The Wife Between Us

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018

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Study Guide

Before You Read Beta

Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Prologue-Chapter 3

Part 1, Chapters 4-6

Part 1, Chapters 7-9

Part 1, Chapters 10-12

Part 1, Chapters 13-15

Part 1, Chapters 16-18

Part 2, Chapters 19-21

Part 2, Chapters 22-24

Part 2, Chapters 25-27

Part 2, Chapters 28-30

Part 3, Chapters 31-33

Part 3, Chapters 34-36

Part 3, Chapters 37-39

Part 3, Chapter 40-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools Beta

Discussion Questions

Part 2, Chapters 19-21 Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2, Chapter 19 Summary

Vanessa tells her replacement, Emma, “I used to be you” (165). Richard hired Emma as his assistant, and in less than a year, he’d left Vanessa for her. Vanessa, who has rehearsed this moment every night, tells Emma that she will regret marrying Richard and he will hurt her. Emma was warned that Vanessa might try something like this, so she is stubborn and protective of Richard. Desperately, Vanessa brings up the cocktail party when the caterers were late. Emma was there, and Vanessa tells her that it was Richard’s fault that there wasn’t any Raveneau, because he didn’t order it. Emma, though, tells her it was delivered, and that she had placed the order. Though Vanessa yells that Richard blamed her, Emma dismisses her, jumping into a cab and leaving Vanessa on the curb. Alone, Vanessa begins to doubt her own perception of her marriage. She wonders if everything Richard said was true and, as always, if she is “crazy” like her mother, who had a lifelong battle with mental illness.

Vanessa remembers their honeymoon in Antigua and how nervous she was on the plane. Most of the honeymoon was romantic and dream-like, but the memory was tainted by a traumatic scuba diving expedition.