One Chapter A Day - Re-Read Of Bared and Entwined

[GiGi]

hi. I agree with what you say regarding Monica's mental health.

My post may have come across as rather harsh, demonising Monica . But as a mother myself i felt she seriously let Eva down. Yes she loves her, wants the best for her and feels guilty about her abuse. But Eva was tortured and raped for four years, with no one lifting a finger to help her. How could she miss the signs? They must have been glaring at her.

I hope Monica now lets Eva live her life as an adult, and guilt free.

Hi Julie,

Your posts haven't come across as harsh in the least. I am not even sure that word is even part of your vocabulary.   

[GiGi]

Think we'd all give Gideon asylum!

He's got plenty of country's to flee too

Hi ShazScott1980,

What part of the world do you call home? 

[ShazScott1980]

Hi ShazScott1980,

What part of the world do you call home? 

Scotland is home for me hence the comments of Gideon in a kilt !

[GiGi]

I think Eva hit the nail on the head when she said Monica is self-absorbed. It's not a charming quality to have, but it could explain a lot.

  

Hi Kirsten,

Do you think that Monica is self-absorbed or could it be something more?  What do you think?  What does everyone think?

[GiGi]

Scotland is home for me hence the comments of Gideon in a kilt !

Hi ShazScott1980,

Thanks for the information. When you are done with Gideon could you please send him to Canada so I can give him a stern talking to?  Thanks (if I knew how to make one of those winky signs then I would have done that).  

[julie54]

Hi everyone,

I have been reading everyone’s comments about Corinne and I have to say that I am a little surprised.  Do we the readers have so little faith that we don’t think that our beloved Eva can fight her own battles with Corinne?  Is Eva that weak and helpless that she can’t hold her own with Corinne?  If we stopped to think about it, if Eva truly couldn’t hold her own with Corinne then is she the woman for a man like this? 

 

Gideon is extremely good looking and that is never going to change (barring some huge disfiguring accident…never!) and he is also extremely wealthy and most likely isn’t going to change either. So how exactly is Gideon helping Eva adjust to her life with him if he has to go in and destroy every single person who disapproves of his relationship with him and Eva or goodness forbid, tries to make a play for Gideon?  Really?!  Come on…

 

Women make plays for men in everyday life and it is up to the men to set these women straight.  If every woman fell apart just because another woman made a play for her man, then nothing in this world would get done. 

 

It seems that Corinne’s actions are being judged along the same level as Nathan (a despicable monster).  So Corinne did something that wasn’t nice….so what?  Big deal!  That’s life!  So Corinne wants Gideon back?  So what?  Who doesn’t?  I continue to maintain that Gideon created this entire bulls**** scenario and as such bears the brunt of the responsibility of setting this woman straight!

 

If Gideon destroys Corinne as maybe a few of the forum members hope then what does that say about the “beloved Gideonâ€?  It doesn’t say a lot.  In fact, it is a bi**h move for a MAN to go after a WOMAN!!  There is nothing romantic about it.  Thus far Corinne hasn’t done anything to warrant that level of action; no she hasn’t boiled any rabbits or kidnapped any children or such. So again I ask; what is the big deal?

 

If Eva went after Corinne and tried to destroy her then that is one thing, but it is another scenario altogether if a man, who created this entire stupid mess, goes after a woman because he was falsely leading her on. 

good morning Gigi

We are like passing ships in the night. Your probably in bed now I'm up. Giving you a little winky smile;) .

The winky smile is a semi colon and bracket.

I think now Eva is a stronger person, she will be able to fight her own battles, if she is allowed to by Monica Gideon and Stanton. They have to back off and let her make mistakes and learn from them. It's called life.

Monica and Gideon both have their reasons for wanting to protect her, i understand their fear, given what they have all been through. But she won't grow as a person if they keep interfering.

The only way I can see Gideon destroying Corrine is to cut her off as a friend total. No contact, off the Christmas card list! He has given her false hope, I agree, which is rather callous. But she didn't waste any time trying to destroy a fragile relationship between Gideon and Eva at the dinner. Corrine was hurting Gideon as well as Eva that night, by being bitchy in a subtle way.

Magdalena finally saw the light, realising Gideons friendship was important, so tried to make amends with Eva.

I shall book Gideon a flight to Canada, when us ladies in Europe have finished with him! Don't hold your breathe though ;) ;)

[Andie]

*so excited about the up coming EWY Chapter 1*

 

Chapter 13

 

My Favorites

 

1. line: You eat with gusto (p. 193)

 

2. paragraph: I walked faster. I knew how he felt: the sickness in the gut that spread like cancer, the helpless anger, and the need to curl up in private and find the strength to shove the memories back into the deep, dark hole they still lived in (p. 197)

 

3. scene: Cary linking his arm with Eva's

[LN Cronan]

Chapter Thirteen of Bared - The Readers Guide

 

This chapter unfolds Wednesday night (day ten).

