Everyone Is Watching

The narrative flashes back to Maire and Samuel’s college days in a section titled “Then.”

Maire and Samuel flee from the man with the pipe, running to the middle of the lake, only to realize that their pursuer is their friend Damon. When Samuel tries to explain that the driver’s death was an accident, Damon reveals he only knew about Samuel and Maire kissing. He crows that “the mighty have fallen” (295) and laughs over how others will react when they find out.

Suddenly, the ice breaks below Damon and he falls into the water. He manages to swim to the surface, calling for help. Maire pauses; if Damon dies, nobody will know about their role in the car crash. They act in time, however, and pull Damon to shore. He promises not to tell anyone about the accident or the kissing. Samuel and Maire promise to act like none of this ever happened and agree to never see one another again.

The narrative returns to the present.

Fern fights Ned, who promises to release her if she doesn’t scream. He admits to past sexual violence and apologizes, claiming he has changed. Fern doesn’t believe him, but she exits the room and sees Samuel and Ned with the key card outside Cat’s office. She snatches the key back and enters the office. Cat is sitting at her desk, with Camille across from her.

Everyone is shocked to encounter Cat. Cat mocks Fern as being not “smart enough to outwit [her]” (303); she escaped through a ceiling vent. 

Camille recalls her time as Cat’s marriage counselor; Cat would “go on tirade after tirade” (303) about her then-husband, Jack. Camille urged him to leave, and Jack did. Cat translates Camille’s wine bottle label as “home-wrecker.”

Ned also recognizes Cat; he assaulted her, too. Cat admits to having invited Ned on the show without Fern’s knowledge. Cat has a grudge against Crowley, too: He had her blacklisted in DC journalism circles after she tried to report on his affair with Shana. Cat explains that Camille is wrong about Fern being Nan: Nan is “just another unfortunate client” (306). Cat pulls out a file on Travis Wingo, which she got from Camille’s underpaid receptionist.

Cat—or Catalina James—is Lina, Maire’s college roommate and Samuel’s former girlfriend. Damon told her the truth about that night at the lake while drunk, almost 20 years later. Though Maire insists the driver’s death was an accident, Cat frames them as having caused the accident and then abandoning the dead man. In any case, Cat is angrier about the betrayal of the kiss than the death. Cat plans to release her files on all the contestants, citing this as them getting “what [they] deserve” (309). Samuel and Ned try to grab the laptop, but Cat flees.

Figgy, one of Maire’s college acquaintances, eagerly waits for the livestream to resume. Social media fills with reports from women whom Ned assaulted, spurred by Fern’s on-camera description of her assault. Fern eagerly watches as Cat runs, pursued by the contestants. As Ned grabs Lina, shoving Fern away when she tries to interfere, commenters debate calling the authorities or letting the drama continue.

Samuel tries to pull Ned back; Maire urges him to return to the office to talk. Ned refuses. Lina dangles the laptop over the iron railing. She and Ned nearly fall as the iron railing gives way but regain their balance. A moment later, Lina yanks Ned, causing them both to fall over the balcony.

Fern runs toward where Cat and Ned lie dead. The laptop is shattered. Fern puzzles over her boss’s motives. When the police arrive, Fern denies being one of Ned’s victims, claiming that only Cat experienced his sexual misconduct. Maire, Camille, Samuel, and Fern speak to the police. Fern starts planning her statement about the show and Cat’s funeral.

Several days later, Fern returns to the villa. She destroys the evidence against Samuel, Maire, and Camille, but leaves files on Ned and Crowley for the police to find. She learns that Cat had Huntington’s disease, a progressive neurological condition, but refuses to pity Cat. Fern thinks of her last 10 years as marked by failure.

Fern finds a letter from Cat, written shortly before filming began. In it, Cat reports her intention to die by suicide at the end of filming. Fern will think this revenge scheme is vicious, but Cat sees it as a fun way to give the five contestants their comeuppance. She knows she was too hard on Fern, but praises Fern for her work. 

Fern also finds a copy of Cat’s will, which leaves everything—about $10 million—to Fern, “the one lucky winner” (324).

Six months later, Maire meets her daughter’s grandmother Shar in a hospital hallway while Dani recovers from a serious infection in her lungs. Maire relies on her former mother-in-law while she “recovers physically and mentally” from her time on the show (326). 

Since the show, Camille’s podcast has found renewed popularity, Samuel has returned to his job, “Scores of women” have reported Ned’s abuse (326), and Crowley’s wife has filed for divorce, harming the former senator’s potential presidential bid. Shana has been hounded by the media. Fern has become famous and will host a second season of One Lucky Winner, without any of the mistakes of the first season. 

Shar has moved in with Maire, but Dani’s recently relapse means the family will surely lose their house. One day, Maire opens an envelope from Fern; in it is a check for a million dollars and a note that Maire “would have won” (328).