. His flashback reveals his justification for the affair, rooted in loneliness and a desire for a connection he felt was missing.
- Sheriff Ryan Stevens: Stevens evolves from a standard procedural figure into a nuanced character with a strong moral compass. He shows compassion for Sarah and reveals a willingness to look beyond the obvious evidence.
- Scott Summers: Though he only appears briefly, Scott makes a powerful and violent entrance. Previously just a name in Adam's story, he is now established as a man of extreme rage and a formidable physical threat.
Themes & Symbols
- The Façade of a Perfect Marriage: Sarah's cold declaration that she is defending Adam because of her vow highlights how their marriage has become a hollow contract rather than a loving partnership.
- Betrayal and Deception: The foundation of the plot is built on Adam's long-term deception. His detailed confession forces Sarah to confront the reality that her husband and her life have been a lie for over a year.
- Revenge and Justice: Scott's attack on Adam is a raw, immediate act of revenge, standing in contrast to the formal pursuit of justice represented by the legal system.
Key Quotes
“Because when I said ‘til death do us part’ I meant it and I’m the only person that has any chance in hell of getting you off.”
Sarah's icy declaration encapsulates the transformation of her marriage into a purely transactional arrangement. The vow, once a symbol of love and commitment, is now a grim reminder of her professional obligation, devoid of personal sentiment.
"The people who appear to be good are usually the worst of them all."
Sheriff Stevens's cynical observation about Scott Summers hints at a deeper understanding of human nature and deception. It suggests that appearances can be deceiving and that the most dangerous individuals often hide behind a façade of normalcy.
Significance
This section serves as the novel's inciting incident, establishing the central conflict and key players. The foundation of the plot—Sarah defending her unfaithful husband for the murder of his mistress—is solidified. Crucially, these chapters introduce the primary antagonist and alternative suspect, Scott Summers, immediately establishing him as a violent and powerful figure whose status as a police officer complicates the entire investigation. Furthermore, the burgeoning, unorthodox alliance between Sarah and Sheriff Stevens is formed, setting the stage for a parallel investigation that will challenge the official police narrative and drive the search for the truth.
Analysis
Jeneva Rose uses the shifting first-person perspectives of Sarah and Adam to create a powerful dramatic tension. The reader experiences Sarah's cold, professional shock and internal agony alongside Adam's guilt-ridden, self-serving narrative of his affair. This duality forces the reader to constantly re-evaluate their sympathies and suspicions.
The character of Kelly is notably filtered through Adam's romanticized and potentially unreliable memory. He paints her as an escape, a free spirit, and a victim—a stark foil to his perception of Sarah as a cold, career-driven woman. This characterization serves Adam's narrative but leaves Kelly herself as a mysterious figure, defined more by her effect on the men in her life than by her own agency.
The violent climax of the section—Scott's attack on Adam—is a pivotal turning point. It physically manifests the rage and betrayal simmering beneath the surface of the plot. The irony is potent: an officer of the law commits a brutal assault inside a police station, blurring the lines between justice and vengeance. Sheriff Stevens's reaction to this event, and his subsequent confession of distrust in Scott, subverts the trope of a corrupt or incompetent police force, positioning him as a potential ally in the search for a more complex truth.