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I initially wanted to hire a maid in hopes that she would become my replacement—that if Andrew fell in love with another woman, he would finally let me go. But that’s not why I hired Millie. That’s not why I gave her a copy of the key to the room. And that’s not why I left a bottle of pepper spray in the blue bucket in the closet. I hired her to kill him. She just doesn’t know it.
This quote comes from Chapter Fifty-Three, when Nina reveals her true motivations for hiring Millie. At this point in the novel, the narrative fully shifts, unveiling Nina’s plan to escape Andrew’s abusive control. Nina initially hired a maid hoping that Andrew would fall in love with her and release Nina from their marriage. However, she confesses that her real goal was far darker—she hired Millie to kill Andrew, though Millie remains unaware of this intention. This quote marks a significant turning point in the story, as it recontextualizes Nina's actions and subverts the reader's expectations.
The quote reflects the theme of manipulation and psychological control, as Nina manipulates Millie without her knowledge, just as Andrew has manipulated Nina for years. It also reinforces the parallels between Nina and Millie, both of whom have been trapped and controlled by Andrew. Nina's decision to leave the key and pepper spray for Millie underscores her determination to end Andrew’s abuse, but it also reveals the extent of her desperation. Rather than confronting Andrew directly, Nina uses Millie as a proxy for her own liberation, demonstrating the complex moral compromises she makes to escape her captivity. This moment highlights how power dynamics are constantly shifting throughout the novel.
As I get to work cleaning the kitchen, I think back to the photograph on the mantle of Andrew and Nina when they were first together, before they were married, before they had Cecelia. They look so young and happy together. It's obvious Andrew is still crazy about Nina, but something has changed. I can sense it. Nina isn't the person she used to be.
This quote appears in Chapter Seven, when Millie reflects on the photograph of Andrew and Nina during her first days in the Winchester home. At this point in the novel, Millie still views Nina as a spoiled and difficult employer, and she interprets the photograph as evidence of a former, happier version of Nina. Millie assumes that the change in Nina is due to her own personal failings, interpreting her cold demeanor as a reflection of having lost touch with who she used to be. Millie's early perceptions of Nina are framed through her own biases about wealth and privilege, as well as her misunderstanding of the underlying power dynamics between Nina and Andrew.
The quote also foreshadows the reveal of Andrew’s true nature and how deeply his psychological abuse has transformed Nina. Millie’s observation that Nina "isn't the person she used to be" reflects a key motif in the novel: the way people can be fundamentally changed by prolonged emotional and psychological torment. This moment subtly hints at Nina’s eventual backstory, in which her transformation is revealed not as a personal flaw but as the result of Andrew’s abusive control. Through Millie's perspective, the reader initially sees Nina as the problem, but this quote sets the stage for the deeper understanding that will emerge later as the narrative shifts.
Andrew seems to make his mind up about something and he puts his coffee cup down on the windowsill. I reach for it, knowing Nina will have an absolute fit if she sees a ring of coffee on the windowsill, but then I stop myself. Nina isn't going to give me a hard time anymore. I don't ever have to see her again. I can leave coffee cups wherever I want from now on.
This quote occurs in Chapter Thirty-Four, after Andrew has kicked Nina out of the house, and Millie starts to feel as though she has gained control over her own life and environment. The moment represents Millie’s perception that her circumstances have changed, and she now occupies a position of power in the Winchester household. The small act of leaving the coffee cup on the windowsill symbolizes her newfound freedom from Nina’s strict and oppressive control over the house and Millie’s daily responsibilities.
However, the quote also highlights how fleeting Millie’s sense of power truly is. The mental burden of constantly trying to avoid Nina’s wrath is replaced with a temporary feeling of agency, but this is soon undermined as the narrative reveals that Millie is still vulnerable to Andrew’s manipulations. The significance of leaving the coffee cup on the windowsill, while trivial on the surface, emphasizes the novel's recurring motif of control and psychological imprisonment, showing how Millie's situation, much like Nina's, is more complex than she initially realizes. It suggests that freedom, in this world, is often an illusion.
