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Chapters 19-24Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide features depictions of sexual violence, rape, dubious consent, sexually explicit content, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.
Chapter 19 Summary: “Kai, Present”
Kai is in the cathedral and hears Banks calling his name. He is momentarily surprised, but then he remembers she knows everything about his routine. Kai immediately notices that Banks is wearing lipstick now and has a few strands of hair hanging loose. She asks him if he has confessed yet, and Kai admits that he hasn’t done that since their meeting six years ago. When the subject of Rika comes up, Kai takes Banks into his arms and tells her exactly what happened with Rika and why. He admits that his family, and especially his father, was extremely disappointed in him for getting arrested, and that the dishonor his arrest caused could only be solved through extreme means, such as the Japanese tradition of seppuku (honorable suicide). He explains that Rika forgave him and Michael for tormenting her; the three of them then had a mutual sexual encounter as an unorthodox method of healing from their violent past history.
Banks cries, then tells Kai to touch her. Kai discovers that Banks is no longer wearing bindings over her breasts, and the two are deeply aroused by one another. They move to the confessional and have sex inside it, but a phone call interrupts them. When Banks picks up the phone, she learns that Vanessa, Kai’s “future bride,” is already in town.
Chapter 20 Summary: “Banks, Present”
Banks goes with Kai, Will, Rika, and Gabriel to the study in Gabriel’s house, where Kai officially meets Vanessa. He looks her over as Banks feels deep jealousy. She also grows concerned that Kai might actually choose Vanessa after all. After a meal, Banks is ordered to unpack Vanessa’s luggage, and she overhears Kai and Rika talking privately. Rika is trying to convince Kai not to sign the contract with Gabriel. When they see Banks, Kai confronts her and asks her what her intentions are. He tells her that he wants to be with her, but Banks insists that she is still loyal to Damon.
The group then goes to Gabriel’s guest house, where Gabriel tells Banks that she can go with Kai freely if she wants to. Banks says nothing, angering Kai, who then signs the contract so that he will at least be able to take Banks with him. He picks her up and takes her away, explaining to Will and Rika that Damon knows something about him—a secret that he does not want anyone to know. (Six years ago, when Kai hit Damon’s mother, she apparently died, and now Kai worries that Damon will take revenge on him by telling everyone that Kai killed Damon’s mother.) Kai is still angry with Banks for her indecisive sense of loyalty, and he heads off on his own while Will and Rika take Banks to Kai’s house.
Chapter 21 Summary: “Banks, Present”
Upon arriving at Kai’s house with Will and Rika, Banks goes inside to find that the house is completely dark. She calls out to Kai, but he responds only via text and eventually lures her up onto the second floor, where he is waiting for her. Wearing his skull mask, he appears and approaches Banks, pushing himself against her and holding her against the wall. Banks succumbs and reflects that although she does in fact love Kai, she doesn’t feel like she knows him at all.
Kai opens a secret passageway in the master bedroom wall and beckons Banks to follow him. She goes down a winding staircase and through a sewer tunnel, then back up again. Eventually, she finds herself in a house that is located on a nearby hill. This house is not in shambles; instead, it is decorated in a sophisticated fashion. Kai takes Banks to a bath that has already been prepared and begins washing her. She finds the experience strange but soon relaxing. The intimate moment is interrupted when Michael buzzes at the gate and comes in angrily, berating Kai for bringing Rika to Gabriel’s house. Kai was under the impression that Rika was supposed to be an equal with the Four Horsemen, but Michael admits that he would always prioritize her over his friends, and he doesn’t want her to be endangered. The conversation makes Kai feel that he needs to find new members for his club.
Chapter 22 Summary: “Banks, Present”
A pajama party is held at Kai’s house in honor of Devil’s Night, and Banks picks out a pair of Kai’s boxers and a shirt to wear. The party is held by candlelight, and at one point, Kai asks Banks to bring more candles from a closet. She goes in and is cornered by Michael, who berates her for getting into a fight with Rika. It isn’t long before Rika and Kai arrive, and Banks suggests “having” Rika to even out the score. She and Rika become intimate in front of Kai and Michael. Then they each have sex with their respective partners. Afterward, when the subject of Damon comes up, Rika admits that she knows him better than most. She was aware of the abuse he endured from his mother, and she also knew about his self-harm; Rika also reveals that at one point, Damon mailed her a matchbook.
Chapter 23 Summary: “Kai, Present”
Kai wakes up to find Banks beside him, but her eyes are filled with sadness. He then looks out the window to see that his dojo is on fire. It is too late to salvage the building, and Kai wonders if Banks knew that Damon would do this. Soon, Gabriel’s men arrive to take Banks, claiming that Vanessa has left and that the contract is void. Michael tells Kai that Banks’s first name is Nikova; this information makes Kai realize that Banks is Gabriel’s daughter. Kai goes to Gabriel’s office and demands that Banks become his wife in place of Vanessa; he believes that by marrying Banks, he can hold something over Damon for the rest of his life.
