53 pages • 1 hour read
A. R. TorreEvery Last Secret
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 2-Interlude 2Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 2: “June, Three Months Earlier”
Part 2, Chapter 12 Summary: “Cat”
The narrative returns to June, three months prior to the day Neena is questioned by the detective. The Winthorpes and the Ryders are sitting at the pool inside the country club. Neena is worried about William and Matt talking to other women at the pool. Cat, frustrated by Neena’s worries, is reassured that everyone knows William is married and thus off-limits. Matt, though, is new, and the single women at the pool won’t care that he isn’t as handsome as William. Cat knows that Matt’s red guest wristband will deter other women because it is “a giant ‘Not Rich Enough to be Here’ red flag” (77). Although pretending to be unconcerned, Cat notices Neena checking out William at the pool.
Part 2, Chapter 13 Summary: “Neena”
It’s one week later. Neena goes to the Winthorpes to ask if William can come over—there’s a bird stuck in the Ryders’ house, and Matt, a developer, is away on a job site. William helps Neena free the bird, and the two have a seemingly casual conversation. Neena tells William she enjoys running and asks if Cat runs; William says no but admits that he goes running frequently (which she already knew from her own observation). Neena has orchestrated this conversation as “bait” and is thrilled when William takes the bait and suggests that he and Neena go running together.
Part 2, Chapter 14 Summary: “Cat”
Cat, noticing how Neena is infiltrating the Winthorpes’ life, grows uneasy. She calls the private investigator her friend Kelly recommended and asks him to investigate Neena. Later that day, Cat casually asks William how Neena is doing at work. He responds that Neena is doing well and “it’s what I needed” (88). Cat is not happy that Neena can give William something she cannot and wants Neena away from William at Winthorpe Technologies.
Part 2, Chapter 15 Summary: “Neena”
The Ryders are at the Winthorpes’ home for dinner. Neena’s fantasies about William are growing more vivid: “Being naked in Cat’s bed was a fantasy I was already entertaining” (89). At one point, Cat and Neena, away from the men, discuss William. Cat remarks that she finds it odd how “chummy” Neena and William are getting. Neena asks if Cat is jealous; Cat says she isn’t. However, Neena notices Cat’s insecurity and gets a rush from it: “Even if I hadn’t made progress in breaking through William Winthorpe’s morals, I had nicked Cat’s world. And that was almost as sweet of a victory” (91).
In the same conversation, Neena reminds Cat that Neena is hoping to join the charity wine auction board. Neena points out that the board member job is almost as much work as a part-time job, noting, “It will drag my time and focus away from William” (92). Neena suspects that Cat understands the implied negotiation: If Cat helps Neena get on the charity wine auction board, Neena will back off William. Neena, though, doesn’t intend to uphold her end of the trade. Neena is convinced that she has the upper hand and Cat “would eventually lose this game” (92).
Part 2, Chapter 16 Summary: “Cat”
Cat and William are having dinner together when Neena’s name comes up. Cat tells William that she doesn’t think Neena is a good fit for the charity wine auction board. Cat also questions Neena’s professional experience, noting that she was mysteriously promoted from a secretary to a senior people management position at her former company. William doesn’t take Cat’s complaints about Neena seriously. Cat is annoyed that Neena is infiltrating her dinner with William even though she isn’t physically present: “I wanted one meal where her name didn’t come up” (95).
Part 2, Chapter 17 Summary: “Neena”
Neena, claiming that her car is having trouble, gets a ride to work with William. William tells Nina that she smells good. The rest of the conversation is casual, touching on topics such as the weather. However, Neena stealthily continues her seduction. She purposefully shifts her legs so that her knee is close to William’s hand on the gearshift. When William shifts gears, he brushes against Neena’s leg, which she purposefully doesn’t move: “This was it. William Winthorpe was touching me. Practically caressing me” (99). Elated, Neena reflects on the possibilities that a successful seduction of William might offer—she ponders two options: quick sex, followed by her blackmailing William for money, or getting William to fall in love with her so she can become “the next Mrs. Winthorpe” (99). Neena intends to win, just as she did with Ned Plymouth.
Part 2, Chapter 18 Summary: “Cat”
Cat receives an email from the private investigator whom she asked to investigate Neena. She discovers that Neena didn’t quit her last job, as she claims—rather, she was fired. She received a severance that required her to have no contact with Ned Plymouth, her former employer, or any of his family and to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA). Cat realizes that Neena and Ned likely had an affair. Shortly after this discovery, Cat runs into Neena at Winthorpe Technologies. Cat reveals that Neena didn’t get accepted into the charity wine auction board because the other women on the board had heard rumors that Neena goes after married men. Cat is just making this up; the other women have no clue about Neena’s past. Cat points out, “Rumors like that can kill someone’s reputation” (103). Cat resolves, “A sociopathic blonde with boundary issues wasn’t going to bring down my house” (103).
Interlude 2 Summary: “Neena”
This chapter returns to the present, and Neena is still being questioned by a detective. The detective accuses Neena of blackmailing Ned Plymouth; she has text messages between Neena and Ned, plus the check Ned wrote Neena, to back up the accusations. The check is for a million dollars. Neena stares at the check, thinking how it once seemed so valuable to her, but now one million dollars wasn’t enough. She assesses, with some regret, her targeting William and admits she hadn’t been “the smartest person in this game” (105).
