Chapter 63 Summary: Maya's Perspective

⚠️ 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 in August 2023 with Maya leaving Dani in the care of Daisy's au pair. Margaret, visibly panicked, tells Maya she is calling her lawyer and reminds her she does not have to say anything to the police. Detective Gary arrives and asks to speak with Maya in the upstairs study.

Inside the study, Maya is struck by the red leather chair, recalling how Sara Vail had gripped it during an argument with Matthew. Gary tells Maya he wants to give her a chance to explain what really happened the previous night. He reminds her that she accused Matthew DuPont of killing her sister, which gives her a motive for wanting him dead. Simmons brings in a plastic evidence bag containing Maya's old phone. Gary explains that the phone was found at Matthew's house and that Maya's footprints were found at the scene of the crime.

Maya insists she was not involved in the murder. She explains that she lost her phone the night Matthew attacked her and thought she had dropped it on the tracks, but now suspects he may have taken it from her. She admits she was at the edge of the property the previous night after a noise woke her, but claims she saw nothing and went back to bed. She mentions she had taken a sleeping pill and had been drinking, which she immediately regrets saying.

Gary lays out the case against her: for months she has pressed the police to investigate Matthew regarding her sister's death, to the point where Matthew filed complaints. There is CCTV footage of Maya following Sara Vail from Union Square up Park Avenue, chasing her into the 28th Street station, and trying to stop her from boarding a train, after repeatedly calling her and obtaining her location from her assistant. Maya's husband also got into an altercation with Matthew at the wedding in front of witnesses. Gary then reveals that Maya's husband was recorded leaving the property the previous night, and that a neighbor called police about a suspicious-looking man in a hoodie parked on Bedford Road near where Matthew's body was found. Maya internally notes that her husband was reported simply because he is a Black man in a hoodie sitting in his car. Gary tells her this does not look good for either of them. Maya requests a lawyer, and Gary agrees.

Maya calls Daisy from the pool house. Daisy is driving to Marta's and answers. Maya tells her that Nate was not in bed when she woke around five a.m. Daisy's tone shifts as she understands what Maya is implying. Maya asks whether Daisy thinks Nate could have killed Matthew, recalling the argument at the wedding and how she had never seen Nate like that. Daisy begins to protest that Nate would never do such a thing, but Maya interrupts, saying she saw someone out there and thought it was just the Ambien making her see things, but now wonders if it was real. As she speaks, Nate enters the room behind her, and she slowly hangs up.

Nate asks what Maya told the police. Maya, her voice shaking, asks where he really was. She recalls their first anniversary promise at a wine bar in Harlem, when Nate said he would never lie to her and they vowed to get through anything together. Nate claims he went for a run, but Maya notices a bruise under his eye turning purplish black and a fresh scrape on his cheek. She tells him the police have security footage of his car leaving the property. Nate admits he went for a drive instead. Maya realizes he was drinking. She tells him she had to cover for him, that she told the detectives he was with her, but they saw him leaving in a hoodie and now suspect one of them killed Matthew because she was caught lying. Nate says she did not have to lie. Maya insists she did because he is her husband and they are in this together.

Nate shuts down, folding his arms. Maya asks where he went, but he refuses to answer. She asks why he changed the lock on his suitcase; he claims he lost the old one. She asks about the blood on his shirt. Nate responds with a strained laugh, then hardens, telling her that if she is so sure he did it, she should go call her friend the detective. He throws the door open and tells her to leave if she wants. He grabs his suitcase, says he needs to think, and tells her he will call AJ to pick him up and will take Dani with him. He throws the keys onto the bed and tells Maya to take the car home.

Maya stands frozen after he leaves. She reflects that they have never fought like that before. She sinks onto the bed, exhausted, feeling as though she has been treading water in a rip current. She wonders whether Nate killed Matthew, and if he did, what she is supposed to do. She realizes that if the truth is that her husband murdered a man, even a man who killed her sister, her whole world will fall apart. The chapter ends with Maya feeling too hot, unable to breathe, and needing to get out.

