As summer fades, Ellie Mack remains trapped in Noelle's basement, unaware of the horrifying events unfolding within her body. Noelle's chilling plan to use Ellie as an unwilling surrogate comes to fruition, setting in motion a series of cruel and calculated acts that will forever alter the lives of everyone involved.
Chapter 41: The First Stirrings
Confined to the basement, Ellie experiences a strange "judder" in her stomach, a sensation like "bubbles popping." Initially, she fears she has harmed one of her hamsters, but soon realizes the feeling originates from within her own body. The sensation unsettles her, creating an "otherworldly feeling" of being occupied and no longer alone. However, the feeling eventually fades, and Ellie dismisses it, failing to grasp its profound significance.
Chapter 42: The Grand Deception
Noelle Donnelly's manuscript, addressed to Floyd Dunn, reveals her sinister plot. She chillingly details her plan to get pregnant using Floyd's sperm and Ellie as an unwilling surrogate. Noelle reveals she tracked Ellie's ovulation cycle and succeeded on the first attempt, highlighting the theme of Obsession and Psychological Manipulation.
Noelle explains how she faked her own pregnancy to deceive Floyd, a central element of the novel's theme of Deception and Hidden Truths. She claims a "low-lying placenta" prevented them from having sex, concealing her lack of a real baby bump. She admits their relationship was already failing and views the baby as a "consolation prize" to forever bind them. Her cold, calculating tone reveals her desire for control, not maternal instinct.
Chapter 43: A Miracle and a Monster
Back in the THEN timeline, Ellie's pregnancy becomes visible. Noelle initially plays the doting caregiver, providing pregnancy books, pillows, and a stethoscope. When Ellie confronts her about the baby's movements, Noelle fabricates a twisted story, calling the pregnancy an "immaculate conception" and a "miracle" from God, claiming Ellie was "special" and chosen to have her baby. When Ellie questions this, knowing Noelle's lack of religious belief, Noelle slaps her violently.
Noelle's behavior becomes erratic, and her caregiving devolves into neglect and cruelty. She brings junk food instead of nutritious meals and unloads her frustrations onto Ellie. In a moment of fear, Ellie asks what would happen if Noelle had an accident, and Noelle's casual assurance that she would "tell someone" offers a sliver of hope. Ellie recognizes her conflicting feelings as a form of Stockholm syndrome and understands she must cling to the parts of herself that want Noelle dead, as those are the "strong, healthy parts" that might one day lead to her escape. This chapter deeply explores the twisted version of The Nature of Family and Motherhood.
Chapter 44: The Trump Card
In another excerpt from her manuscript, Noelle recounts the moment Floyd breaks up with her. He tells her the relationship has "run its course" and that they should figure out "how to be apart" before the baby arrives. Noelle is internally furious, believing he just wants to sleep with other people, but she maintains a calm exterior.
As she packs her belongings, she knows she holds the ultimate "trump card": the baby. Seeing Floyd's daughter on the landing, she feels superior, believing the baby she holds captive in her basement is "better than her" and will win Floyd back. Her obsession fuels her hope.
Chapter 45: The End
Noelle's manuscript provides the horrifying conclusion to Ellie's story. She describes the "home birth" in cold, detached terms, stating she "got that baby out of her without any medical intervention." Ellie names the baby Poppy Dunn. Noelle then concocts an elaborate lie for the authorities to register Poppy, claiming she didn't know she was pregnant and gave birth unexpectedly at home. She successfully navigates the system, and she and Poppy "slipped through the net."
Meanwhile, Ellie suffers terribly after the birth, developing infections and becoming physically and mentally unwell. She loses interest in the baby and calls out incessantly for her mother, Laurel Mack. Noelle, finding Ellie's cries unbearable and her purpose served, makes a final, monstrous decision. The chapter, and Ellie's story, ends with Noelle's chilling confession:
Then one day, when the baby was about five months old, I shut the door to that room, and for a very long time I did not go back.
Key Events
- Ellie feels the baby move for the first time but doesn't understand what is happening.
