Chapter 1 :

The novel begins with Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling thriller writer dealing with financial issues and writer's block following her mother's recent death. She witnessed a horrific accident and is helped by a handsome stranger, who gives her his shirt to replace her blood-soaked clothes. Despite feeling attracted to him, she notices his wedding ring and they part ways.

Chapter 2 :

Lowen discovers that the man who helped her is Jeremy Crawford, the husband of renowned author Verity Crawford. Lowen is offered a lucrative job to finish Verity's book series due to Verity's semi-comatose state. Despite her initial hesitation, Jeremy persuades her to accept the offer, including staying at his house in Vermont.

Chapter 3 :

Lowen and Corey celebrate her new deal, but Corey expresses concern about Jeremy, mentioning his daughters' mysterious deaths and Verity's comatose state. Lowen, unsettled at first, soon dismisses Corey's worries as jealousy and sends him away.

Chapter 4 :

Lowen drives to the Crawford house in Vermont, feeling insecure but entertained by Verity's audiobook. Upon arrival, she meets Jeremy and their son, Crew, feeling uneasy about staying in the Crawfords' former bedroom. Exploring Verity's office, Lowen discovers an autobiography titled "So Be It," deciding to read it to understand Verity better.

Chapter 5 :

Lowen, feeling both embarrassed and aroused by Verity’s autobiography, chats with Jeremy in the kitchen and confirms parts of the story about how he and Verity met. After he goes to bed, she can't resist reading more of "So Be It," so she blocks her bedroom door with a chest and continues delving into the manuscript.

Chapter 6 :

Lowen, working in her office, is unnerved when she thinks Verity is staring at her from outside. After her New York apartment application is denied, Jeremy offers her a place to stay, which she accepts reluctantly. Her unease deepens when she notices discrepancies, like the TV being off despite the nurse claiming it was on, making her question the strange situation in the Crawford house.

Chapter 7 :

Verity discovers she's pregnant and becomes anxious about her changing body, fearing it will ruin the perfection she has meticulously maintained. Her anxiety deepens when she learns she’s expecting twins, leading her to desperately attempt harmful actions to end the pregnancy. After reading Verity's disturbing manuscript, Lowen is horrified and unsettled, seeking comfort in a drink with Jeremy, who reveals more about Verity's deteriorated mental state.

Chapter 8 :

Lowen decides to take a break from reading Verity's disturbing manuscript, feeling more at ease and relaxed with the arrival of a friendlier nurse, Myrna. When Lowen learns from her agent Corey that she has been publicly announced as Verity’s new co-author, the news receives mixed and largely critical reactions online. Despite encountering Verity's snubbing friends at the store, Jeremy and Lowen leave feeling uplifted after Jeremy defends her.

Chapter 9 :

As Lowen struggles with the slow, anxious days in Vermont, she’s deeply unsettled by an accident involving Crew and a mysterious knife. When Crew is found injured and claims his "mommy" told him not to play with the knife, Lowen becomes suspicious that Verity might be more aware than she appears. Despite her efforts to find the knife and clarify the situation, she’s left questioning her own sanity when nothing turns up.

Chapter 10 :

Lowen, disturbed by the So Be It manuscript, explores Verity’s office and uncovers family photos and documents. Jeremy catches her in the act and explains that Harper had Asperger's and admits his anger towards Verity. Their conversation is interrupted by Crew, leaving Lowen conflicted and unsure of her next steps.

Chapter 11 :

Lowen reflects on Jeremy’s feelings towards Verity and their strained relationship. After an awkward encounter with Nurse April, Lowen tries to engage Verity with a turtle brought in by Crew. A dinner with Jeremy reveals sexual tension, but it fades when Crew interrupts, leaving Lowen frustrated.

Chapter 12 :

Lowen is deeply disturbed by Verity’s choices and labels her with harsh psychological terms. As she helps Jeremy find a home for Crew’s new turtle, she senses lingering resentment between Jeremy and Verity. Later, while feeling conflicted about her attraction to Jeremy, she’s interrupted by the sound of Verity’s hospital chair moving, leading her to reflect on Verity’s manipulative hold over everyone in the household.

Chapter 13 :

Lowen wakes up in Verity’s room, panicked and confused by the situation. She explains to Jeremy that her sleepwalking is severe and chronic, worsened by Xanax, and recounts a traumatic incident from her childhood involving a dangerous sleepwalking episode. Jeremy empathizes with her and offers comfort by staying with her until she falls asleep.

