50 pages • 1 hour read
Ana HuangA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“Once upon a time, I’d loved my husband. His beauty, his ambition, his intelligence. The wildflowers he’d plucked for me on his way home from a graveyard shift, and the gentle kisses he’d trailed over my shoulder when I stubbornly refused to heed my alarm clock. But once upon a time was a long time ago, and now, as I watched him walk through the door for the first time in weeks, all I felt was a deep, dull ache in the places where love once resided.”
From the start of the novel, there is already something fundamentally broken in Alessandra and Dominic’s marriage. This passage indicates that a deep chasm, both physical and emotional, exists between them, and this rift cannot be bridged unless both protagonists work on creating meaningful change in their lives.
“I’d put up with dozens of missed dates, canceled trips, and broken promises over the years, but our ten-year wedding anniversary was one of a kind. It was unmissable.”
In this passage, Alessandra emphasizes the importance of their wedding anniversary, and it is clear that if Dominic fails to prioritize it as she does, then their relationship may be irreparably damaged. This scene also foreshadows the fact that Dominic will forget this event due to his focus on work, and this lapse becomes a breaking point in their marriage, prompting Alessandra to demand a divorce.
“It was the first night I’d been awake to see Dominic come home in weeks, and our conversation had ended before it really began. I blinked back an embarrassing sting of tears. So what if my husband felt like a stranger? I felt like a stranger to myself sometimes when I looked in the mirror. At the end of the day, I was married to one of the richest men on Wall Street, I lived in a beautiful house most people would kill for, and I owned a small but thriving business doing what I loved. I had no good reason to cry.”
This particular passage is thick with Alessandra’s ineffectual attempts to rationalize her current lifestyle and explain away her nagging sense of frustration and dissatisfaction. Despite the couple’s social and financial standing, there is an emotional distance between Alessandra and Dominic that hurts her more than anything else. She states that she is a woman who needs emotional connection before she pursues sexual activities or other intimate relationships. Without emotional intimacy, she sees nothing of value to preserve in her marriage.
“I couldn’t fully shake the sense that one day, I would fuck up so royally that I’d destroy everything I had, but that day wouldn’t be today. I knew what to do, and as I laid out my strategy for holding on to our position, I pushed every other voice out of my head—including the one telling me that I was forgetting something damn important.”
Dominic’s fear of failure drives him to work hard to achieve external forms of success and wealth, but he neglects his own emotional needs—and those of his wife—in the process. At this point in the novel, he fails to realize that his personal insecurities are driving his behavior, and his fears are drowning out all other concerns, such as his relationship with Alessandra.
“Working. Always working. Even on our ten-year anniversary. Even after I’d stressed how important this trip was. I finally had a good reason to cry, but no tears came. I just felt… numb. A part of me had expected him to forget or postpone, and wasn’t that the saddest part?”
The numbness that Alessandra feels indicates that his neglect has become a common occurrence. Her inner thoughts reveal that the most damaging dynamics in a relationship do not stem from hate but from indifference. The numbness that Alessandra feels therefore indicates that her marriage is on the brink of collapse, for she can see no redeeming qualities in their life that are worth fighting for.
“I couldn’t do this anymore. I couldn’t spend the rest of my days going through the motions and pretending to be happy. I had to take back control of my life—even if it meant destroying the one I currently had. I was hollow and brittle, a million shattered pieces that hurt too much to pick up.”
This scene represents the first step that Alessandra makes toward Maintaining Independence in Relationships. She recognizes that her marriage is destroying her identity and killing her dreams, and she realizes that the only way to save herself from ruin is to remove herself from the situation entirely. By leaving Dominic, she reclaims the physical and emotional distance necessary to work on developing herself and reclaiming her identity within the context of a much larger world.
“We wouldn’t live here forever; I already had my eye on a bigger, even more expensive penthouse that was currently under development by the Archer Group. It didn’t matter that I spent only a fraction of my time at home. Real estate was a symbol, and if it wasn’t the best, I didn’t want it.”
Dominic is always focused on gaining newer and better status symbols to broadcast his so-called “success” to the world, even when such pursuits are utterly unnecessary. He believes that money will eventually buy him happiness and solve all of his problems, but because this belief is based upon a foundation of fear, he fails to realize that his pursuit of wealth is making both him and Alessandra miserable.
“He’d always been ambitious, but I used to think he would hit a point when he’d be content with what he had. I realized now that point didn’t exist. He would never have enough. The more he acquired—money, status, power—the more he wanted at the expense of everything else.”
The Illusory Connection between Wealth and Happiness becomes a prominent theme in this scene, and it also explains why Dominic is never content with “having enough.” Focused entirely on the insatiable need to accumulate greater wealth, he fails to realize that other key areas of his life are severely lacking.
“I loved her, and I’d missed having her in my arms so damn bad that I would give up every possession just to freeze this moment in time.”
The raw emotion in this passage reveals Dominic’s newfound understanding that his faith in money and success has been largely misplaced, for despite all that he owns, he knows deep down that his relationship with Alessandra matters to him much more. However, these feelings are only brought to the forefront when she leaves him.