- Noelle reveals in her manuscript that she used Floyd's sperm to impregnate Ellie and faked her own pregnancy to deceive him.
- Noelle's treatment of Ellie becomes increasingly erratic and cruel as the pregnancy progresses.
- Floyd breaks up with Noelle, unaware that she is holding his biological child's mother captive.
- Ellie gives birth to Poppy in the basement.
- Noelle successfully registers Poppy as her own daughter by lying to the authorities.
- Ellie becomes gravely ill after childbirth and is ultimately abandoned by Noelle to die in the basement.
Character Development
These chapters mark a significant turning point in the character arcs, revealing the true depths of their natures.
- Ellie Mack: Ellie's journey reaches its tragic conclusion. She moves from confusion about her pregnancy to psychological torment, battling Stockholm syndrome while clinging to a desire for survival. Her physical and mental deterioration after Poppy's birth is swift and heartbreaking, culminating in her death.
- Noelle Donnelly: Noelle is fully unmasked as a sociopath. Her manuscript reveals the depth of her calculated cruelty and obsession. Her initial pretense of care for the pregnant Ellie dissolves into pure self-interest and irritation. Her final act of abandoning Ellie to die confirms her absolute lack of empathy or remorse.
- Floyd Dunn: Though he doesn't appear directly, his actions are pivotal. His decision to break up with Noelle, while reasonable from his perspective, unknowingly seals Ellie's fate. He remains a pawn in Noelle's horrific scheme, completely oblivious to the truth.
- Poppy Dunn: Poppy's origin story is revealed. She is born into horrific circumstances, a product of abduction and assault. Her existence is immediately shrouded in lies as Noelle steals her and creates a false identity for her.
Themes & Symbols
- Obsession and Psychological Manipulation: Noelle's obsession with Floyd is the catalyst for every horrific event. Her manipulation is multifaceted: she manipulates Ellie with lies about a "miracle" baby, she manipulates Floyd with a fake pregnancy, and she manipulates the authorities with a story of an accidental home birth.
- Deception and Hidden Truths: The core mystery of the novel is solved, revealing the terrible truth hidden in Noelle's basement. The narrative structure, which contrasts Ellie's experience with Noelle's confession, emphasizes the chasm between the lies Noelle presents to the world and the reality of her crimes.
- The Nature of Family and Motherhood: The theme is explored through its most disturbing inversion. Noelle's desire for a baby is about possession, not love. Ellie's brief, tragic experience of motherhood is stolen from her, and her final, desperate cries for her own mother highlight the power of the bond Noelle sought to counterfeit.
Significance
This section marks the narrative climax of the novel's "THEN" timeline, providing the long-awaited, horrifying answers to the central questions: What happened to Ellie? Who is Poppy's mother? Why does Poppy look so much like Ellie?
By revealing the full extent of Noelle's crimes, these chapters transform the reader's understanding of the present-day events. The knowledge of Ellie's fate imbues Laurel's search for the truth and her relationship with Floyd and Poppy with immense weight and dramatic irony. The revelation of Ellie's murder by neglect is the book's darkest moment, setting the stage for the final confrontation and resolution in the present.
Analysis
The power of these chapters lies in the masterful use of shifting perspectives. The juxtaposition of Ellie's terrified, claustrophobic point of view with Noelle's cold, self-justifying manuscript creates a deeply unsettling reading experience.
Then one day, when the baby was about five months old, I shut the door to that room, and for a very long time I did not go back.
Noelle's narrative voice is a key literary device. By having her address the manuscript to Floyd, Jewell creates a tone that is both intimately confessional and chillingly detached. Noelle feels no guilt; instead, she recounts her actions as if they were unfortunate necessities in her quest to secure Floyd's love. This lack of remorse makes her character truly monstrous. The final line of Chapter 45 is delivered with a flat, unemotional finality that is far more shocking than a dramatic description of the act would have been. It confirms the reader's worst fears in the coldest way possible, solidifying the profound sense of Grief, Loss, and Moving On that defines the novel.