Contents
Chapter 10
Overview
Naomi receives a seven-day ultimatum from Jeremy’s lawyer, pushing her to act. Hoping for answers, she drives to the house late at night and discovers a stranger’s car. After spying from outside, Naomi sees Jeremy kiss a raven-haired visitor, shattering her confidence in their marriage and escalating the conflict.
Summary
Naomi reads a stern letter from Leonard Hardwick, Jeremy’s attorney, warning that judicial action will follow if she doesn’t respond within seven days. Shaken, she reflects on the former warmth of her marriage and decides a private conversation with Jeremy might resolve things.
Near midnight, Naomi leaves Jeremy’s late parents’ apartment, steels herself with a quick tidy-up and makeup, and drives to the marital home. The sight of the house stirs memories and pain, especially thinking of Teddy asleep inside. She notices a beige Jetta with a cracked rear fender in the driveway, raising immediate suspicion.
Peering through the living room window, Naomi finds the first floor empty and briefly hopes the visitor is innocent or gone. Lacking a key and considering desperate options, she prepares to leave when the front door opens.
Jeremy escorts a woman with long raven hair onto the porch. Naomi grasps for benign explanations as they talk, but those hopes collapse when Jeremy leans in and kisses the woman. The kiss confirms an intimate connection, deepening Naomi’s sense of betrayal and urgency amid the looming legal deadline.
Who Appears
- Naomi RothNarrator; receives a seven-day legal ultimatum and secretly visits the house, witnessing Jeremy kiss another woman.
- Jeremy RothHusband seeking divorce; late-night host who kisses a raven-haired visitor on the porch.
- Raven-haired womanUnidentified late-night visitor to Jeremy; shares a kiss with him, suggesting intimacy.
- Leonard Hardwick, Esq.Jeremy’s attorney; sends Naomi a letter imposing a seven-day response deadline.