The halfway twist completely changes everything: Avery isn’t Avery, and Grant isn’t Grant.
Grant has lived many lives under different names — most recently “Adrian” — conning women and leaving destruction in his wake. His last con led to a tragic car accident that killed a woman named Evelyn Nash, a man named Ethan, and their young son Noah. The lone survivor, Bailey, has spent two years drowning in grief and rage. She’s been plotting revenge ever since.
Avery, as we’ve known her, is Bailey — and the abduction that started this story? It’s her plan. With help from her brother Ben and a private investigator named Zane, she sets up an elaborate scheme to make Grant (Reed) pay. But things spiral out of control fast.
At first, we meet Zane and Sean as Officer Gunn and Officer Holston. Later, we learn that “Officer Gunn” is actually Zane — Bailey’s PI — and one of her accomplices. As the revenge plot unfolds, Zane’s loyalty starts to waver, while Sean’s temper takes over. In the final act, a confrontation between the three men explodes.
Sean goes off-script, and it seems like he’s killed Reed — but the shock doesn’t end there. Reed was wearing a vest. He manages to turn the tables, grabs Sean’s gun, and kills him instead. Back at the house, the tension doubles when Zane turns on Bailey, threatening to kill her if she doesn’t transfer all of the money to him.
Just as she’s about to give in, Reed bursts through the door and knocks Zane unconscious. What follows is the most emotional scene in the book — Bailey standing face to face with the man who destroyed her life, gun in hand. She could end him, but she can’t pull the trigger. Because she knows it won’t bring her family back.
Bailey flees the house. Reed, still deeply conflicted, kills Zane and buries both Zane and Sean under a tree nearby. Then he sends Bailey an email — the same one we get to read in the bonus epilogue, After What I’ve Done. In it, he confesses everything, takes accountability, and tells her he’s turning himself in.
“One more thing. The most important thing. You’re safe now. No one is coming” – Reed
We learn he’s sentenced to 25 years in prison, and for a brief moment, there’s closure — until the final paragraph drops one last mystery. Reed gets a surprise visit from someone named Olivia Miller. It’s a name that never appeared earlier in the book (unless I completely missed it), and I have no idea who she is — which makes me wonder if she’s a setup for something future, like a companion novella or sequel. It’s definitely a lingering question worth talking about once more readers get their hands on this story.
This ending hit hard. It’s shocking, emotional, and beautifully written. I genuinely didn’t expect to feel sympathy for every single character — yet here I am, still thinking about all of them.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Easily one of my top thrillers of the year.
Want to start from the beginning? Go back to my spoiler-free review.