Chapters 25-32Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of sexual content, sexual assault, emotional abuse, suicidal ideation and/or self-harm, death by suicide, death, and graphic violence.
Chapter 25 Summary: “Annika”
The night before Annika’s scheduled return to Brighton Island, her mother, Lia, stands frozen in Annika’s bedroom amid broken glass and ruined snacks. Lia stares blankly and flinches when Annika tries to get her attention. After recovering, Lia claims exhaustion and has Annika lie with her head in her lap. She asks about the boy in the picture on Annika’s phone.
Annika explains her relationship with Creighton, describing their special connection and how she pursued him despite his initial resistance. As Annika speaks, Lia’s her composure falters. When Annika reveals she sees Creighton as her one true love and needs Lia’s help convincing Papa to accept him so Jeremy will back off, Lia refuses. She begs Annika to cut ties with Creighton, claiming she is trying to protect her but offering no explanation. Annika feels betrayed, reminding Lia of her promise to prevent an arranged marriage.
The next morning, Annika wakes to find Creighton still has not replied to her messages. In a group chat, she learns from Ava that Creighton has been spending time with Eli. At breakfast, Jeremy announces he has informed their father about Creighton and relays Papa’s ultimatum: break up with Creighton or face an arranged marriage. Before Annika can protest further, Jeremy receives a call stating Nikolai has been kidnapped and the kidnapper is demanding Jeremy. They leave immediately.
Chapter 26 Summary: “Creighton”
After seeing Annika’s text about temporarily returning to the States, Creighton marks it as unread, unable to formulate a response. He and Eli follow a guard from King’s University who is secretly meeting someone. They confront the guard in an alley, where Eli strikes him with a rock. Under duress—and with a promise to clear his debts—the guard reveals he has been feeding information to Landon about the Volkov family.
The guard recounts that years ago, he witnessed the aftermath of a murder he claims was committed by Adrian Volkov’s wife, Lia. He alleges she killed mayoral candidate Richard Green by stabbing him 34 times. Adrian’s men removed incriminating evidence, then orchestrated Green’s public destruction by exposing his history of sexually assaulting women at a shelter he directed. Green’s reputation was annihilated. His widow later attempted a murder-suicide with their young son, who barely survived gas asphyxiation.
When the guard reveals the victim’s name was Richard Green, Creighton realizes Lia and Adrian Volkov destroyed his biological family. Annika’s parents are responsible for the trauma that defined his childhood. Devastated, Creighton punches the wall repeatedly. Eli stops him from further injuring himself and leads him to confront Landon, who orchestrated the revelation. Creighton beats Landon brutally while his cousin admits he discovered the truth recently and tried to warn him. Seeking a truce, Landon reveals he has kidnapped Nikolai to draw Jeremy out, giving Creighton his chance for revenge. Remington interrupts, revealing he discovered Nikolai tied up in the basement.
Chapter 27 Summary: “Lia”
Lia paces anxiously at the Volkov residence, tormented by demons from her past. Her anxiety intensifies because Adrian and Nikolai are away on urgent business and because she let Annika return to Brighton Island. Yan, a family friend, tries to calm her, reminding her that Jeremy is with Annika and she is overthinking. When Adrian returns, he finds Yan comforting Lia and jealously confronts him.
After Yan leaves, Lia tells Adrian she saw Creighton’s picture on Annika’s phone and recognized Richard Green’s eyes. She fears their past nightmare is returning to haunt their daughter. Adrian tries to comfort her, but Lia worries they are being punished and that she betrayed Annika by withdrawing her support. Adrian insists Richard deserved death and promises to handle the situation, but Lia convinces him to let her speak with Annika instead, fearing coercion will only drive their daughter closer to Creighton.
Lia video calls Annika and recounts her own traumatic past: a powerful figure attempted to sexually assault her during her lowest moment, and Adrian killed him. That man was mayoral candidate Richard Green. His wife later attempted murder-suicide with their young son, who barely survived. Annika realizes with horror that Creighton is that son.
Devastated, Annika reveals Creighton has been seeking revenge and will hate her when he learns the truth. Adrian orders Annika to pack and return to the States within days, warning that Creighton will only use her to hurt the family. Lia tries to comfort Annika, asking how Creighton could remember details from such a young age. Adrian abruptly ends the call, leaving Annika in anguish.
Chapter 28 Summary: “Creighton”
Creighton reflects that everyone had a plan all along: the universe, his adoptive parents, and Landon. He sits in darkness, staring at his bloodied hands, consumed by the revelation that the Volkovs destroyed his biological family. Pain explodes in his chest at the thought of Annika, but he resolves that since the parents are untouchable, their children will pay instead.
