Content Warning: This section of the guide contains depictions of childhood trauma, abuse, suicide, and mental health conditions.

“‘I have nothing to lose,’ the man says. ‘You’re the only one with something to lose, Ms. Michaels. Now you need to shut up and listen to me because I don’t care one way or the other if your daughter lives or dies. What happens to her is entirely up to you.’”

The Prologue presents the inciting narrative incidents. When Nat Cohen stages the virtual kidnapping, she’s taking advantage of Meghan Michaels’s fear and vulnerability. The way in which she speaks to Meghan in this scene upsets Meghan’s sense of order and control and foreshadows her later decision to seek revenge against Nat.

“I should have been here sooner—the appointment was over by nine thirty—but after what happened, I walked the city for miles, considering taking the whole day and letting someone else cover for me, even though I only had shift coverage for a few hours. In the end, I came to work. I had to talk myself into it, but it was what I needed to do. I needed to act like nothing was wrong because if I didn’t, there would be questions. Everyone would want to know where I was and why I didn’t come in and besides, I thought work would be a welcome distraction. I was wrong.”

Meghan’s response to Caitlin Beckett’s hospital admittance augments the narrative tension and mystery. At the same time, this passage introduces several of the primary narrative themes, including Secrets and Their Destructive Consequences and Stalled Recovery From Trauma. Meghan is alluding to pushing Caitlin over the edge of the pedestrian bridge—a secret she plans on keeping from everyone and cannot even face herself. She doesn’t explicitly state why she was late or why she needs to pretend everything is normal at work because she is in denial and afraid to face the consequences of her misdeeds.

“I take the Red Line home from the church, heading north. It’s getting close to nine o’clock now and I feel uneasy, out at this time of night, worried about myself and worried about Sienna at home alone. I’ve never been afraid in this city, not until the recent spate of robberies and attacks, which has the whole neighborhood on edge.”

The robberies and attacks in Meghan’s neighborhood stir subtextual narrative tension and complicate the narrative stakes. Meghan’s repeated references to feeling unsafe and worrying about her and Sienna’s safety further contribute to the unsettled, tense narrative