Chapter 15: Daphne — Summary and Analysis

⚠️ 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

The chapter opens with Daphne and Ethan arriving at a deserted office building on Ethan's motorcycle. Daphne is uneasy about the location, which feels like a horror-movie setting, but Ethan assures her it's the right place. Inside, they meet Rei—a name Daphne initially mistakes for Ray—an Asian American hacker who deals in secrets. Rei explains that the office is borrowed and unbugged, and she and Ethan share an easy, playful rapport that makes Daphne feel a pang of jealousy.

Rei examines the threatening email Daphne received and determines it shares the same firewall as the email Ethan received. She concludes that someone is harassing them both, and that the encryption is either government-grade or the work of someone incredibly wealthy and paranoid about security. To trace the source, Rei says she needs a few thousand dollars to rent a private server bank for sufficient computing power.

Daphne proposes a more direct approach: hacking Gabriella Madison's personal computer. Ethan refuses outright, worried that Gabriella will retaliate against Daphne. Daphne reluctantly agrees to drop the idea for now. Rei gives them contact instructions through a bakery website—Melinda's Gourmet Bakery—where they can reach her by requesting a fiftieth-anniversary cake through the encrypted contact form.

On the ride back, Daphne notices a black SUV trailing them. Ethan accelerates and cuts through a traffic circle, then shoots through a yellow-light intersection at top speed. The SUV tries to follow but nearly collides with a truck. Daphne, who has a knack for sensing cameras, confirms the pursuer only had a phone, not a professional camera, so they're in the clear.

As they approach Herald Oaks, Daphne reflects on Ethan's reassurance—Don't worry, I'm on it—and compares it to Jefferson's similar words at the ultrasound appointment. She feels that Ethan, unlike Jefferson, understands what she's actually afraid of. She asks Ethan about his time in Malaysia. He admits he was lonely there and missed things about home. When he asks why she's asking, Daphne insists Washington is the center of the world and everything she wants is here. Ethan's flat agreement suggests he doesn't believe her.

Key Events

Daphne and Ethan meet Rei, a hacker who deals in secrets, at a borrowed, unfinished office space.
Rei confirms the threatening email shares the same firewall as Ethan's email, proving a coordinated harassment campaign.
Rei requires a few thousand dollars to rent a private server bank for the computing power needed to trace the source.
Daphne proposes hacking Gabriella Madison's computer; Ethan refuses, fearing retaliation.
Rei provides a covert contact method through a bakery website.
A black SUV tails them on the ride back; Ethan evades it by speeding through an intersection.
Daphne asks Ethan about Malaysia; he admits he was lonely and missed home.
Daphne insists Washington is everything she wants, but Ethan's flat response suggests doubt.

Character Development

Daphne shows a new layer of vulnerability in this chapter. Her jealousy toward Rei—prompted by seeing Ethan relaxed and playful with someone else—reveals how much her feelings for him have deepened. Her trust in Rei, based on the logic that people who insult you to your face rarely stab you in the back, shows a pragmatic side to her judgment. The comparison she draws between Ethan's reassurance and Jefferson's similar words at the ultrasound is significant: she feels Ethan understands her fears in a way Jefferson doesn't. Her insistence that Washington is everything she wants, followed by Ethan's flat agreement, hints at a growing tension between her ambition and her emerging feelings.

Ethan is protective throughout the chapter, refusing to let Daphne pursue the risky plan to hack Gabriella and taking evasive action when they're followed. His ease with Rei reveals a more relaxed side of his personality, and his admission about being lonely in Malaysia shows a rare moment of vulnerability. His flat response to Daphne's claim about Washington suggests he sees through her deflection.

Rei is introduced as a new character who deals in secrets. She's pragmatic, blunt, and operates outside the law but with her own code—she doesn't steal, and she wouldn't ruin a fiftieth anniversary. Her assessment of the encryption as either government or wealthy-and-paranoid narrows the field of suspects.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Secrets and surveillance dominate the chapter. Rei's profession—dealing in expensive secrets—mirrors the world Daphne inhabits, where everyone has something to hide. The encrypted email, the borrowed office, and the covert bakery contact method all reinforce the theme of hidden communication.

Trust and suspicion are in tension throughout. Daphne trusts Rei almost immediately, based on a pragmatic assessment of her character, while the chapter's central problem—the blackmail emails—is itself a violation of trust. Ethan's refusal to let Daphne hack Gabriella shows that even within their alliance, there are limits.

Loneliness and belonging surface in Ethan's admission about Malaysia. His loneliness abroad contrasts with Daphne's insistence that Washington is the center of the world—yet her question about leaving suggests she's beginning to wonder what it would feel like to leave, even if she won't admit it.

Wealth and paranoia are linked in Rei's assessment of the encryption: only the government or someone incredibly wealthy and paranoid would use such intense security. This points directly at the Madisons, who have both money and secrets.

Recklessness and forbidden actions are introduced early when Ethan jokes that the motorcycle represents all the reckless things Daphne won't be allowed to do as a princess. The car chase, the hacking plan, and the covert meeting all carry this theme forward.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter introduces Rei, a key ally in the investigation into the threatening emails, and confirms that the harassment is coordinated—both Daphne and Ethan are being targeted by the same source. The encryption analysis narrows the suspects to someone with government access or extreme wealth, pointing toward the Madisons. The chapter also deepens the Daphne-Ethan relationship through the car chase, the Malaysia conversation, and Daphne's comparison of Ethan to Jefferson. Finally, the chapter sets up the next phase of the investigation: raising the money for Rei's server bank and deciding how far they're willing to go to uncover the truth.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Daphne trust Rei despite having just met her?

Daphne trusts Rei because of a pragmatic observation: people who insult you to your face rarely stab you in the back. Rei's blunt teasing is disarming precisely because it's honest. In a world where Daphne is surrounded by people with hidden agendas, Rei's directness reads as a form of authenticity.

2. What does the comparison between Ethan's and Jefferson's reassurances reveal about Daphne's feelings?

When Ethan says Don't worry, I'm on it during the car chase, Daphne recalls Jefferson saying something similar at the ultrasound appointment. The difference, she reflects, is that Ethan understands what she's actually afraid of, while Jefferson doesn't. This suggests Daphne feels more emotionally seen by Ethan than by Jefferson, deepening the romantic tension between her and Ethan.

3. Why does Ethan refuse to let Daphne hack Gabriella Madison's computer?

Ethan refuses because he's worried about retaliation. He tells Daphne that if Gabriella finds out, she'll try to hurt Daphne, and he doesn't want her messing with the Madisons. This protective instinct—combined with his willingness to raise the money for Rei's server bank instead—shows that Ethan is committed to solving the problem through a safer, more indirect route, even if it's slower.