He destroys everything in his room that carries Annika’s scent, then heads to the basement where Nikolai is imprisoned. He finds Brandon attempting to free Nikolai. When Creighton orders him to step back, Brandon protests that this revenge will destroy Creighton’s life. Creighton knocks Brandon unconscious. Landon arrives and reports that Jeremy has come to the mansion. He leaves with Brandon while Nikolai tries to reason with Creighton, revealing that Jeremy had been watching their relationship and allowed it because Annika was happy.
Eli and Landon bring Jeremy into the basement. Jeremy denies Lia killed anyone and offers to negotiate, but Creighton declares his only goal is to destroy the Volkov family, starting with Jeremy. Creighton holds a knife to Nikolai’s throat, but Nikolai shoves his own neck against the blade to avoid becoming Jeremy’s weakness. Eli rushes to save Nikolai while Landon restrains Jeremy. Creighton releases Nikolai’s bindings so Eli can take him to the hospital.
Annika suddenly appears with Remington. She begs Creighton to stop, saying her mother is sorry and Jeremy is innocent. When Creighton refuses, she pulls out a gun and orders him to release her brother. Creighton stabs Jeremy in the arm. Annika shoots Creighton in the chest. As he falls, caught by Landon, Creighton uses his last breaths to apologize to his parents before losing consciousness.
Chapter 29 Summary: “Annika”
Annika collapses into shock after shooting Creighton. She crawls to his body, which lies in a growing pool of blood while Landon applies pressure to the chest wound. Creighton appears lifeless, his face pale and expressionless. Jeremy pulls Annika away and forces her into his car despite her desperate struggles. She begs him to confirm it was only a nightmare, but Jeremy tells her bluntly that she shot Creighton in the chest and he is likely dead. He speeds away from the Elites’ compound as Annika wails.
At the Heathens’ mansion, Annika tries to run back to Creighton, but Jeremy restrains her. Killian appears and confirms Glyndon called him crying because Creighton is dying. Annika insists it was a nightmare, but reality crashes down when she sees Jeremy’s bloodstained shirt. Jeremy takes her to the bathroom and methodically washes the blood from her hands, then tends to her injuries. Annika sobs that she killed the man she loves. Jeremy tells her Creighton may not be dead and suggests Creighton wanted her to shoot him because he was in pain and wanted it to end. He stays with her through the night as she cycles between passing out and waking in tears.
The next morning, Jeremy offers to take Annika to the hospital. At the hospital, Jeremy reveals that Nikolai survived his self-inflicted throat wound but Creighton remains in the ICU in a coma. The next two days will determine if he lives or dies. Jeremy warns that their father is coming and this will be her only hospital visit.
Chapter 30 Summary: “Aiden”
Two days after Creighton was shot, Aiden watches his wife, Elsa, stare through the hospital window at their unconscious son. The ordeal has drained Elsa of her vitality, and Aiden insists she rest. He confronts his other son, Eli, for failing to protect Creighton. After sending Elsa home with Ava, Aiden reflects on his bond with Creighton. He confronts the chief doctor, threatening to transfer Creighton and cut hospital funding if he does not wake within 24 hours.
Landon appears and reveals he orchestrated the discovery of Creighton’s past. He explains that Creighton sought revenge against Jeremy but was shot by Annika, a Mafia princess and Creighton’s girlfriend. Aiden recalls adopting Creighton, an orphan sponsored by Reina Carson, the wife of his friend Asher; Asher’s sister, who has Mafia ties, had entrusted the boy to Reina. Landon suggests Creighton provoked Annika to shoot him because he was devastated to learn she was the daughter of those who wronged him. Later, Aiden finds Annika outside the ICU and confronts her, accusing her of continuing her parents’ legacy of destroying Creighton’s life.
Chapter 31 Summary: “Annika”
The confrontation between Aiden and Annika is interrupted by Adrian Volkov, who holds a gun to Aiden’s head. The two fathers exchange threats, each vowing to destroy the other’s family. To de-escalate the conflict, Annika fakes fainting. Adrian carries her out, and in the car, he tells her Creighton forced her hand by stabbing Jeremy. He secures her promise to never seek out Creighton in exchange for her freedom from an arranged marriage. On the private jet home, Annika receives a text from Remington informing her that Creighton has woken up.
Chapter 32 Summary: “Creighton”
Two weeks after waking from his coma, Creighton recuperates at his parents’ home, still wishing the bullet had killed him. He sits watching rain while his grandparents visit. Jonathan and Ethan play chess as Agnus watches. Jonathan provokes Agnus by reading aloud jealous, drunken texts Agnus once sent about Jonathan’s past with Ethan. Agnus leaves angrily, followed by Ethan. Jonathan invites Creighton to stay with him anytime.
