Chapter 29: The New Year's Eve Ultimatum

⚠️ 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

Adrian has been barely present for days. He falls into bed near 2:00 a.m., leaves again by 6:00, sends one-word replies, and sometimes does not answer at all. When Vanessa brings him lunch at his office, he greets her almost like a client, gives her a quick kiss, and sends her back to the lobby. She tells herself the distance is temporary because he is buried in a big case, but another part of her recognizes that he is pulling away. She feels as if she is watching her own life from the outside, as if he is already grieving her.

During this stretch, her dad starts a new job, Brent buries himself in the BoobStick production, and Annabel still does not take calls at the rehabilitation center, so Vanessa spends most of her time alone with baby Grace. She decides to finish her end-of-life checklist. She visits the funeral home, rejects an expensive casket and burial plot, and instead chooses a simple cremation with a cardboard container. She does not trust her dad or Adrian to carry out her final wishes, so she asks Drake to scatter her ashes in the ocean. She also sets aside money for a round-the-world cruise for her dad, Annabel, Brent, Joel, and Grace, intending it as a family celebration of her life.

For New Year's Eve, she books the Agatha Christie suite at the Rivertown Inn in Stillwater and makes dinner reservations at her favorite wine bar. Her hope is that a quiet weekend away will help them reconnect. Adrian has not asked for the address, and by 6:00 p.m. he has not texted or answered her calls. She attends the inn's cocktail hour alone and takes a long bath while waiting.

When Adrian finally calls, he says Garcia has been arrested and he must drive to La Crosse. Vanessa's disappointment turns into anger. She accuses him of using work as an excuse to avoid being alone with her, and she tells him to break up with her if that is what he wants. Adrian admits that the work is the only thing keeping him somewhat sane. He then sets a bottom line: he needs her to agree to be diagnosed, to pursue clinical trials, and to take available treatments. Vanessa argues that control is an illusion, that people die unexpectedly in car accidents and from heart attacks, and that he is living the end twice by fixating on it. She reminds him that this could be her last New Year and that every day with her is a gift. He tells her he cannot be helpless while watching her die. She says she cannot afford to wait months for him to accept her illness, especially since he will not go to therapy, join a support group, or talk to her honestly. She refuses to be unhappy and lonely while he acts as though she is already dead, and she hangs up on him.

Key Events

Adrian's avoidance of Vanessa intensifies, with late nights, early departures, and distant behavior.
Vanessa reaches the end of her end-of-life planning by choosing cremation and asking Drake to scatter her ashes at sea.
She funds a round-the-world cruise for her dad, Annabel, Brent, Joel, and Grace instead of a traditional funeral.
Vanessa books the Agatha Christie suite at the Rivertown Inn for a romantic New Year's Eve weekend.
Adrian fails to show up or communicate, then calls to say Garcia was arrested and he must go to La Crosse.
Vanessa confronts him, saying he is ghosting her under the cover of work.
Adrian admits work keeps him sane and demands she pursue diagnosis, clinical trials, and medications as his bottom line.
Vanessa refuses his ultimatum and ends the call.

Character Development

Vanessa moves from quietly waiting for Adrian to return to openly confronting the distance between them. She also demonstrates finality in her decisions, choosing practical arrangements and refusing to compromise the little time she has left.
Adrian reveals that his love expresses itself through action and control. He cannot sit with helplessness, so he buries himself in work and presses for a treatment plan he knows she will not choose.
Vanessa's father is recontextualized in this chapter. She reflects that despite his flaws, he kept the family together after her mother died, which makes him stronger in that specific way than Adrian appears to be now.
Grace functions as a silent reminder of what Vanessa will leave behind and of the kind of loss Adrian would be left to process.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Work as avoidance: Adrian's long hours and urgent case are a visible escape from his grief. The chapter makes clear that work is not the reason for his absence but rather his method of coping.
The illusion of control: Vanessa argues that no one can promise forever, and that Adrian's pursuit of every treatment is an attempt to control something uncontrollable.
The present as a gift: Vanessa repeatedly tries to pull Adrian into the now, asking him to treat their remaining time as valuable instead of fixating on the future ending.
The Agatha Christie suite: The opulent inn room, with its train-car decor and the quote on the wall about being alive being a grand thing, mirrors Vanessa's desire to savor life even while facing death.
Feeling already gone: Vanessa describes slipping through Adrian's life like a ghost, and later says he acts as though she is already dead, which becomes the emotional core of their fight.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is the breaking point in Vanessa and Adrian's relationship. Up until now, their conflict has mostly been internal, with Vanessa noticing his distance and making excuses for it. Here, the avoidance becomes explicit and both characters state their positions out loud. Adrian names his condition: he needs her to fight harder for survival. Vanessa names hers: she will not spend her final months lonely and unhappy. Neither side can move, and the phone call ends with her hanging up on him.

The chapter also completes Vanessa's practical preparations for death, which underlines how little time she believes she has. She has planned every detail except the one thing she cannot control: whether Adrian will choose to be present with her while she is still alive.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Adrian cancel the New Year's Eve weekend, and what does his stated reason reveal? Adrian says Garcia was arrested and that, as Vanessa's attorney, he must travel to La Crosse. Vanessa points out that the firm has other lawyers, which reveals that his excuse is really a choice. His stated reason is protective and practical, but his behavior shows he is using work to create distance from her illness.
What does Vanessa mean when she tells Adrian that control is an illusion? She means that everyone dies unexpectedly, through accidents, heart attacks, or strokes, so no amount of planning or treatment can guarantee forever. She believes that by obsessing over the end, Adrian is essentially living the end twice instead of enjoying the time they still have together.
How does the Agatha Christie suite connect to Vanessa's frame of mind in this chapter? The quote on the suite wall expresses that being alive is a grand thing even when one is deeply unhappy. Vanessa has placed herself in a beautiful, whimsical setting and planned a celebration of life, which matches her attempt to make the most of her remaining time rather than spend it mourning in advance.