The Boyfriend
by Freida McFadden
Contents
Chapter 14
Overview
Sydney and Gretchen grieve Bonnie together, sharing memories that deepen Sydney’s sense that Bonnie had carefully hidden parts of herself, especially her secret relationship. After Gretchen leaves, Sydney is forced to sit alone with her fear and loss. The chapter ends with a significant turn when Sydney searches Detective Jacob Sousa on the Cynch app and finds him there, suggesting a new and unsettling connection to Bonnie’s case.
Summary
Sydney and Gretchen spend the evening crying over Bonnie, going through a full box of tissues and a bottle of wine while sharing memories about their friend. Gretchen recalls catching Bonnie practicing different smiles in the mirror for different situations, and although Gretchen insists Bonnie gave them her real smile, Sydney is left thinking that Bonnie may have kept parts of herself hidden even from her closest friends.
That thought leads Sydney back to Bonnie’s secret relationship. Sydney reflects that Bonnie wanted exclusivity with the man she nicknamed Dr. McHottie but never told Sydney or Gretchen his real name or introduced him, and Sydney bitterly wonders whether Bonnie’s killer would have been deterred if Bonnie’s friends had been able to identify him.
Before leaving, Gretchen produces two scrunchies Bonnie had left at her apartment and suggests they wear them in Bonnie’s honor. The two women put them on, toast Bonnie with the last of the wine, and finish the bottle. When Gretchen says she is going to spend the night at Randy’s apartment, Sydney remembers how calmly Randy handled the discovery of Bonnie’s mutilated body, which makes Randy seem strangely unfazed by something so horrific.
After Gretchen leaves close to midnight, Sydney is overwhelmed by how empty and lonely her apartment feels. Looking for comfort, Sydney finds the mint chocolate chip ice cream Bonnie had once brought over for dinner, even though it is Sydney’s least favorite flavor, and eats it as another small act of remembrance.
While sitting alone on the couch, Sydney picks up her phone and opens the Cynch app. Earlier she had been searching for the mysterious man connected to Bonnie, but now she enters a specific new name: Jacob Sousa. Sydney finds Detective Jake Sousa on the app, ending the chapter with a startling new lead.
Who Appears
- SydneyMourns Bonnie, feels abandoned after Gretchen leaves, and searches Jacob Sousa on Cynch.
- GretchenGrieves with Sydney, shares memories and Bonnie’s scrunchies, then leaves for Randy’s apartment.
- BonnieAbsent but central; remembered through stories, hidden habits, and the ice cream she once brought.
- Jacob SousaDetective on Bonnie’s case whose Cynch profile Sydney unexpectedly finds at the chapter’s end.
- RandyGretchen’s boyfriend, noted for staying calm when Bonnie’s mutilated body was discovered.