Nicky started dating Adam when he was in his first year of law school. Chloe considered him a stabilizing force on Nicky’s wild personality, and Nicky devoted herself to supporting his career. When Adam took a job at the District Attorney’s office, Nicky expressed an intention to go back to college. However, she became pregnant and, after Ethan was born, began drinking heavily again, leading to the incident that ended their marriage.

Chloe’s usual critics on Poppit conclude that she killed her husband. However, KurtLoMein states, “We shouldn’t jump to conclusions. For all we know, she’s a victim, too” (119).

Checking Adam’s credit card statements, Chloe discovers he hired a cab on the days he claimed to be seeing clients from the Gentry Group. The Uber dropped him off at the Union Turnpike Kew Gardens subway station, five miles from JFK airport.

Detective Guidry visits Chloe and Nicky, having discovered that Adam had a gun license. Guidry asks Chloe why Adam would have failed to use the weapon during the break-in. Chloe claims that she was uncomfortable with having a gun in the house, and Adam disposed of it. She indignantly rejects the suggestion that Adam may have been having an affair and claims that she was faithful to her husband. Chloe describes Ethan and Adam as “very close.” Nicky objects when Guidry asks to speak to Ethan alone, asserting her rights as his biological mother.

After Guidry leaves, Chloe criticizes Nicky’s behavior, concerned that the detective will think they have something to hide. Nicky accuses Chloe of appeasing the police when she should be protecting Ethan, asserting that her sister should not have allowed detectives to speak to him alone. Nicky adds that she could tell Chloe was lying when she told Guidry she was not having an affair.

Ethan shows the sisters an online news article. It reveals that Ethan once took a gun to his private school and that Chloe exploited her influence to stop him from being expelled. Chloe recalls how she and Adam fought over this incident. Adam had bought the gun in response to the online threats his wife was receiving, and soon afterward, one of Ethan’s classmates reported he had a gun in his backpack. Chloe believed Ethan’s claim that he was trying to impress his schoolmates and had no intention of using the weapon. She lied to his headteacher, claiming that the gun had been mistakenly placed in Ethan’s bag without his knowledge. Afterward, she threw the gun into the sea.

Ethan receives a text message but refuses to reveal its contents. While Chloe tries to reason with Ethan, Nicky snatches the phone from his hand. The message from Kevin advises Ethan to dump his supply of marijuana. Ethan swears that the marijuana is for his personal use, but he feared Chloe would assume he was dealing. He admits that on the night of Adam’s murder, he was alone on the beach for an hour while Kevin went to deal drugs.

Chloe and Nicky agree that Ethan needs a lawyer. On Jake’s recommendation, they call the criminal defense attorney Olivia Randall. Shortly afterward, Detectives Guidry and Bowen arrive with six police officers and a search warrant.

Olivia Randall arrives, informing the officers that they are only legally entitled to search the living spaces used by the suspect. Recalling that Ethan’s burner phone is in her desk drawer, Chloe points out that she has sole use of the office. Olivia instructs Ethan to answer all questions by invoking his right to silence as he is arrested for Adam’s murder.

When Adam became a prosecutor at the District Attorney’s office, Nicky spent her days drinking beside the pool, leaving Ethan in front of the TV. Chloe recalls that during this period, her sister seemed depressed and ignored Chloe’s warnings that Adam would leave her if she did not change. One evening, Adam discovered Nicky unconscious in the pool with two-year-old Ethan in her arms, his head underwater. Ethan only resumed breathing when Adam performed CPR on his son.

In the aftermath, Nicky was sent to a Cleveland psychiatric clinic, but her parents objected when Adam requested a psychiatric hold to be placed on his wife. Appealing to Chloe, he explained that the hold would allow him to gain custody of Ethan and keep him safe. Chloe signed an affidavit describing Nicky’s “self-destructive behavior” over the years. After the divorce, Nicky seemed relieved when Chloe revealed that she and Adam were a couple, stating that her sister would be a better parent than her. After their father’s death, Nicky began to straighten out her life, but by that time, Ethan was 13 years old.