Chapter 38 (Nina): Summary, Analysis, and Key Themes

⚠️ 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

Nina arrives at the palace early, telling Jamie that Samantha requested her company. Because she's on the permanent preapproved security list, she's waved through without question. Shortly after her arrival, a footman delivers a request: Daphne would like to see her.

Walking to the Brides' Room, Nina's thoughts echo with the anticipation of the confrontation she's been craving for months. When she enters, she finds both Daphne and Samantha there. Samantha immediately tries to defend Nina, insisting Daphne has the wrong impression, but Nina calmly dismisses Samantha, telling her she can go. Samantha leaves reluctantly, saying she'll be down the hall.

Alone with Daphne, Nina acknowledges her appearance—Daphne looks like a bride from a magazine in her white tulle skirts and pinned-up red-gold curls. Daphne immediately accuses Nina of sending the threatening emails, and Nina admits it without hesitation. Daphne assumes Nina is jealous and still in love with Jefferson, but Nina corrects her: she sent the emails because Daphne isn't in love with Jeff.

Daphne threatens arrest, accusing Nina of blackmail and manipulation. Nina responds drily, noting she learned those skills from somewhere. Daphne insists Jeff won't break up with her for Nina, but Nina reveals she's not trying to win Jeff back—she did it because Jeff deserves better, and so does Daphne.

Nina then delivers the central revelation: Daphne loves Ethan, not Jeff. Nina explains that she spoke with Ethan while he was in Malaysia, deliberately mentioning Daphne's name to gauge his reaction. Ethan's eyes flicked nervously, and he flinched when Nina mentioned Daphne and Jeff getting serious. Nina also reveals she knew Jeff was about to break up with Daphne at the League of Kings banquet, but they got back together the next day as if nothing had happened.

Nina explains her reasoning: she thought if she targeted both Daphne and Ethan with the emails, they'd work together to figure out what was happening, and the more time they spent together, the better their chances of recognizing their feelings. She asks if they had fun at Enchanted Fiefdom, admitting she deliberately chose that theme park—far enough from downtown that they'd have to spend time together, and a place she loved as a child.

Daphne's anger melts into sadness and a begrudging respect. She tells Nina she once thought Nina was her friend, and Nina admits she was—but that seeing Daphne's hateful stare at the hospital made her think Daphne had been playing her all along. Both women realize they imagined betrayal where there wasn't any.

Nina apologizes for going too far, acknowledging that Daphne is still ready to marry Jeff despite everything. Daphne asks how she can possibly call off the wedding now, and Nina counters with the better question: how can she marry someone she doesn't love?

A PR staff member interrupts to announce it's time for Daphne's bridal photos in the orchard. Daphne stands, slips into a white coat, and—after a moment of decision—invites Nina to come along.

Key Events

Nina arrives at the palace early and is summoned to the Brides' Room by Daphne
Nina dismisses Samantha and confesses to sending the threatening emails
Nina reveals Daphne is in love with Ethan, not Jefferson
Nina explains her strategy: targeting both Daphne and Ethan so they'd spend time together
The Enchanted Fiefdom outing is revealed as Nina's deliberate matchmaking attempt
Both women acknowledge they imagined betrayal where none existed
Nina apologizes for going too far
Daphne is invited to the orchard for bridal photos and asks Nina to come along

Character Development

Nina undergoes a significant transformation in this chapter. She arrives prepared for an epic confrontation, driven by the angry, wounded part of herself that craved this moment for months. Yet instead of gloating or defending herself, she delivers a confession marked by brutal honesty and vulnerability. She admits her manipulation, explains her reasoning, and apologizes. Her admission that she wanted to cry too when Daphne said she once thought Nina was her friend reveals the depth of her investment in this relationship. Nina's growth is evident in her willingness to speak the brutal, unvarnished truth and to take responsibility for going too far.

Daphne moves through a rapid emotional arc: from anger and accusation, to disbelief, to sadness, and finally to a begrudging respect for Nina's audacity. Her question about how she can possibly call off the wedding now reveals her internal conflict. She doesn't deny loving Ethan; she's simply trapped by the practicalities of a public engagement. Her invitation to Nina to join her at the orchard suggests a tentative reconciliation and a willingness to consider what Nina has said.

The Nina-Daphne relationship is the heart of this chapter. The narrative explicitly notes that their honesty stems from having started as enemies rather than friends. Their dynamic has shifted from adversarial to something approaching confidants, built on the foundation of having seen each other's worst.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Truth-telling: Nina's confession is framed as a rare opportunity to speak with brutal, unvarnished honesty. The chapter contrasts this with the surface-level conversations people typically have, suggesting that real honesty requires a relationship that can withstand it.

Words as weapons: Nina reflects that words could be sharper than any knife, and the chapter demonstrates this—her emails were weapons, but so is her confession. The confrontation in the Brides' Room is described as if Nina were prowling with a weapon, though her only weapon is her words.

Marrying for love vs. obligation: Nina's central question—how can you marry someone you don't love—frames the chapter's moral core. Daphne's engagement to Jeff is presented as an obligation she's trapped in, while her love for Ethan is the truth she's avoiding.

Enemies as confidants: The chapter explicitly develops this motif, showing that Nina and Daphne can be honest with each other precisely because they were never friends. Their history of conflict creates a space for brutal honesty.

Taking matters into one's own hands: Nina's decision to intervene in Daphne's wedding is framed as her taking responsibility when no one else would. She notes that everyone else in Daphne's life was too invested in the happily-ever-after to question it.

Imagined betrayal: Both women realize they misread each other's intentions—Nina thought Daphne was playing her at the hospital, and Daphne suspected Nina of working with Gabriella. This mutual misunderstanding is a recurring motif.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is the payoff for the blackmail subplot that has been building throughout the novel. Nina's confession reveals the full scope of her scheme and its motivations, transforming what could have been a simple act of sabotage into a misguided attempt at matchmaking. The confrontation between Nina and Daphne is a turning point in their relationship, moving them from enemies to something approaching allies.

The chapter also sets up the wedding day decision. Daphne's question about how to call off the wedding, and Nina's counter-question about marrying someone she doesn't love, leaves Daphne at a crossroads. The invitation to the orchard—where the bridal photos will take place—suggests that Daphne is considering what Nina has said, and that the wedding may not proceed as planned.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why did Nina send the threatening emails to both Daphne and Ethan rather than just Daphne?

Nina's strategy was deliberate: she hoped that by targeting both of them, Daphne and Ethan would be forced to work together to figure out what was happening. The more time they spent together, the better their chances of recognizing their feelings for each other. The Enchanted Fiefdom outing was designed to give them a fun, shared experience far enough from downtown that they couldn't easily escape.

2. How does Nina's confession change the dynamic between Nina and Daphne?

The confession transforms their relationship from adversarial to something approaching confidants. Daphne moves from anger to sadness to begrudging respect, and both women acknowledge they imagined betrayal where none existed. The chapter explicitly notes they can speak honestly because they started as enemies, not friends. Daphne's invitation to Nina to join her at the orchard signals a tentative reconciliation.

3. What does Nina mean when she says how can you marry someone you don't love?

Nina is challenging Daphne to confront the central question of her engagement. She's not asking how Daphne can call off the wedding—she's asking how Daphne can go through with it. Nina believes Daphne loves Ethan, not Jeff, and that marrying Jeff would be a mistake. The question reframes the problem from logistics (how to cancel a wedding) to ethics (how to marry without love).