Chapter 27 Summary: Twenty-four

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Chapter 27 opens with Adelaide rushing through Heathrow after a dispiriting morning of flat viewings—all three apartments smelled of feet, and she's thrown together a suitcase of formal dresses and heels. She's wearing an old high-school T-shirt, hair unstraightened, and texts Eloise in a giddy frenzy before boarding a flight to Mykonos.

Nico's older brother Baz picks her up at the airport. He's serving as the koumbaros (best man) at the wedding and offers to show her the island while Nico and Eloise nap off their jet lag. Baz drives her through the windmills and cobblestoned Old Town streets, where a bartender offers free ouzo shots. Adelaide drinks two—one for herself, one for Baz, who's driving—and they laugh together.

Back at the house, Adelaide reunites with Eloise and Nico. The reunion feels like coming home from battle: everything is safe, unchanged, and exactly as she left it. Eloise explains that her mother and aunts are flying in the next day for the rehearsal, and that most guests will be Nico's relatives—so Adelaide should expect lots of dancing, ouzo, and shouts of “Opaaa.”

That night, Adelaide surprises herself. She stays out until four in the morning dancing with Baz and his boyfriend, Bobby (Haralambos), singing along to songs she hasn't heard in a decade. For the first time in months, she isn't thinking about Nathalie Alban, Rory Hughes, miscarriages, flat hunting, or her overflowing inbox. She's simply present—feeling the breeze, drinking cold water, and thinking that this little island feels like magic.

The next morning, Celeste texts about a one-bedroom flat in Pimlico with herringbone floors, available next month. Adelaide, hungover but hopeful, says yes. Downstairs, Nico offers to read her coffee grounds. He has a rule: he never reveals bad news, only good. But when he looks into her cup, he sees knives, broken rings, and scissors—symbols of damaged relationships and physical harm. He lies, telling her she might have a fall and to be careful on the stairs. Later that day, after dinner, he confesses to Eloise that he's afraid for Adelaide's future. Eloise insists he must be wrong sometimes. Nico fears that this time, he's exactly right.

Two days later, Eloise and Nico marry in a small church overlooking the sea. The night before, the group stuffed bags of Jordan almonds and laughed until late; Adelaide, Baz, and Eloise's mom stayed up to prepare the favors and pack the stefana crowns. Adelaide found Eloise awake in her bed, unable to sleep, and the two shared a bed, whispering about how Eloise would be a wife by tomorrow.

At the ceremony, Adelaide weeps through most of the service, holding two bouquets of wildflowers. She sends Rory photos from the reception—the happy couple, herself in a pale blue dress, the kalamatiano dance—but he doesn't respond.

Adelaide flies to New York the next day, hungover but beaming. She works from Alliance's office for the week, sharing a desk with Sam, watering Eloise's plants, and preparing her toast for the couple's second reception at the New York Public Library. She hasn't heard from Rory in over a week and tells herself the wedding photos likely stirred up memories of Nathalie.

At the reception, Adelaide delivers a heartfelt toast about her theory that people come into our lives when the universe knows we need them—and that Nico and Eloise were meant to find each other. The room raises their glasses.

Minutes later, Rory texts: he's been low, and he's sorry for the delay. Adelaide steps out to call him, but he doesn't answer. The next morning, she sends croissants from PAUL to his London flat, but he's in Manchester visiting his brothers. He thanks her, and nothing more.

Key Events

• Adelaide arrives at Heathrow after three disappointing flat viewings and flies to Mykonos.

• Baz picks her up, shows her the island, and they share ouzo shots with a local bartender.

• Adelaide reunites with Eloise and Nico; the reunion feels like coming home.

• Adelaide stays out until 4 AM dancing with Baz and his boyfriend Bobby.

• Celeste texts about a one-bedroom flat in Pimlico with herringbone floors.

• Nico reads Adelaide's coffee grounds and privately tells Eloise he fears for Adelaide's future.

• Eloise and Nico marry in a small church overlooking the sea; Adelaide weeps through the ceremony.

• Adelaide sends Rory reception photos; he doesn't respond.

• Adelaide flies to New York, works from Alliance's office, and gives a toast at the couple's second reception at the New York Public Library.

• Rory texts during the reception, saying he's been low; Adelaide's calls go unanswered, and her croissants arrive after he's left for Manchester.

Character Development

Adelaide experiences a rare moment of genuine presence and joy in Mykonos. For the first time in months, she isn't consumed by Nathalie, Rory, or her own grief—she's simply alive and grateful. This chapter shows her capacity for joy, but also her pattern of avoiding difficult truths: she tells herself Rory's silence is fine, that the wedding photos stirred something in him, and she keeps reaching out despite his distance. Her toast reveals her deep belief in fate and the universe's design, a belief that contrasts sharply with the foreboding Nico senses in her coffee grounds.

Nico emerges as a protective, intuitive figure. His fortune-telling talent is established as real and serious—he sees genuine danger in Adelaide's cup but conceals it to spare her anxiety. His confession to Eloise shows his care for Adelaide as more than just his wife's best friend; he's genuinely afraid for her.

Eloise is radiant and grounded on her wedding day, but she remains deeply tied to Adelaide. The night before the wedding, she seeks Adelaide's comfort, and the two share a bed. Their exchange about being each other's