The Golden Couple

The narrative shifts to Marissa’s third-person perspective. Marissa is perturbed by Skip’s presence and wonders if Matthew suspects the truth; however, Matthew seems oblivious. Avery prepares to leave the Bishops’ home. As she’s going, Avery whispers to Marissa, “I know he’s the guy” (296). She advises Marissa to pretend to feel nauseous so that Skip will leave and Marissa won’t have to be alone between her husband and the man with whom she betrayed him. Avery’s suggestion works. Marissa is relieved: “Now that Avery knows the truth about Skip, Marissa can finally tell her the full story about the summer she kissed Skip but ended up as Matthew’s girl” (298).

Marissa reflects on the night of Tina’s death. Marissa, Tina, Skip, and some other kids were playing Truth or Dare at the beach. As part of the game, Marissa kissed Skip; she sensed that Tina had a crush on Skip but didn’t care. Tina got drunk and got into an argument with some boys they were hanging out with and ran off. Skip and Marissa followed Tina, but she got even more upset when they approached her together—she lashed out at them and ran away. Marissa went home alone. When she woke up the next morning, Marissa’s mom told her that Tina was found dead, murdered—and possibly sexually assaulted (she’d had sex before she died; it wasn’t clear if it was consensual). The police questioned all the kids who’d been at the beach. Marissa told them that Skip walked her home afterward. Skip then went to Matthew’s house to watch a movie—something Matthew’s mother verified, saying that she’d brought the boys popcorn and soda. All the teens had alibis. An English teacher at a local high school, “who’d always seemed a little creepy” (304), ended up being convicted of the crime.

Later, it will be revealed that Matthew murdered Tina. His mother lied to the police to cover for him. Chris knew.

After leaving the Bishops’ home, Avery meets Skip at Gabe’s Deli in DC. She talks to Skip to determine the link between herself and the Bishops. Skip tells Avery that he read the article about her in the Washington Post Magazine and sent it to Marissa, suggesting that she make an appointment. This was shortly after Skip and Marissa slept together. Skip had hoped that Marissa would go to the appointments alone and get the courage to leave Matthew; Skip didn’t expect her to bring Matthew. Avery tells Skip that Marissa loves Matthew and wants to repair things with him. Skip tells Avery: “You were asking about the summer when Matthew said he fell in love with Marissa. But I loved her first. I was her first kiss—did she ever tell you that?” (308).

Avery feels sorry for Skip, who seems to be obsessed with Marissa. Skip picks up four bowls of soup to go, which he’s planning to drop off at the Bishops’ since Marissa had said she was feeling ill. Skip tells Avery: “When Marissa was pregnant with Bennett, the only thing she could keep down was Gabe’s chicken noodle soup” (309). Avery realizes that Skip thinks that Marissa is pregnant. Skip confirms and tells Avery: “I’m almost positive it’s my baby” (310).

The narrative returns to Marissa’s third-person point of view. Marissa is at a Cub Scout event with Bennett and Chris. Avery meets Marissa at the park where the event is being held, giving the two women a chance to talk alone—their first conversation since the truth about Skip’s identity came out. Avery asks Marissa if Marissa is pregnant; Marissa says no. Marissa realizes that Skip thinks that she’s pregnant (and that that’s why he left the Gabe’s Deli chicken soup on the doorstep). Avery and Marissa’s conversation is interrupted by a scream from Bennett—he’s cut himself in his Cub Scout challenge because Chris let him use his pocketknife. Bennett is fine. Chris says that he “[c]an’t believe his dad didn’t teach him how to at least open a pocketknife,” to which Marissa replies, “Don’t you ever talk that way about Matthew again” (319).

The narrative shifts back to Avery’s first-person perspective. Avery is preparing to leave the park where the Cub Scout event was held. She’s getting into her car when she’s accosted by Chris, who introduces himself and asks Avery how she knows Marissa (Chris saw Avery and Marissa talking on the outskirts of the event). Avery lies and says that she’s a friend of a friend. Avery wonders if she should take a closer look at Chris: “The mother-daughter dynamic gets a lot of coverage, but the father-son relationship is equally complicated.” (322).

