Chapter 57
Contains spoilersOverview
Whitney confronted Blake in their bedroom, using a hidden bleach bottle and other staged incidents to suggest he was sabotaging her and Amanda. She packed to leave, ignored Blake’s pleas, and departed by taxi. As she left, Whitney noted Blake arguing with neighbor Mr. Zimmerly and reflected on her own petty provocations, which sparked a new idea to further frame Blake.
Summary
In the bedroom, Whitney held up a bottle of bleach she had previously hidden in the closet after the goldfish Goldy died and demanded an explanation from Blake. Blake appeared confused and distressed, unable to explain the mounting evidence against him, such as his phone appearing in Amanda’s bed and lipstick on his collar. Whitney pressed him, asking if he killed Goldy to frame Amanda, and then recited a list of his supposed recent misdeeds—many of which she herself had orchestrated—while packing her clothes.
Whitney invoked Quillizabeth’s warning that Blake would harm her, using it to justify leaving. Blake insisted he would never cheat on or hurt Whitney, but she dismissed his protests and zipped up her suitcase, announcing she was going. When Blake blocked the door, tension rose and Whitney feared he might snap, but he stepped aside, and she proceeded downstairs.
Blake followed Whitney to the first floor, pleading with her not to go. Whitney, anticipating his evening getting worse, had already sabotaged his leftover Chinese food by stirring strands of Amanda’s hair—taken from a brush—into the noodles, knowing he ate straight from the container without reheating.
At the front door, Blake continued to beg, even declaring his love and calling her “Krista.” A taxi Whitney had prearranged arrived at that moment, and she left without engaging further. As the cab pulled away, Whitney looked back and saw Blake still in the street.
Whitney then noticed neighbor Mr. Zimmerly emerge and start yelling at Blake, likely about garbage cans, a frequent complaint. She had been secretly escalating their friction by pulling the trash bins back out after Blake put them away, causing Blake confusion and annoyance. As the cab turned the corner, Blake and Mr. Zimmerly were shouting at each other, and Whitney observed that Blake’s open dislike for Mr. Zimmerly would make him a prime suspect if anything happened to the neighbor.
Seeing this public argument gave Whitney a fresh idea, implying she might leverage the conflict to further frame Blake.
Who Appears
- Whitney (narrator)
Blake’s fiancée; orchestrated staged evidence, confronted Blake with the bleach bottle, packed to leave, sabotaged Blake’s food with Amanda’s hair, and conceived a new plan after witnessing Blake’s argument with the neighbor.
- Blake
Whitney’s fiancé; confused and distraught by accusations, pleaded with Whitney, blocked her briefly, then let her go; later argued with Mr. Zimmerly outside.
- Amanda
tenant; absent this scene but implicated via staged evidence (phone, lipstick) and used in Whitney’s food sabotage through strands of her hair.
- Mr. Zimmerly
neighbor; argued with Blake about garbage cans; target of Whitney’s ongoing petty provocations; potential future pawn in Whitney’s plan.
- Quillizabeth
psychic; referenced for her prior warning that Blake would harm Whitney, which Whitney used to justify leaving.
- Goldy
pet goldfish; previously died; associated with the bleach bottle Whitney used as a prop during the confrontation.