“Broken relationships belonged in the past with the old Dominic, who had nothing to keep people around. No one had cared about me until I made something of myself. The more money I accumulated, the more people gravitated toward me. It was a law of human nature. I wasn’t supposed to lose the only person I cared about keeping now, when I was richer than I’d ever been.”
This passage reveals the internal conflicts and negative feelings that Dominic has about himself, and it is clear that he values success and wealth because he bases his self-worth upon gaining recognition from others. Having grown up largely penniless, he now places too much emphasis upon wealth, but he has never lost the fear that if he were to lose his wealth, he would once again be devalued as a person for having nothing.
“For the first time in my life, I didn’t overthink or dwell on the fact I’ve never missed a single work meeting before. I simply clicked on the blue button, input my payment details, and bought a one-way ticket to Brazil.”
This passage marks the first time that Dominic is willing to take a huge step in creating boundaries between his work and his personal life. His decision to follow Alessandra to Brazil stands as a turning point in his priorities and hints that he may be able to mend his relationship with her.
“This is good for you. You jumped straight from taking care of me to your marriage. It’s time you enjoyed life without worrying about others.”
In this scene, Alessandra’s brother Marcelo points out a character flaw that she hasn’t yet taken responsibility for. Though she rightly blames Dominic for most of the issues in their marriage, she is also partially to blame. Her tendency to give up parts of herself for various relationships in her life is unhealthy and allows others to take advantage of her, even if they don’t mean to or even realize that they are doing so.
“Marcelo was the son of a married Brazilian businessman who’d threatened our mother with bodily harm if she ever told people about their affair. We were half-siblings, but despite being born only two years apart, I’d acted more like his mother than his sister until we were both adults. I couldn’t rely on our actual mother to parent him properly, so I’d done it myself. Perhaps that was why I’d slipped so easily into the role of Dominic’s spouse. I was used to being the support instead of the star in my own life. I was trying to change that with Floria Designs and my divorce, but all big changes took time.”
With the depth of these internal reflections, Alessandra finally begins to analyze her tendency to prioritize others over herself, and she realizes that these patterns began much earlier than her relationship with Dominic. This has occurred also in her relationship with her brother, Marcelo, pointing to a much deeper issue.
“This was the Dominic I missed. The one who opened up and talked to me instead of hiding behind his masks and money. He was afraid people would leave if they saw behind the curtain, but the parts hidden there were what made him human. Some wanted the myth and legend of Dominic Davenport; I wanted the man. Used to want. Past tense, a stern voice reminded me. Don’t forget this isn’t a real date. I didn’t forget. But it also wasn’t a coincidence that, in a day filled with private jets and lavish meals and luxury suites, my favorite part had been a simple conversation about Dominic’s family. The opulence didn’t touch my defenses, but the vulnerability chipped at my walls until a tiny section of them crumbled.”
This passage reveals that Alessandra values deep emotional connection with her romantic partners and is far less concerned about the material benefits they might offer. Connecting with Dominic on a deeper level has been impossible lately because he is always busy with work and is too tired afterward to talk about meaningful topics. His spontaneous trip to Brazil gives him the time to renew his energy, speak to Alessandra about his life, and ask her questions about hers.
“‘I guess I wanted something I could call my own. Everything we had belonged to you. Our house, our cars, our clothes. Even if I bought them, you paid for them. It got to a point where I…’ She swallowed. ‘Where I felt like I wasn’t my own person anymore. I needed something to remind me I mattered. Me, as an individual, not as a wife or daughter or sister.’”
Alessandra voices her need for individuality to Dominic for the first time. The intensity and awkwardness of her admission reveal why their divorce was necessary. If they had stayed together and attempted to solve their issues without this much-needed separation, Alessandra would have found it harder to set important boundaries and reclaim the independence she needs to be happy.
“I’d thought covering all our expenses and ensuring she never wanted for anything would make us happier. We’d struggled so fucking much in our early years, and I never wanted us to fall back into that hole again. What I hadn’t accounted for were the things we’d needed that weren’t material. Time. Attention. Consideration. They couldn’t be bought, and in my rush to bury any possible problem with money, I’d completely lost sight of that fact.”
When Dominic realizes that Alessandra resents his tendency to provide everything for her is an issue, his surprise reveals just how little he has understood her fundamental needs. The moment also suggests that part of their failed relationship was also her fault, for she has neglected to clearly express her preferences on this essential issue.
“As much as Alessandra leaving destroyed me, I would rather suffer through our separation than have her live in silent misery for the rest of our lives. Our divorce had been the shock I desperately needed to get my head out of my ass and realize what was truly important in my life.”
Despite the agony that their split has brought him, Dominic still values Alessandra’s happiness regardless of the outcome. While their divorce is a reality check for him and prompts genuine, permanent changes in his lifestyle and mindset, he also understands that the decision of whether or not to pursue their relationship again must be mutual, and he acknowledges that Alessandra has every right to refuse.
