Chapter 86 Summary: Grayson'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
Gigi and Savannah have left Phoenix, and Grayson is alone in his hotel room. He tells himself being alone has never been a problem, then bolts the door and begins packing with mechanical efficiency. His stated goals for the trip are complete: Gigi is out of jail, and the safe-deposit box situation is defused. His sisters will never read their father's actual journal, and they will never know why Grayson betrayed them. Avery is safe, and the secret of Sheffield Grayson's demise is safe.
His composure cracks when his finger drifts from his work email to his phone's photo roll. He reflects on a critical error: leaving the original photograph of Trowbridge's password accessible, and earlier, giving Gigi his phone. He catalogs his past mistakes — Emily died cliff-jumping, he failed to reach Avery after the bomb and lost her to his brother, and he trusted Eve, who betrayed him. He believes every mistake costs him someone he cares about.
He sees photos Gigi took of the two of them — off-center, too close-up, with Gigi beaming in every one. He minimizes the photos and focuses on logistics: arranging a flight back to Texas, finishing packing, and securing the puzzle box. He places the withdrawal slips and the fake journal inside, reassembles it, and calls the concierge to request additional luggage with specific specifications.
He stacks the bank's photographs facedown, avoiding looking at them. One photo pierces his defenses: a gap-year photograph taken halfway around the world, revealing that his father had him watched even then. He wonders how much money and time his father spent on surveillance. He flips the photo over and notices he misdated it — the month is off. He returns the photographs to the briefcase.
An unknown number calls. A girl's voice washes over him like a balm on open wounds, but he stiffens at the effect it has on him. She asks if he has answers; he says he has answers for no one and tells her to stop calling. The line goes dead.
En route to the airport, Eve calls. Grayson tells her he is done with her. She says he does not get to be done with her. She reports that Vincent Blake is still in surgery and may not survive. Grayson reminds her he warned her to stay away from his sisters. Eve denies harming them; Grayson accuses her of siccing the FBI on their mother. Eve deflects, saying she says a lot of things. She tells him to forget she called, that she is used to being forgotten. Grayson refuses to play that game — he will not tend to her wounds. Eve says Vincent Blake is her family and she does not want to be alone. Grayson reminds her she has Toby, her father. Eve replies that Toby wishes she were Avery — the girl Toby watched over, whose mother he loved with a once-in-a-lifetime, ruinous, Hawthorne kind of love. Grayson tells her she does not get to call him or ask anything of him. Eve's voice drops: she does not matter to him, but she will. The call ends.
Grayson drives the rest of the way to the airport unable to shake the feeling he just made another mistake. He parks the Ferrari in long-term parking, leaves the key under the mat, and texts the contact who provided the car. He reflects on where repressing his emotions got him before, and admits he knows better now. He can at least stop making the same mistakes. And he can admit that, like Eve, he does not want to be alone. He sends his brothers a text: 911.
Key Events
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Grayson secures the puzzle box with the withdrawal slips and fake journal, and arranges for additional luggage to transport them.
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He discovers a gap-year photograph proving his father had him watched even while he was traveling.
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He misdates one photograph, a small but telling lapse in his usual precision.
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He takes and ends a call from an unknown number, telling the caller he has no answers.
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Eve calls to report Vincent Blake's surgery is ongoing and may be fatal.
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Grayson formally severs ties with Eve; she denies harming his sisters and threatens that she will matter to him.
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Grayson returns the Ferrari and texts his brothers with a 911 emergency signal.
Character Development
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Grayson's internal monologue reveals the depth of his self-blame: he believes every mistake costs him someone he cares about, and he catalogs Emily, Avery, and Eve as evidence.
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His refusal to look at the photographs and his misdating of one photo show both his emotional repression and its cracks.
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He acknowledges he knows better than to repress his emotions, and admits he does not want to be alone — a significant admission for a character who has built his identity around self-sufficiency.
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The 911 text to his brothers is a deliberate act of reaching out, a reversal of his usual pattern of handling everything alone.
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Eve's vulnerability — her fear of losing Vincent Blake, her admission that Toby wishes she were Avery — complicates her role as antagonist, though Grayson refuses to be moved.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
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Isolation vs. connection: Grayson insists being alone was never a problem, but the chapter ends with him admitting he does not want to be alone and texting his brothers.
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The cost of mistakes: Grayson's belief that his errors always cost him people he loves drives his behavior and his fear of making another one.
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Emotional repression: He avoids looking at photographs, suppresses thoughts of his father, and mechanically completes tasks to avoid feeling.
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Surveillance and control: The gap-year photograph shows Sheffield Grayson's control extended even when his son was grown and abroad.
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Betrayal and manipulation: Eve's call blends genuine vulnerability with threats, and Grayson's refusal to engage reflects his learned distrust.
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Family bonds: The chapter contrasts Grayson's protective secrecy toward his sisters with his eventual decision to signal his brothers.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a turning point for Grayson's emotional arc. It shows him confronting the cost of his isolation and self-blame, and it ends with a deliberate choice to reach out to his brothers — a rare moment of vulnerability for a character who has consistently handled everything alone. The chapter also sets up the final act: Eve's threat that she will matter to Grayson, and the 911 text that will presumably bring his brothers to him.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Grayson misdate the photograph, and what does this detail reveal about his state of mind?
Grayson, who prides himself on precision and control, gets the month wrong on a photograph from his gap year. The error is a small but telling sign that his emotional defenses are cracking — he is trying to suppress thoughts of his father's surveillance, but the effort is taking a toll on his usual meticulousness.
2. How does Eve's call complicate the reader's understanding of her as a villain?
Eve's fear for Vincent Blake, her admission that she does not want to be alone, and her painful observation that Toby wishes she were Avery all humanize her. At the same time, her final threat — that she will matter to Grayson — reminds the reader that her vulnerability is also a weapon. Grayson's refusal to engage suggests he recognizes this duality.
3. What is the significance of Grayson's 911 text to his brothers?
The text is a deliberate reversal of Grayson's lifelong pattern of handling problems alone. He has just admitted to himself that he does not want to be alone, and the 911 signal is his way of asking for help without having to say the words. It marks a shift from isolation to connection and sets up the novel's final act.