Avery goes to meet Matthew, who’s at the wharf preparing a surprise for Marissa: He’s rented a boat for the weekend, and tomorrow, his and Marissa’s 12-year anniversary, he wants to take her out for a romantic day on the water. Avery questions Matthew about Skip. Matthew admits that he never had serious suspicions about Skip having a crush on Marissa until recently, when Skip left the chicken-noodle soup on the porch for Marissa. Matthew also notes that Skip was Marissa’s first kiss and provides Avery the backstory about his, Skip’s, and Marissa’s relationship and tells her about the summer that Tina was murdered. Avery asks about Tina’s death, to which Matthew replies: “Look, I’m not really sure. You know how people are—everyone had crazy theories about what happened to Tina. But the truth came out. And Marissa and I ended up together so…” (329).

Avery’s and Matthew’s conversation is cut short when Avery thinks that she sees someone nearby. Avery pursues the person but doesn’t catch them. However, she finds a scrap of paper on the ground. It’s a receipt for a bar in DC. The receipt is for two Cluny and sodas. Seeing the name Cluny, Avery remembers that “[i]t’s the brand of cheap Scotch that Matthew said his father drinks” (331).

The narrative shifts back to Marissa’s third-person perspective. Marissa goes to Coco to confront Polly—Marissa assumes that Polly is the person who told Skip that Marissa might be pregnant. Polly denies knowing Skip. Their conversation is interrupted by Matthew, calling to ask Marissa if she left the window to his office open. Marissa says no and wonders if someone broke in. Worried, Marissa leaves Coco and goes home. At home, Marissa finds Bennett eating a Wintergreen Lifesaver, the kind “Uncle Skip” always carries around. When Marissa asks Bennett if he got the Lifesaver from Uncle Skip, Bennett says no; he found it in Matthew’s office. Matthew suggests that Skip must have dropped the package of Lifesavers when he was in the Bishops’ home the previous night. However, Marissa is starting to worry about Skip—is he so obsessed with her that he’d break into the Bishops’ home?

The narrative returns to Avery’s first-person point of view. Avery goes to the bar in DC where the receipt for two Cluny and sodas came from and interviews a waiter. She assumes that Chris was at the bar and wants to know whom he was with. Avery shows the waiter photos of Matthew and Skip. The waiter identifies Skip as the man with whom Chris visited.

The narrative shifts back to Marissa’s third-person point of view. Marissa is at home, googling the death of Tina. Marissa finds media coverage of Tina’s murder and the former English teacher’s conviction. A more recent article dated nine months prior quotes the former English teacher as saying: “I’ve spent half my life sitting in a cell while the real killer walks free” (354). Marissa wonders who killed Tina if the former English teacher didn’t. That night, Marissa asks Matthew about the night Tina was killed, asking: “Why did you lie for Skip all those years ago?” (355). Matthew replies:

Because it looked bad for him, and I knew he didn’t kill Tina. You and I know Skip sometimes went to work on his boat at night, when he was taking clients fishing early the next morning. But if the police knew he was out there alone, near the spot where Tina was killed? They might not have believed him (356).

Until now, Marissa found Matthew’s lie harmless. Now, Marissa is worried. Marissa suspects that Skip killed Tina. Now, he’s acting obsessively about Marissa—dropping off the soup, sending her notes and flowers, possibly breaking into the Bishops’ house. Marissa brings up her suspicions to Matthew and finally tells him the truth: “I didn’t sleep with a guy from the gym… It was Skip” (358). Matthew is enraged, especially when he learns that Avery knew about Skip, too. Marissa tells Matthew that she’s ended it with Skip but that Skip can’t seem to let go. With the secret out in the open, Marissa is relieved.

Later it will be revealed that Matthew knew all along about Skip and has carefully been setting up a revenge plot: He’s planting seeds to make Skip look obsessive and dangerous; he plans to shoot Marissa, frame Skip for the job, and shoot Skip and claim self-defense.

The narrative shifts back to Avery’s first-person point of view. She’s preparing for her eighth session with Matthew and Marissa: “The Test.” Matthew calls Avery to tell her that Marissa told him about Skip: “I’ve done a lot of soul-searching, and one thing I know for sure is that I want to stay married to Marissa. I can’t help it. I love my wife” (363). Matthew hints to Avery that Skip could be violent. Avery is on a walk with Romeo when she runs into Skip; she’s shocked to see that Skip is wearing blue leather gloves—these are the gloves that Skip supposedly gave to Ray, the homeless man, plus $20 to slip the threatening note under Coco’s door. So why does Skip still have the gloves on?

The narrative returns to Marissa’s point of view. She’s preparing for her 12th anniversary with Matthew and looking for tape to wrap his present, a vintage Rolex. Looking for tape, Marissa opens Matthew’s desk drawer and finds Bennett’s Cub Scout rope. The rope is tied in a sailor’s knot—one that Bennett doesn’t know how to make. Marissa realizes that Skip was toying with the rope when he was over that night. Matthew found the rope and saw the knot and knew that Skip had been there. Marissa realizes that Matthew has known about Skip all along.

