Chapter 64 Summary and Study Guide
⚠️ 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
Katarina Shaw confronts Sheila Lin in a Vancouver hotel room, demanding to know whether Heath visited Sheila the night he disappeared in Nagano. Sheila admits that Heath came to her, distraught and desperate, saying he wanted to be good enough for Katarina and would do anything to achieve that. Sheila claims she told him she could not help him but suggested someone who might: Veronika. Her intention, she confesses, was that a few days under Veronika's brutal training methods would break Heath and make him give up for good. Instead, Heath proved to be the toughest competitor of them all—tougher, Sheila notes, than anyone else, because he wanted Katarina more than he wanted to win.
Katarina realizes that Heath did not run away from her; Sheila deliberately drove him away. She pieces together Sheila's logic: by removing Heath, Sheila could pair Bella with Zack Branwell and Garrett with herself, instantly neutralizing her children's biggest rivals and securing her control over the top two teams in the country. When Katarina accuses Sheila of betraying her role as a coach, Sheila slams a bottle on the table and insists that everything she has ever done was out of love—for her children, for the sport. Katarina retorts that Sheila knows nothing about love, and then reveals that the twins believe their father must have been a gold medalist, because otherwise Sheila would have aborted them.
Sheila confirms that the father was indeed a downhill skiing champion in both Lake Placid and Sarajevo, but she cannot remember his name after their single night together. Katarina asks why she does not tell the twins the truth, but Sheila dismisses the idea. Katarina reflects that to Sheila, the man was merely a means to an end—and so are the twins, a way to extend her legacy and keep winning after she could no longer compete herself. She sees the damage this has done: Garrett burying his true self to protect the family brand, and Bella willing to betray anyone for an advantage.
Heath's earlier words echo in Katarina's mind: all she cares about is winning. She admits he was right about who she has become, but not who she always was. She has spent a lifetime striving to be like Sheila Lin, discarding her past, her home, and her family, convincing herself that becoming the best would make the hurt worthwhile. Now, for the first time, she truly sees Sheila—and all she sees is misery. Sheila's endless grasping for more medals, money, and power will never be enough. Katarina decides she has finally had enough of the striving, the pain, and the heartbreak. She no longer wants to be Sheila Lin, and she no longer wants to be Katarina Shaw. She wants to disappear.
Key Events
- Katarina confronts Sheila about Heath's visit in Nagano.
- Sheila admits she sent Heath to Veronika's training hoping he would quit, but he proved tougher than expected.
- Katarina realizes Sheila deliberately drove Heath away to pair Bella with Zack Branwell and Garrett with herself.
- Sheila insists all her actions were motivated by love for her children.
- Katarina reveals the twins' belief that their father was a gold medalist.
- Sheila confirms the father was a downhill skiing champion in Lake Placid and Sarajevo but cannot remember his name.
- Katarina reflects on how Sheila used the twins to extend her legacy and sees only misery in her.
- Katarina decides she has had enough of striving and no longer wants to be Sheila Lin or Katarina Shaw.
Character Development
Katarina Shaw undergoes a profound shift in this chapter. For most of the novel, she has defined herself through her ambition and her rivalry with Sheila. Here, she finally sees Sheila clearly—not as a mentor or a model, but as a miserable, grasping figure who has sacrificed everything for an unattainable goal. Katarina's realization that Heath did not abandon her but was manipulated away by Sheila forces her to confront the cost of her own single-minded pursuit of winning. Her decision to reject both identities—Sheila Lin's protégé and Katarina Shaw the skater—marks a turning point. She is no longer willing to endure the striving and pain that have defined her life.
Sheila Lin is revealed in her full manipulative depth. Her admission that she sent Heath to Veronika to break him shows a cold, calculating side that prioritizes control over the well-being of her skaters. Her insistence that everything she does is out of love rings hollow, especially when she cannot remember the name of her children's father. Sheila's inability to see her own emptiness—her endless grasping for more—highlights the tragedy of her character. She has built a legacy through her children, but that legacy is built on manipulation and emotional damage.
Heath, though absent, looms large. His earlier accusation that Katarina only cares about winning is validated, and his resilience under Veronika's training—proving tougher than anyone expected—shows that his love for Katarina was genuine and powerful. His fate, driven away by Sheila's machinations, underscores the theme of betrayal.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Manipulation and control are central. Sheila's actions are revealed as a calculated scheme to maintain her influence over the top teams, using her children and their partners as pawns. Her coaching is not about nurturing talent but about securing power.
Ambition vs. love is explored through the contrast between Sheila's cold ambition and Heath's devotion. Sheila dismisses love as a weakness, while Heath's love for Katarina made him willing to endure anything. Katarina's final realization that she has sacrificed love for ambition echoes this tension.
Legacy through children is a motif. Sheila cannot compete anymore, so she uses the twins to extend her own legacy. The twins are not individuals to her but instruments of her continued winning. This is symbolized by her inability to remember their father's name—he was only a means to an end, just as the twins are.
Identity crisis is prominent. Katarina's declaration that she no longer wants to be Sheila Lin or Katarina Shaw signals a complete rejection of the identities she has built. She has spent her life trying to become someone else, and now she wants to disappear entirely.
The cost of winning and the emptiness of success are embodied in Sheila. She has everything—medals, money, power—but enjoys nothing. Her life is a cycle of grasping for more, and it will never be enough. Katarina sees this and decides she does not want to follow that path.
Betrayal and family dysfunction are also evident. Sheila betrays Heath, Katarina, and ultimately her own children by prioritizing control over their happiness. The twins' belief about their father is a symptom of Sheila's manipulation, and Garrett's and Bella's damaged personalities are direct results of her influence.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a pivotal turning point in The Favorites. It resolves the mystery of Heath's disappearance, revealing that Sheila orchestrated it to maintain control. More importantly, it forces Katarina to confront the truth about her own life and the person she has become. Her decision to reject both her mentor and her own identity sets up the final act of the novel, where she must choose what she truly wants. The chapter also deepens the critique of ambition and the cost of success, showing that even those who achieve everything can be left with nothing but misery. Katarina's desire to disappear is a powerful statement about the toll of a life spent striving for external validation.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why did Sheila send Heath to Veronika's training, and what does this reveal about her character?
Sheila sent Heath to Veronika hoping that the brutal training methods would break him and make him give up on Katarina. This reveals her manipulative and controlling nature—she is willing to sabotage a young skater's emotional well-being to maintain her influence over the top teams. It also shows that she views people as pawns in her quest for control, not as individuals with their own needs.
2. How does Katarina's perception of Sheila change in this chapter?
Katarina has spent years idolizing Sheila and striving to be like her. In this chapter, she finally sees Sheila clearly: a miserable woman who has sacrificed everything for an unattainable goal. Katarina realizes that Sheila's endless grasping for more has left her empty, and she does not want to end up the same way. This shift in perception is what leads Katarina to reject both Sheila's influence and her own identity as a skater.
3. What does Katarina mean when she says she wants to disappear?
Katarina's desire to disappear reflects her rejection of the two identities that have defined her life: Sheila Lin's protégé and Katarina Shaw the competitive skater. She has spent her life striving to become someone else, and now she wants to escape that striving entirely. Disappearing represents a break from the past, from the pain, and from the relentless pursuit of winning. It is a desire for freedom from the expectations and manipulations that have shaped her.