Evidence of the Affair

As the novella nears its resolution, Reid subverts expectations with a narrative twist. Instead of leaving their spouses, Janet and Ken return to their marriages after their affair ends. Carrie’s question, “Is it possible that after all we have both been through, it has ended with them coming back to us?” (74), expresses confusion and uncertainty over how she feels about this development. While she and David initially wished that their partners would return, they are not as happy as they expected to be at the prospect of resuming life as it was before. They are torn between pursuing their own blossoming connection and recommitting to their marriages.

These chapters explore marriage as a symbol of both comforting familiarity and the more frightening prospect of change. Janet’s last-minute decision to end her affair with Ken reflects her nostalgia for the connection she and David once shared. Further, despite the emotional turmoil Ken’s betrayal has caused her, Carrie continues to perceive marriage as a safe and stable institution, accepting her husband’s romantic gestures at face value. For David, the decision to reconcile with Janet is motivated by his devotion to his children rather than love for his wife. He declares: “I want nothing as much as I want to live in the same home as my sons, to see them every morning, to say goodnight to them every night, as they grow into men” (76). Despite the pain Janet’s infidelity caused him, he continues to see their marriage as a source of stability and comfort to his sons. However, David’s conflicted feelings over returning to a life with Janet are conveyed in his parting declaration to Carrie, when he tells her, “You will be in my heart forever” (78). This statement underscores how Carrie continues to dominate his thoughts and reveals that he is split between duty and desire. The characters’ ingrained association of marriage with security leads them to make “safe” choices, rather than pursuing more rewarding possibilities.

However, Carrie’s reliance on the supposed stability of marriage is shattered when she reads Ken’s final letters to Janet. She discovers that Ken has continued to deceive her, wooing her with romantic gestures while begging Janet to return to him, and this finally severs Carrie’s trust. Reid heightens the dramatic effect by initially withholding Carrie’s reaction to Ken’s letters, instead allowing her next letter, which contains instructions to her divorce lawyer, to speak for itself. Here, the association between letters and evidence, introduced at the beginning of the novella, gains new force as Carrie uses her husband’s correspondence as proof of adultery to secure an advantageous divorce settlement.

Carrie’s character arc, from powerless endurance of her husband’s infidelity to agency, culminates in her final letter to David. She declares, “It brings me pride to tell you that I left that asshole” (84), conveying her decisive embrace of dignity and self-respect. The blunt way she refers to Ken reflects a new clarity and self-assuredness. The revelation that Carrie now has a daughter and David is the father emphasizes how their relationship has been a catalyst for her empowerment, independence, and happiness. Reid highlights the radical transformation of Carrie’s perception of societal roles and identity through her joyful tone. While the prospect of becoming a single mother and returning to live with her parents would once have shamed her, she revels in her liberation from the constraints of marriage. She has always longed for motherhood, and she embraces it joyfully. Her gaining of a real estate license is a further sign of forging her own way in the world. Her transformation embodies the theme of Liberation Through Heartbreak as the pain of betrayal propelled her toward clarity and joy.

The novella’s conclusion leaves Carrie and David’s romantic future unresolved. Reid conveys a sense of possibility through Carrie’s open invitation to David to come and find her and their daughter. However, her declaration that she has no expectations of him makes it clear that her happiness and security do not depend on him. The ending focuses on Carrie’s resilience, self-respect, and ability to face the future, no matter what it holds.