Part 2-Interlude 2 Analysis
Part 2 deepens the power struggle between Cat and Neena, giving the readers greater insights into each woman’s psyche. Although nothing has happened yet between Neena and William, Neena continues using Manipulation and Deceit to seduce him. Neena finds excuses to spend time with William—going running, needing help with a bird in the house, or requiring a ride to work. Neena also finds small ways to cross the line with William, such as in the car ride where she purposefully positions her legs so that his hand brushes against her knee when he shifts gears. Neena’s excitement at these small victories is palpable, and she thinks about how winning William from Cat will satisfy her Obsession with Wealth and Status.
Neena is convinced of her imminent success in getting William to cheat on Cat and dreams of the possibilities her victory will open: She blackmails William for quick financial gain, or she becomes “the next Mrs. Winthorpe,” which will likewise confer wealth and status (99). Neena is confident because she’s pulled off a similar scheme already with Ned Plymouth.
The alternating points of view allow for dramatic irony (the reader knows something the characters do not): Neena is unaware (but the reader understands) that Cat is catching on to her plan. Neena thinks Cat is oblivious, but Cat hires a private investigator to look into Neena’s past. Cat’s discovery of Neena’s affair with Ned alerts her that Neena has no qualms about pursuing a married man. The power struggle between the two women intensifies, and Neena has no idea that Cat is on to her. It’s only in retrospect that Neena realizes Cat was suspicious of her all along. Neena acknowledges her error in judgment in the unnumbered chapter that concludes Part 2 (“I had made the horrible assumption that I was the smartest person in this game” [105]).
Part 2 also reveals Neena’s frequent Manipulation and Deceit: Her history of extramarital affairs is robust and includes a dalliance with Matt’s brother. Meanwhile, Cat demonstrates her own deceit as well. She’s friendly to Neena’s face while scheming and hiring a private investigator behind her back. Cat is determined to eliminate Neena from the Winthorpes’ lives even before she has confirmation that Neena and William are having an affair. As soon as William expresses a need for Neena, Cat’s jealousy and possessiveness inspires her to decide, “The newest member of Winthorpe Tech needed to be gone” (88).
Despite the increasing intensity, Cat’s and Neena’s feuding remains below the surface. Their superficial niceness is an aspect of their Obsession with Wealth and Status because neither woman would publicly be rude to the other, for instance. It also would be unseemly for Neena to make an obvious play for William’s affections, or for Cat to call Neena a husband-stealer outright. An overt feud would harm both women’s social status and make them an object of harmful gossip. Rather, the women subtly refer to their struggle in coded language, such as when Neena suggests to Cat that a seat on the charity wine auction board would be enough to keep Neena away from William (“It will drag my time and focus away from William” [92]). A similarly coded conversation occurs when Cat tells Neena that she didn’t get a seat on the charity wine auction board because the other women heard rumors that Neena pursues married men. Again, Cat wouldn’t accuse Neena outright; Cat has to keep up the appearance of being confident and secure in her marriage. She also uses Manipulation and Deceit to convince Neena that Cat is in her corner, watching out for her with the other women and attempting to downplay the supposed rumors.
Neena’s considers her implicit suggestion that she’ll back off William in exchange for a seat on the wine auction charity board as a “fair trade.” The idea of a trade implies that both women see their marriages as a commodity to be used toward their goals of wealth and status. Neena will take a financial payout or the role of William’s wife—either one will give her what she wants. While Cat certainly seems infatuated with William, it’s unclear how much of her desire to cling to him comes from genuine love versus a desire to maintain her lavish lifestyle.
The scene at the Atherton country club demonstrates both women’s Obsession with Wealth and Status. William and Cat are members, but Matt and Neena can’t afford the membership fees and go to the club as guests of the Winthorpes. Cat is blunt about the social implications, as she notes that Matt’s guest wristband will make him undesirable to any of the single women at the country club. Of the wristband, Cat thinks to herself, “Neena was displaying hers proudly, unaware that it was a giant ‘Not Rich Enough to Be Here’ red flag” (77). The country club shows Neena’s aspirations juxtaposed with Cat’s established position in the social circle. Cat’s superior understanding of the social codes at the country club gives her an advantage over Neena, who thinks that her presence alone at the club is a step up.
The idea that a wristband symbolizes a lack of wealth and is a “red flag” speaks to the book’s subtle position regarding the dangers of capitalism, which is woven into the theme of Obsession with Wealth and Status. Both Neena and Cat desire wealth because it affords them access to goods and services that help them gain social capital. In their social circle, women value a carefully curated image of affluence: lavish homes, carefully maintained and styled hair, expensive clothes (and the body to wear them, thanks to a gym and trainer), and obviously valuable jewelry. Neena and Cat, both from less wealthy backgrounds, are desperate to either attain (Neena) or maintain (Cat) wealth and status. At their core, neither woman is fully satisfied. Neena gets her million-dollar payday from Ned but decides it’s not enough—she aspires to more. By the book’s end, although Cat will have “won” and preserved her marriage to William, enjoying the wealth and status that brings, she will also remain dissatisfied. Cat and Neena’s perpetual dissatisfaction and constant need for more suggests a sly nod to the capitalist machine, which often leaves people in a pattern of wanting more, acquiring more, working more. When the satisfaction with what they’ve acquired wanes, the cycle begins again. Neena especially feels the pull of this pattern when she acknowledges both that her ring from Matt once gave her satisfaction and the million dollars from Ned was enough at one time. Neither is enough for her now, and she must perpetually seek more.