“I thought money and power could erase my insecurities, but while they’d solved my old problems, they also gave rise to new ones. ‘Everything I’d worked for, everything I’d achieved. I looked out the window at the city people say I conquered, and I only saw a million more ways I could fail. I thought that if I accumulated enough, I would finally be safe. But here’s the thing.’”
In this moment, Dominic finally understands The Illusory Connection between Wealth and Happiness and acknowledges that all the money in the world cannot erase his insecurities or solve every problem. Sometimes, the work must be done from within, and only when Dominic makes critical changes in his mindset does he finally find happiness and contentment.
“I could wait for a sign from the universe, some incontrovertible proof that Dominic had changed and wouldn’t regress back to the uncaring workaholic I’d lived with for far too long, but signs were open to interpretation. They existed at the whim of an unseen force, and I was tired of letting others dictate my life. At the end of the day, I had to do what was best for me and go with my gut, and my gut told me that no matter how many people I dated or how far I tried to run, I couldn’t outrun my heart.”
Alessandra has gained newfound confidence during her time being single. She has rediscovered herself and has overcome her own flaws, and this process has allowed her to regain control of her life. Despite her fears that Dominic might backslide into old habits, she is confident that she won’t allow harmful dynamics to resurface or gain traction, for she now has the determination to assert her own boundaries and needs.
“Our renewed relationship was still on tentative ground, but we were quickly settling into a new, better normal. Casual date nights, lazy weekends, frequent calls and texts… they reminded me of when we first started dating in college. The difference was, I had a better appreciation for what we had—and what I’d almost lost. I also didn’t have to scrape together cents and dollars for a nice meal anymore, which was a nice bonus.”
The start of their new relationship begins how their romance first began years ago, but the rich, warm contentment in these descriptions indicates that rather than letting the routine fade, both partners will actively work on prioritizing their relationship over other concerns. While the start of their relationship is similar to their previous one, they now know what they stand to lose if they fail to put in the effort.
“The fear of losing everything I’d built was still there, but the voices had subsided from screams to whispers.”
Though Dominic still has his own insecurities to work through, now that he’s switched his priorities around, he has given them less weight and tries not to worry about them. The intensity of his insecurities has diminished significantly, and his worries are now only a collective whisper that will eventually fade—as long as he focuses only on the things that truly matter in his life.
“Our marriage fell apart because we’d focused too much on practicality and not enough on our feelings, including how I felt about always coming in second place to work.”
Through finding and maintaining her individuality after resuming her relationship with Dominic, Alessandra is now able to see problems from a new perspective. Rather than reasoning away her relationship issues and allowing them to fester and worsen, she recognizes that making excuses will only allow the wrong priorities to gain the advantage. If they wish to make their second marriage last, they must address issues as they arise.
“It should’ve been a no-brainer. Give up the deal and live without looking over my shoulder every day. But the DBG buyout wasn’t about one bank. It was about the culmination of everything I’d tried to do since I was old enough to realize I didn’t have to stay in my shithole town. No one had ever bought a bank this size before the age of thirty-five. I’d be the first. It would be a fuck you to every naysayer I’d encountered and every teacher who said I would amount to nothing. No matter what happened after, it’d ensure I go down in the history books.”
In this climactic moment, Dominic must confront and overcome the specters of his misguided ambitions in order to do what is best for himself and his family. Earlier in the narrative, Alessandra admits her expectation that Dominic will always prioritize a work emergency over a family emergency. In this passage, these conflicting dynamics are present simultaneously, and Dominic is forced to make a split-second decision that will have a lasting impact on his life from this moment forward.
“Immortalized. Unerasable. It would be security and my legacy. I wasn’t afraid of Roman’s mysterious backer; I had my own connections and enough money to bury them alive. But winning wasn’t guaranteed, and I wasn’t the only one at risk. How much was I willing to gamble to achieve everything I’d ever wanted?”
Dominic’s initial hesitation demonstrates his human flaws and shows that he still has room for growth, but ultimately he makes the right choice. By choosing to completely give up a career-changing deal, Dominic prioritizes both Alessandra and his brother as well, and this decision demonstrates the full scope of his development from a short-sighted “king of greed” to a sensitive family man.
“Her mouth met mine with the taste of salt. We were both crying, and I knew with rock-solid certainty that no meeting or dinner would ever matter as much as the way her joy felt surrounding me. Every sacrifice would exist as a balance of love with my ambition.”
This passage in the epilogue explicitly states the true extent to which Dominic’s priorities have changed. Though he has not given up his ambition—which is a quality in him that even Alessandra admires—he is intent on never letting his career goals outweigh his love.
By Ana Huang
Asian American & Pacific Islander...
View Collection
Challenging Authority
View Collection
Equality
View Collection
Forgiveness
View Collection
Loyalty & Betrayal
View Collection
Marriage
View Collection
Power
View Collection
Romance
View Collection
The Best of "Best Book" Lists
View Collection
Trust & Doubt
View Collection
Valentine's Day Reads: The Theme of Love
View Collection