Chapter 14 :

The morning after her sleepwalking incident, Lowen grapples with anxiety and excessive coffee as Jeremy suggests locking her in her room at night for safety. April’s unexpected encounter adds to her embarrassment, but Jeremy brushes it off. Lowen spends the day drafting the outline for Verity’s seventh novel and handling a surge of interview requests, providing standard responses to questions about her role as Verity's co-author.

Chapter 15 :

After the attempted murder, Verity’s autobiography shifts focus solely to Chastin and Jeremy, with Harper disappearing from the narrative. Jeremy and Lowen share a romantic evening watching a meteor shower, where Jeremy reveals his past and discusses Verity’s estranged relationship with her family. They bond over their personal histories, and Jeremy confides that Verity never read Lowen’s books, but he chose her because he admired her work. Encouraged, Lowen reads another chapter of So Be It before bed.

Chapter 16 :

Lowen, bored by Verity’s manuscript and waiting for Corey's feedback, explores the living room for the first time. On her birthday, she and Jeremy celebrate, leading to a heated moment that’s interrupted when Lowen sees Verity watching from the stairs. Jeremy tries to reassure her that it's exhaustion and paranoia, but Lowen remains skeptical about Verity’s true condition and Jeremy’s knowledge of it.

Chapter 17 :

Lowen, troubled by her sighting of Verity and Jeremy's lack of clarity about their relationship, wakes up feeling uneasy. Jeremy's offer to lock Verity’s door at night only increases her anxiety, leading her to question whether Verity is faking her condition. Balancing her suspicions with her growing closeness to Jeremy, Lowen hesitates to share the manuscript, fearing it might reveal crucial details about the deaths of Harper and Chastin.

Chapter 18 :

Lowen's suspicion of Verity’s awareness grows when she finds her sitting still and unresponsive by the window. During dinner preparations, she becomes enraged after suspecting Verity of muting the TV and curses her in frustration. Her anger and unresolved feelings for Jeremy lead to a heated confrontation and a suggestion of a care facility for Verity, which Jeremy rejects. They then finally act on their mutual desire, with Lowen intensely focused on marking their encounter.

Chapter 19 :

After their intimate moment, Jeremy and Lowen discuss past relationships, with Lowen finding satisfaction in Jeremy’s jealousy over her fling with Corey. Jeremy reveals that while he had a passionate but shallow connection with Verity, he feels a deeper bond with Lowen. Their mood shifts dramatically the next morning when they discover their bedroom locked from the outside. In a panic, Jeremy breaks a window to avoid detection by Crew and Nurse April.

Chapter 20 :

Lowen is horrified to see Verity moving around on the monitor and confronts her with a knife, accusing her of faking her condition. Jeremy, enraged, believes Lowen has attacked his comatose wife and demands she leave. Desperate, Lowen gives Jeremy Verity's manuscript to prove her claims. After Jeremy reads it, his grief and anger echo through the house, and Lowen, overwhelmed with guilt, finds him staring at Verity, who remains unresponsive.

Chapter 21 :

Verity, pretending to be unconscious, shocks Lowen when she finally opens her eyes and speaks. Jeremy, furious, attacks Verity, accusing her of killing their daughter. To prevent Jeremy from being jailed, Lowen suggests making Verity's death look like an accident, and they force her to vomit to stage her death as choking. Horrified by her complicity, Lowen and Jeremy prepare their cover story and anxiously await the fallout.

Chapter 22 :

Seven months after Verity's death, Lowen and Jeremy, now expecting a daughter, have relocated to North Carolina with Crew, trying to build a new life. While clearing out Verity's old house, Crew discovers hidden drawings and a mysterious letter addressed to Jeremy. Lowen, feeling uneasy, begins to read the letter, bracing for more unsettling revelations.

Chapter 23 :

When Lowen returns to the Vermont house, Crew reveals a document that dramatically alters her understanding of recent events, revealing Verity’s true nature and Jeremy’s deception. Overwhelmed, Lowen destroys the letter and its incriminating content, choosing to bear the burden of the secret herself. As she and Jeremy drive away, Lowen resolves to support him and leave the past behind, convinced that the truth remains unclear and that the manuscript's fiction holds the same reality.