Never Lie
by Freida McFadden
Contents
Chapter 15
Overview
Tricia's fear that an intruder is inside Adrienne Hale's house peaks after she finds the portrait rehung and hears a crash, but Ethan reveals that he was the one who moved the painting. His reassurance restores a sense of safety between them, even as it highlights how shaken and uncertain Tricia has become in the isolated house. The chapter also quietly raises the stakes in their marriage because Tricia nearly tells Ethan about her pregnancy, then chooses silence for one more night.
Summary
After seeing Adrienne Hale's portrait hanging again, Tricia is convinced someone else is inside the house. Still holding the scissors, Tricia runs upstairs in panic, wakes Ethan, and looks for a heavy object to block the bedroom door.
Tricia tells Ethan she heard a crash downstairs and believes there is an intruder in the living room. Ethan, half asleep at first, dismisses the danger and suggests ordinary explanations such as the house settling or snow sliding off the roof. When Tricia points to the moved portrait as proof, Ethan reveals that he himself put the painting back up.
Ethan's explanation immediately undercuts Tricia's fear that someone has been moving through the house. Tricia realizes Ethan likely rehung the portrait when he went downstairs earlier, and she lets him take the scissors away. Ethan embraces Tricia, insists that nobody else is in the house, and promises that he will protect her.
Reassured by Ethan's calm certainty, Tricia's panic fades and she begins to believe the crash could have had an innocent cause. As they lie back down together, Tricia thinks that the moment would be a good time to tell Ethan about the baby, but exhaustion overtakes Tricia before she can speak, and she falls asleep beside him.
Who Appears
- TriciaNewlywed narrator who panics over a suspected intruder, then is reassured by Ethan and keeps her pregnancy secret.
- EthanTricia's husband; dismisses the noise, reveals he rehung the portrait, and promises to protect her.