50 pages • 1-hour read
The Arrangement
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Chapters 26-35Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, antigay bias, emotional abuse, and sexual content.
Chapter 26 Summary: “Confrontations”
Peter visits Mallory’s home unannounced, seeking comfort amid his personal turmoil. When Gina opens the door, Peter is surprised to discover that she lives there as Mallory’s landlord. The situation quickly deteriorates as both women realize their connection to Peter and confront him about his involvement with both of them.
After learning that Peter slept with Mallory, Gina withdraws to her bedroom, and Peter follows to explain himself. She advises him to take control of his life and marriage and refuses further involvement. She also expresses concern about complications with the volatile Mallory.
As Peter leaves, he encounters an angry Mallory outside. She accuses him of using her, and, feeling humiliated and betrayed, she kicks his car, cracking the bumper, and demands that he never return.
Chapter 27 Summary: “Police Inquiry”
Officers Chad and Andrews arrive at the Greenburg home to question Ainsley about Stefan. Ainsley invites them in and downplays her relationship with Stefan. She tells them that she met Stefan on the Dater app, they had one date, and he subsequently sent obsessive messages. She tells the officers that she didn’t let Stefan in when he arrived on Friday night because she was alarmed by his messages and panicked upon learning that he knew her real name, adding that she and Peter had agreed to see other people.
To support her story, Ainsley shows the officers her messages from Stefan on the Dater app. She explains that her reluctance to come forward sooner was due to embarrassment over marital issues. After the officers provide their business cards and request that she contact them with any additional information, they leave. Ainsley feels relieved that Peter wasn’t present during the questioning because he can be unpredictable. Shortly after the police depart, Peter arrives home.
Chapter 28 Summary: “Shower Encounter”
Peter returns home exhausted. He is in the shower when Ainsley enters the bathroom and informs him about the police visit. When he reacts with shock, Ainsley reassures him that she handled it. She then undresses and joins Peter in the shower, where they share an intense, passionate, and aggressive physical encounter in which Peter leaves a bright red bite mark on Ainsley’s skin.
Afterward, they sit together on the shower floor and reflect on their relationship. Peter asserts that their love and family are real and expresses his commitment. When Ainsley asks if Peter would fight for her, he declares that he’d kill for her, to which she responds that he already has. Peter internally recalls Glennon’s warning about telling the truth and resolves to tell Ainsley his secret soon.
Chapter 29 Summary: “Dual Crises”
Ainsley receives a call from Glennon while collecting her children from school. Glennon, clearly distressed, reveals that she is leaving Seth and moving to her mother’s house. Ainsley expresses concern and offers support, but their conversation is interrupted by an incoming call from Peter.
When Ainsley answers, Peter sounds distressed and informs her that Illiana De Luca is missing. The call creates immediate tension as Ainsley must juggle her children’s needs, Glennon’s personal crisis, and this new development in their own dangerous situation.
Chapter 30 Summary: “Unexpected Confession”
After Ainsley arrives home, Peter explains that Illiana is wanted for questioning and that her belongings were left at home. Ainsley suggests that this development might shift police suspicion away from them, but Peter voices anxiety about being implicated. When Ainsley questions Peter about his whereabouts the previous night, emphasizing honesty, Peter claims that he was just driving around. She presses him further, reminding him of his statement about taking care of the problem, but Peter vehemently denies that he meant murder.
Ainsley prepares to leave to visit Glennon. She explains that her friend is leaving Seth and asks Peter not to tell him. Peter stops her and states that he needs to confess something important. He admits to cheating on Ainsley—with Seth. This revelation shocks Ainsley.
Chapter 31 Summary: “Revelations”
As Ainsley processes Peter’s confession about his affair with Seth, she questions his sexuality. Peter clarifies that he’s bisexual and that his affair with Seth was recent and limited to three encounters. He explains that Glennon discovered the affair and made him promise to tell Ainsley. When asked if he loves Seth, Peter denies it and insists that he wants his family.
Peter then reveals that Seth’s marriage to Glennon was an arrangement of convenience—Seth is gay but married Glennon to appease his family, who threatened disinheritance because of their antigay bias. Glennon, meanwhile, benefited from financial support for her nonprofit and medical care.
Ainsley realizes that Glennon is leaving Seth because Peter and Seth hurt her. As she prepares to visit Glennon, Peter begs her to stay and forgive him. Their conversation is interrupted by a knock—Officers Chad and Andrews have returned.
Chapter 32 Summary: “Police Return”
The officers reveal evidence suggesting that Stefan is a serial rapist who collected victims’ underwear and used distinctive rope. They ask if Stefan harmed Ainsley, which she denies. The officers explain that Illiana may be an accomplice and is missing or on the run. They warn Ainsley that she was likely Stefan’s next targeted victim and advise her to report any contact, promising increased patrols for her safety.
After the police leave, Peter questions Ainsley about Stefan, and she reassures him that nothing happened. They pledge no more secrets and commit to fighting for their marriage. Ainsley then asks Peter to sit down and wonders if he can forgive her for what she’s about to reveal. She confesses that she, not Peter, killed Stefan.
Chapter 33 Summary: “The Truth”
Ainsley explains that she set up Stefan’s murder because she knew about Peter’s affairs (except with Seth) and needed him to owe her, ensuring that he wouldn’t leave. She reveals that she orchestrated the entire situation: deliberately choosing Stefan (who she knew was a police officer), lying to him and saying that Peter was abusive, and purposely ignoring his messages after their date to provoke him to come to their house. She wanted to create a situation that would force Peter to intervene with the bat.