Elsa brings food and asks if Creighton is angry that they hid his past. He says no, but he is angry at himself for investigating and losing everything. Elsa insists he still has his family and recounts falling in love with him at first sight when they met at the shelter, something that did not happen with Aiden or Eli. She begs him to share his struggles instead of battling demons alone. Creighton explains he was not avenging his biological parents but seeking closure for his traumatized childhood self. He confesses he wanted Annika to kill him so he would haunt her forever and she could never move on. He still wishes he had died.
Aiden, who has been listening, dismisses the idea of losing someone for good. He admits he threatened Annika to stay away but now encourages Creighton to pursue her if he wants. Despite Elsa’s concern that Adrian will kill Creighton, Aiden insists he will support his son. He reveals Creighton refused to press charges against Annika. When Creighton says he cannot forgive her parents and fears she will choose them again, Elsa and Aiden tell him that if she does, he will know her true nature and can move on. Creighton thanks them for their unconditional support. As they eat Elsa’s terrible cooking together, a plan forms in Creighton’s mind.
Chapters 25-32 Analysis
These final chapters accelerate the theme of The Struggle for Autonomy In Controlling Relationships as Annika’s emerging independence collides with the dictates of her Mafia family. When Lia and Adrian discover Creighton’s identity, they decide to sever the relationship, ordering Annika to return to the United States. Within the novel’s hierarchy of elite academic culture and organized crime, combined with some traditional and objectifying view of women, the Volkov family treats Annika as an asset to be protected or used rather than an individual with her own needs. Her attempts to negotiate fail against Adrian’s authority, demonstrating how entrenched power structures suppress personal agency. Although her parents frame their interference as protection, their demands strip Annika of her right to choose her own allegiances, forcing her into a reactive position. This crisis reveals the limits of her previous assertions of independence when confronted with her father’s absolute authority.
Upon discovering the Volkov family’s role in his biological parents’ deaths, Creighton’s psychological regression channels the motif of fire and arson, transforming his internal agony into outward destruction. Realizing that Lia and Adrian were responsible for the events that led to his family’s ruin, Creighton abandons his emotional connection with Annika in favor of retributive violence. He orchestrates a trap for Jeremy in the basement, viewing the Volkov heir as a proxy for his untouchable parents. This shift illustrates a destructive element of his character; rather than seeking resolution, Creighton allows his unresolved childhood trauma to dictate his actions. By holding a knife to Jeremy’s throat, Creighton externalizes his inner conflict, showing that his past remains a volatile force capable of destroying his present relationships. The violence represents a regression to the traumatized three-year-old self he thought he had overcome.
Creighton’s reaction to the betrayal highlights the motif of the color purple and violets, using sensory details to map the boundaries of their psychological entanglement. Before executing his plan against Jeremy, Creighton isolates himself and destroys Annika’s belongings, finding his room “suffocating with […] heavy breathing and her fucking violet scent” (338). The scent of violets, which previously symbolized their connection, now acts as an inescapable reminder of her presence in his life. He destroys these physical markers in an attempt to purge his emotional vulnerability, yet the lingering fragrance demonstrates that their bond defies easy erasure. His subsequent confession that he provoked Annika into shooting him because he wanted “to be a stain on her life forever” reveals a destructive desire for permanence (400). In the absence of a functional relationship, Creighton weaponizes his own suffering, viewing his memory as a psychological tether that will continuously affect her even if they remain separated.
The climax in the basement illustrates the dark romance genre’s exploration of impossible choices and psychological intensity. When Annika arrives to find Creighton threatening Jeremy, she can either allow the man she loves to harm her brother or enact violence herself. Her decision to shoot Creighton marks a significant turning point, forcing her to commit an act that alters her character and makes her question her values. Jeremy later frames the event to mitigate her guilt, suggesting Creighton engineered the scenario because he was in pain and sought an end. Annika’s trauma in the aftermath—evidenced by her periods of denial and Jeremy having to wash Creighton’s blood from her hands—emphasizes the psychological toll of their dynamic. The shooting functions as a manifestation of the genre’s focus on the intersection of trauma, loyalty, and destructive love.
As Creighton recovers from the injury, another aspect of his internal conflict is gradually revealed. As Jeremy implied that he may have goaded Annika into shooting him as an indirect way to die by suicide, Creighton notes that he wanted to die because he hated both that he had forced Annika into that position and that she chose her brother over him. He can’t bear the damage to their bond, which he believes is now ruined. This presents his guarded personality and withdrawn emotional tendencies as a result of insecurity and fear of either hurting others or being hurt himself. This is reinforced when he thinks, “Is this what I do? Put darkness in the place of light? Destroy everything I touch? […] [Annika] probably thinks she’s not enough, which is why I wanted to die.” (399). He understands that his insatiable need for vengeance presented the circumstances through which Annika felt pressured to choose Jeremy over him, and any accusations of guilt toward her are projections of his own shame over his behavior. These faults and fears add dimensions of sympathy and powerlessness to his character, which will escalate in the novel’s final chapters.
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