Key Events

Detective Gary interrogates Maya, presenting evidence: her phone, her footprints, CCTV footage of her following Sara Vail, and her husband's car leaving the property.
Gary reveals a neighbor reported a Black man in a hoodie parked near the crime scene, prompting Maya's internal observation about racial profiling.
Maya requests a lawyer and calls Daisy to voice her fear that Nate may have killed Matthew.
Nate enters mid-call, and the couple confronts each other.
Nate admits he went for a drive, not a run, and is revealed to have been drinking.
Maya notices Nate's bruise, scrape, changed suitcase lock, and blood on his shirt, none of which he explains.
Nate leaves with Dani, saying he will call AJ, and tells Maya to take the car home.

Character Development

Maya is caught between loyalty and suspicion. She lies to the police to cover for Nate, then immediately begins to doubt him. Her internal conflict is sharp: she wants the truth, but fears that the truth will destroy her marriage and her life. Her recollection of the anniversary promise at the Harlem wine bar underscores how far their relationship has fallen from its foundation of trust.

Nate becomes increasingly opaque and defensive. He admits to lying about his run but refuses to explain where he actually went. His physical injuries, the changed suitcase lock, and the blood on his shirt remain unexplained, and his decision to leave with Dani rather than face Maya's questions suggests either guilt or a refusal to engage with her accusations.

Daisy serves as a brief emotional anchor for Maya, though her protest that Nate would never hurt anyone is cut off before she can finish, leaving her loyalty to Nate ambiguous.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Marital trust and betrayal: The chapter centers on the erosion of the promise Maya and Nate made to never lie to each other. Maya's decision to cover for Nate, followed by her suspicion of him, shows how secrets within a marriage can corrode even the strongest bonds.
Racial profiling: Maya's internal reaction to the neighbor's report about a Black man in a hoodie highlights how Nate is perceived as suspicious simply because of his appearance, a theme that runs through the novel's treatment of race and justice.
Ambien-induced hallucinations: Maya's uncertainty about what she saw in the woods, whether it was real or a drug-induced vision, blurs the line between reality and perception, complicating her account to the police and her own memory.
The rip current metaphor: Maya describes herself as treading water in a rip current, unable to stay afloat, capturing her sense of being pulled under by forces beyond her control.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a turning point in the investigation and in Maya's personal life. The interrogation formally places Maya and Nate at the center of the murder inquiry, with physical evidence, witness testimony, and surveillance footage all pointing toward them. Maya's decision to lie for Nate, and her subsequent realization that she may have implicated herself, raises the stakes for the remainder of the novel. The chapter also deepens the mystery around Nate: his injuries, his evasiveness, and his unexplained actions leave the reader uncertain whether he is guilty, protecting Maya, or hiding something else entirely. The breakdown of their marriage, culminating in Nate leaving with Dani, sets up the emotional and narrative consequences that will drive the story forward.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Maya lie to the police about Nate's whereabouts, and what does this reveal about her priorities?

Maya tells the detectives that Nate was with her when he was not, because she believes that as his wife she must protect him. Her statement that they are "in this together" shows that her instinct is to shield her husband even at the cost of her own credibility. This reveals that her loyalty to her marriage initially outweighs her concern for the legal consequences, though her subsequent suspicion of Nate begins to erode that loyalty.

2. What evidence does Detective Gary present against Maya, and how does she attempt to counter it?

Gary presents her phone found at Matthew's house, her footprints at the crime scene, CCTV footage of her following Sara Vail, and her history of pressing the police to investigate Matthew. Maya counters by explaining she lost her phone the night Matthew attacked her, and by admitting she was at the edge of the property but claims she saw nothing because she was under the influence of a sleeping pill and alcohol. Her explanations are weak, and Gary notes that she has been lying about her whereabouts, which undermines her defense.

3. What details about Nate remain unexplained at the end of the chapter, and how do they affect Maya's state of mind?

Nate's bruise, the fresh scrape on his cheek, the blood on his shirt, and his changed suitcase lock are all left unexplained. He admits to lying about his run and to drinking, but refuses to say where he went. These unresolved details fuel Maya's fear that he may have killed Matthew, and her inability to get answers leaves her feeling trapped and desperate, unable to breathe and needing to escape the house.