Peter reacts with anger and disbelief at this calculated manipulation. Ainsley asserts that with their shared guilt, Peter is bound to her. She also reminds him that she didn’t make him swing the bat and that she knows where the murder weapon and body are. She insists that because their sins are equal, their relationship is fixed and unbreakable. Ainsley kisses Peter, who doesn’t reciprocate, and departs to visit Glennon.
Chapter 34 Summary: “Six Months Later”
Six months later, Ainsley speaks with Glennon on the phone. Glennon and Seth are now separated but remain cordial, with Seth joining her on vacation and doing well with his business despite losing his trust fund. The police investigations into Stefan and Illiana have ceased, with authorities believing they fled the country. Ainsley and Peter have built a new concrete patio replacing their old front porch, underneath which Stefan and Illiana (who Peter killed, unbeknownst to Ainsley) are buried.
Ainsley reflects on their fixed marriage, improved sex life, and relief that they are going to get away with their crimes. Peter thanks her for fixing him and their marriage, acknowledging that her methods worked. Ainsley winks, says that Peter is her favorite thing to fix, and reflects that she has zero regrets about her actions.
Chapter 35 Summary: “Final Revelation”
Peter puts away tools and reflects that while Ainsley saved him, he has secrets that she can never know. He accesses his hidden, soundproofed room behind a false wall in the garage. Inside, he retrieves Illiana’s pearl bracelet, which he kept as a token after killing her. He reflects on his history as a serial killer with 15 prior victims and takes out his “kill kit,” which is in a black duffel bag.
When Peter opens the duffel bag, expecting to find his collection of victims’ underwear and rope, he discovers that everything is missing. He finds only a single white envelope from Ainsley, sealed with her signature. The note inside reads, “Sorry, honey. Rules are rules. No more secrets” (209). Peter realizes that Ainsley knew about his serial killing all along and orchestrated Stefan’s framing with a copycat bag. Peter, who is utterly shocked, realizes that Ainsley knows his darkest secret and maintains ultimate control over their relationship.
Chapters 26-35 Analysis
The theme of Control and Manipulation Disguised as Love reaches its climax with Ainsley’s confession, which transforms what appeared to be desperate marriage-saving efforts into calculated psychological warfare. Her admission that she deliberately selected Stefan as a police officer and manipulated him into believing that Peter was abusive exposes the terrifying extent to which she weaponizes the language of care. When Ainsley declares that she “own[s Peter’s] secret now” and therefore owns him (197), her words crystallize how she has inverted traditional power dynamics within marriage, using Peter’s protective instincts as tools for her own control. This manipulation operates on multiple levels: She exploits Stefan’s professional duty to protect abuse victims, perverts Peter’s genuine love for her into a murder weapon, and reframes her orchestration of violence as a marital gift. Modglin argues that the rhetoric of love becomes most dangerous when deployed by those who understand its emotional leverage, suggesting that the greatest threat to intimate relationships comes not from external forces but from partners who transform affection into ammunition.
The house and porch continue as central symbols of the facade of domestic perfection that can conceal moral corruption and emphasize The Performance of Domestic Normalcy as Survival, with the new concrete patio representing both a literal burial ground and a metaphorical foundation of their reconstructed marriage. The couple’s decision to replace their original porch with concrete creates a permanent seal over their crimes, transforming the site of Stefan’s murder into a space for family gatherings and relaxation. This architectural change functions as the ultimate performance of normalcy—they literally build their new life atop their victims’ graves. Peter’s meticulous attention to the concrete’s smoothness and his satisfaction with the completed project reflect his need to create a flawless surface that conceals the horror beneath. The porch renovation also serves as a temporal marker, occurring six months after the murders when investigations have quieted, suggesting that time itself becomes complicit in their ability to construct new realities.
The motif of secrets and envelopes reaches its most significant expression in Peter’s discovery of Ainsley’s final message, demonstrating how hidden information functions as both a weapon and a shield throughout their relationship and highlighting the novel’s continued exploration of The Erosion of Truth in Intimate Relationships. The progression from Ainsley’s sealed envelope containing Stefan’s information to Peter’s discovery of the empty duffel bag with her note creates a pattern where revelation becomes a form of psychological control. Each envelope represents a transfer of power: Ainsley initially uses sealed information to maintain mystery and control over their arrangement, while her final message, “Sorry, honey. Rules are rules. No more secrets” (209), reveals her ultimate authority over their shared darkness. The emptying of Peter’s trophy collection and its replacement with her envelope demonstrates how Ainsley has been conducting surveillance on his most private transgressions while maintaining the illusion of mutual confession.
The narrative structure employs nested revelations to demonstrate how truth itself becomes weaponized within intimate relationships. The sequential unfolding of confessions—Peter’s bisexuality and affair with Seth, Ainsley’s orchestration of Stefan’s death, and Peter’s serial killing—creates a hierarchy of deception where each revelation recontextualizes previous actions and motivations. The author uses Peter’s perspective in the final chapter to expose the ironic truth: While he believes he possesses the darkest secret, Ainsley has been aware of his murders throughout their marriage and has used this knowledge to orchestrate her own manipulations. Peter’s belief that he has achieved equality through mutual confession becomes naive when measured against Ainsley’s comprehensive awareness of his true nature. The nested structure reflects how in deeply dysfunctional relationships, honesty becomes merely another form of manipulation, as partners strategically deploy the truth to maintain psychological advantage rather than achieve genuine intimacy.
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