Chapter 24 Summary: “Banks, Present”
Meanwhile, Banks is left alone with Gabriel’s guards, one of whom, Ilia, begins attempting to assault her, acting on orders from Gabriel. The other guards defend her, and she also defends herself. Banks smashes a crystal bowl against Ilia’s head, then cuts his face with a letter opener as the other guards tussle. Banks wins the struggle and orders Ilia and the others to leave, then gets ready for her wedding.
Banks wears a black dress to her wedding and arrives at the cathedral to find everyone waiting for her. She stands at the altar with Kai and looks at him with hatred for putting her in this situation. She taunts Kai and tells him that the marriage will be short because he won’t be alive much longer. He just laughs. After the obligatory vows, the priest gives permission for Kai to kiss the bride. At this point, Kai turns and runs out of the cathedral, leaving Banks standing there alone.
Chapters 19-24 Analysis
The setting of the cathedral stands as one of the most significant elements in the story because many crucial emotional events take place here, and more than one character develops a deep personal connection to the location. For example, Damon and Kai first met there as children, and later, as an adult, Kai returns there because he knows that the imposing edifice still holds emotional weight for Damon. Similarly, the cathedral is also where Kai and Banks first meet, and it becomes the location of their later reunion, in which they revisit their shared past. It is also here that Kai engages in a pivotal moment of intimacy and emotional honesty by admitting that his arrest destroyed his family and that the Japanese tradition of seppuku, or ritual suicide, would have been the only way for him to overcome his dishonor and make his father proud again. This moment of raw “confession” is followed by his and Banks’s decision to have sex in the confessional: a gesture symbolizing the completion of a long-awaited moment in their growing romantic relationship.
Both Kai and Banks undergo significant personal shifts in this section, and the narrative implies that their mutual attraction is the catalyst for these internal changes. For example, when Kai sees Banks at the cathedral, he notices subtle physical changes, such as loose hair, lipstick, and the lack of restrictive bindings over her chest. These small but meaningful signs indicate that she is finally embracing her femininity and autonomy, and the shifts in her appearance are intended to suggest that the pair’s relationship is positively affecting her self-perception. Likewise, Kai himself experiences personal growth due to Banks’s influence, as when he allows himself to show emotional vulnerability during his confession that he was the one who killed Damon’s mother in the hotel years ago. However, the narrative also mitigates the harshness of this information by hinting that Kai is mistaken in his belief, and that Damon may have been the actual killer.
Banks’s emotional evolution is further showcased with her pivotal realization about her feelings for Kai. As she admits to herself, “I wanted him to know I loved him” (364). This moment marks the first time that she consciously acknowledges her love for Kai, and it is clear that she has come a long way from her initial distrust and disdain. Once again, Douglas shows that Kai’s sentiments mirror Banks’s in many ways. For example, when Kai expresses his passion for Banks, he reveals a similar level of emotional intensity, declaring, “You make me hungry and on fire and wanting to slow down time instead of wanting to rush through it” (329). This line captures his desire to savor the emotional intensity of their connection rather than racing through it.
Meanwhile, tension grows within the dark fraternity of Horsemen as Michael becomes enraged over the fact that Rika was exposed to the dangers of Gabriel’s house. By prioritizing her over his loyalty to the Horsemen, he significantly shifts the group’s dynamics, causing Kai to declare that they “need new Horsemen” (372). This moment stands as a significant schism in the long-standing, dysfunctional brotherhood, and it is clear that both Kai and Michael are dealing with new elements in their lives that force them to shift their priorities. Kai responds to these rising pressures with a characteristic bid for dominance; after Vanessa leaves, he demands that Banks become his bride instead. With this gesture, he poisons his love for Banks by succumbing to his overriding need to assert dominance over Damon.
Just as the reasons for the wedding between Kai and Banks are deeply fraught with The Psychological Impact of Toxic Power Dynamics, the pair’s relationship becomes more complicated when Banks is almost raped on the day of her wedding. This moment of danger emphasizes her ongoing vulnerability despite her growing confidence and strength. In addition to this rocky opening to the event, the wedding itself is peppered with undercurrents of dysfunctional resentment and sarcasm. For example, during their vows, Kai and Banks openly joke about killing each other, and Banks express her hope that Kai will die and render the marriage short-lived. These tensions exhibit the hostility that complicates the pair’s visceral sense of attraction, highlighting the unstable foundation of their union, which is driven more by callous strategy and unresolved feelings than by mutual trust or love.
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