Matthew interrupts Marissa, catching her off guard. Matthew reveals that he asked Polly to keep an eye on Marissa. Matthew shows Marissa the torn-up note, taped back together, that Polly fished out of the garbage at Coco. Marissa gets increasingly afraid as Matthew speaks. Marissa asks Matthew how long he’s known. Matthew replies: “Forever. Skip has always had a piece of your heart. But in terms of you fucking him? I confirmed it the following night, when you went into the shower and left your cell phone in your purse” (374). Matthew saw that Skip had called Marissa the night that Matthew was out of town and that the call lasted for 47 seconds: “Not long enough for a proper catch-up with an old friend, but more than enough time to invite one over” (374).

Marissa realizes that “Matthew has been creating fictional scene after fictional scene. And she believes every one of them. He was never the unaware, wronged husband” (374). Matthew reveals that he is the one who told Skip that Marissa was pregnant. Matthew was also the person who paid Ray to slip the threatening note under Coco’s door; Matthew made sure to get the same blue leather gloves that Marissa had gifted Skip for Christmas to trick Marissa. Matthew even set up the fake break-in, leaving his office window open and planting the Lifesavers. Matthew admits that the “assault” was self-inflicted; he hit himself with a brick.

Matthew is in the midst of his confession to Marissa when they’re interrupted by Skip outside, trying to get in. Matthew has a gun. Marissa realizes that Matthew’s scheme seems to be going according to plan: “He’s going to kill her, frame Skip, then murder Skip, claiming it was self-defense.” (377) Skip breaks into the house through a window. In front of Skip and Marissa, Matthew admits to murdering Tina. Matthew runs to the window to shoot Skip. A gunshot goes off.

The narrative returns to Avery’s first-person point of view and jumps back slightly in time. When Avery ran into Skip with the blue leather gloves, she realized that Matthew had known about Skip all along. Avery pieces together various clues and figures out Matthew’s scheme. She tells Skip that they need to go to the Bishops’ house. Avery sneaks in the back with her gun, unnoticed, while Skip breaks in through the window. The plot lines converge back to the point of the gunshot. It turns out that the gunshot was Avery shooting Matthew. Matthew is dead. Skip and Marissa are safe. Avery confirms that Matthew is dead: “He tricked me before. He’s not going to do it again” (384).

The narrative returns to Marissa’s third-person point of view. It’s been eight days since Matthew’s death. Marissa and Bennett are staying in the guest room in Skip’s townhouse. Polly continues to manage Coco; she confirms that Matthew asked Polly to look after Marissa and paid her. However, Polly’s intentions weren’t nefarious; Matthew lied to Polly and told her Marissa was pregnant. Polly just thought that Matthew wanted to protect Marissa. Natalie and the moms at school have rallied around Marissa, making sure that the kids aren’t teasing Bennett. Marissa’s life is fractured, but the people whom she suspected of being out to get her are now in fact the ones rallying around her.

The final chapter reverts to Avery’s first-person perspective. Marissa and Avery have continued their sessions, alone. They have one last session left: “Promises”—a chance for Marissa to embrace her new future. Avery realizes that Matthew’s father, Chris, is associated with Acelia. Chris, looking for an entry point into Avery’s life, asked Skip to befriend Avery—Avery and Skip’s meeting in the bar was no accident. Skip came clean to Avery recently, telling her: “I liked and respected you too much to try and trick you into giving me information about your clients” (396). The other things that Skip told Avery were true: Skip sent Marissa the article about Avery, hoping that Marissa would leave Matthew, whom Skip had begun to suspect was dangerous.

Avery goes to meet Chris. Avery gives Chris her condolences for Matthew’s death. Chris replies: “I lost my son when he was sixteen and came home with blood on his shirt the night that girl was murdered. My wife went to bed early that night, but Matthew told her to say he and Skip watched a movie with her, so she did” (397). Avery tells Chris that she knows about his affiliation with Acelia and that Acelia is behind the investigation into Paul’s life insurance. Avery tells Chris to get Acelia to back down, using Bennett as a pawn. Chris agrees. Avery returns home. She looks at the spot where Paul’s hospital bed used to sit and remembers him telling her, “I’m ready” (401). Avery reveals that she in fact did have something to do with Paul’s death. She’d been amassing morphine for months before he died so that she could help him die on his terms.