The Boyfriend
by Freida McFadden
Contents
Chapter 21
Overview
After Bonnie’s funeral, Sydney believes she sees the real Kevin in the church, suggesting that the threat around her may still be close and watching. Although Gretchen urges action, Sydney suppresses her fear because she doubts her own perception and lacks concrete evidence. The chapter reinforces Sydney’s lingering trauma and shows her trying to regain control by following Jake’s safety advice while remaining deeply unsettled.
Summary
At the end of Bonnie’s funeral, Sydney and Gretchen are exhausted from crying, and Sydney notices that her earlier panic has eased because she feels emotionally drained. As people begin leaving the church, Sydney remembers seeing the man she thinks was the real Kevin sitting in the back row during the service.
Sydney looks for him again, but the seat is now occupied by an elderly man, and Kevin is gone. When Gretchen asks what is wrong, Sydney explains that the man from the terrible date—the one who attacked her—was at the funeral.
Gretchen is alarmed and asks if they should call the police. Sydney hesitates because she now doubts her own sighting, believing her fear and grief may have made her mistake someone else for Kevin. Sydney also knows she has little useful information, since she is not even sure of Kevin’s real name.
Because Sydney has already told Detective Jake Sousa about Kevin, Sydney decides not to report this possible sighting and says she probably got it wrong. Even so, Sydney cannot shake her uneasiness. Sydney resolves to follow Jake’s advice by locking her dead bolt every night and staying off Cynch, hoping Jake will catch Bonnie’s killer so life can eventually return to normal.
Who Appears
- SydneyGrieving Bonnie at the funeral, she thinks she spots Kevin and chooses not to report it.
- GretchenSupports Sydney at the funeral and urges her to call the police about Kevin.
- KevinSydney believes the man who attacked her briefly appears at Bonnie’s funeral.
- BonnieHer funeral frames the chapter and underscores Sydney’s grief and fear.
- Jake SousaDetective whose earlier safety advice guides Sydney’s decision at the chapter’s end.