Such a wonderful update! Well worth the wait and then some!
This was truly such a fun and immersive read! On my second (slower) read, I found myself picking up so many details regarding how the various conversation setups (in the office and then at the party) made for such vivid narration. I truly felt like I was watching a show at times. The scenes Siv, Lukas, Tom, and Oskar packed so much comedic-laced cruelty. I thoroughly enjoyed watching get well-deserved comeuppance (and then some...probably...)! Beyond that, this chapter is packed so many genuinely sweet moments between Shiv, Maeve, and the HOUSE.
I did not see the HOUSE coming, but it fits so well. I truly thought the disclosure would be something Lukas set in motion to help get Shiv even more leverage over Tom, etc... Regarding the details of the process that Shiv references ("he timeline, the decision points, how he carried it out") can you provide any behind-the scenes info on those deliebrations/processes?
And on a prose level, there were so many lines/images / little turns of phrase in here that made me stop right in my tracks. Your dialogue is absurdly good ā so sharp and funny and so true to the characters you have developed.
Hello dear anon! Thank you so much for this lovely message. Iām so happy you enjoyed the chapter ā¤ļøā¤ļø
Iāve had The House in my long-term folder of upcoming plot beats for likeā¦ two-plus years lol so I am thrilled that it landed for you! I think the idea of giving it to Shiv is something thatās occurred to Lukas during the time heās been in New York. He doesnāt want to be here, and he doesnāt want Shiv to be here, and he doesnāt want Maeve to be here, and in his mind heās made all this progress toward Obtaining Shiv but as time goes by he gets antsier and antsier about stalling out, and he doesnāt necessarily trust that sheās as committed to getting out of her marriage as heād like her to be. And I think giving her the house is something he would have landed on fairly early as the option that offered the most optimized outcome - heās not going back to it without her, so itās no-loss for him, plus itās a big swing, and sheāll like it, and if she takes it, which she probably will, then he can take her home, so: all upside.
On timeline specifics, itās not explicit so everyone is free to draw their own conclusions lol but Iāve always intended that Lukasās ācalls, wheels, piecesā POV after the hospital was when he first considered it, and I think he took his sleep-deprived, emotionally-overwrought ass immediately upstairs and put in the first exploratory call to his attorneys.
Thanks again ā¤ļøā¤ļø
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