 

Key plot developments:

• This chapter continued the talk Eva has with Gideon about Nathan, which started in Chapter Twelve. Sexually, Gideon reassured her the revelations have not made him want to turn away. If anything, he wants her even more, recognizing her as being very courageous.
• However, sexual demons erupted that night in Gideon's bed, where he has another nightmare, much worse than the one he's had Monday night.
• But he refused to talk about it, and when pressed, lied. Eva, hurt by his dishonesty only hours after she'd revealed her darkest secrets to him, pulled a runner.

 

New characters:

None in this chapter

 

Eva's willing to trust Gideon with her dark secret brings them closer

Gideon made passionate love to Eva in order to prove to her that what she told him about her past has not changed how he feels about her.

Afterward, they talked some more. Eva explained therapy helped her heal, but she also explained there are some triggers she'll never get past. She begged Gideon to avoid making this into a problem itself by trying to second-guess everything now and to walk around constantly scared of triggering her. She warned him constant walking around on eggshells would eat away at their relationship.

But it already became something he does fear. He's horrified in hindsight some of the things he did in the prior days would have triggered her , like his aggressive and crude sexual propositioning of her.

When Gideon asked her what he can do to help, she asked him to go to couples therapy with her.

"Eva, don't let me blow this. Don't let me chase you away." (Page 188.)

 

 

Dinner date conversation - more of Eva's story

After the agonizing talk, they continue with the plans Gideon had envisioned all along for the evening - taking Eva out on a "real" date, an intimate dinner for two.

As they talked over dinner, more of Eva's back story emerged:

1. Her friendship with Cary started when they met in group therapy in San Diego.
2. Her father was the one who convinced her to get help, and he specifically chose Dr. Travis because of the therapist's reputation of working well with troubled young people.
3. Victor had never been told Eva's a rape survivor. But he could see surface results of the underlying damage. "He knows I was an angry troublemaker with self-esteem issues, but he doesn't know about Nathan," Eva explained (page 193).
4. The rationalization for keeping Victor in the dark was that he couldn't change anything, Eva said. Nathan was prosecuted and Nathan's father payed huge financial damages. 
5. Eva attended San Diego State University, choosing the school so she could live near her father, who she hadn't gotten to spend much time with growing up. Another reason for moving to San Diego had been to get out from under her mother's smothering influence.

 

Gideon's refusal to trust Eva with his own dark secret tears them apart

Mere hours after Gideon begged Eva to not allow him to blow things and drive her away, he did both.

Monday night with Eva in his bed, he'd had a nightmare that was mild in comparison to a more brutal one he'd have Wednesday night. This time Eva recognized it for what it was - a very violent sexual dream.

Knowing it to be a sign something serious was eating away at him inside, Eva pressed him to confide in her. But he wouldn't open up. When she kept pressing, he lied to her, claiming he didn't even remember what the dream had been about. .

The lying set her off, especially because she'd been so honest about her own darkness mere hours earlier.

She told him she would have accepted answers such as "talk about it tomorrow, talk about it this weekend" or even "I'm not ready to talk about it yet." But a lie is something she would not accept - and worse, by his going on the defensive, he'd tried reflecting blame on her (for them arguing).

So she pulled a runner. Clad only in a silk bathrobe and clutching her purse, she left, and took a cab home. From there, she texted him that she got home safe.

Cary was expecting her when she arrived, because Gideon called ahead to ensure Cary was home to let her in (Gideon still had her keys, which she'd loaned to him.)

She told Cary how Gideon had a bad nightmare, then denied, lied, and treated her like she was nuts.

Already cooled down however, Eva hadn't given up completely -- especially because Gideon agreed to go to therapy with her.

In a prophetic statement of her own, Eva told Cary, "I want it to work out between us. I want to be with him, but lying about serious issues is a deal breaker for me." (page 199).

[LN Cronan]

Chapter A Day Re-Read Project - Today is Chapter Fourteen of Bared

 

This chapter unfolds Thursday (day eleven.)

 

Key plot developments:

• Rather than open up about what's behind his sexually violent nightmares, the day after Gideon dumps Eva via a "Dear Jane" note at work rather than talk to her again.
• Gideon does however, talk to Stanton about what Eva revealed about Nathan. We hear about this Gideon-Stanton talk second hand from Monica, who is mortified Eva revealed the secret.
• Gideon's half-brother, Christopher, invites Eva and Cary to a music industry party the Vidal will hold that coming weekend at their estate. Christopher knows, and tells Eva as much, Gideon won't go.
• Eva joins her mother for the joint therapy appointment she (Eva) requested with Monica's therapist because of Monica's recent phone cell stalking stunt.

 

 

Once each of us has read Chapter Fourteen, our homework assignment from Sylvia herself is for each of us to pick our favorite quote or paragraph.

 

The chapter re-reads also have been the springboard here for lots of discussion. We're continuing to touch upon the chapter of the day, but even more, discussion has been jumping backward into the earlier chapters and forward in the story (even into Reflected and the Entwined snippets) as the re-reading leads us to analyze how different parts of the Crossfire saga have been connecting.

[LN Cronan]

Eva blew things as much as Gideon did right after the nightmare, I think. Her running away tapped right into his fear that if a woman knew about his deepest shame, she'd turn away in disgust.

 

Trying to prevent that shame from ever getting out had been ruled the way he ran his sex life throughout adulthood. He refused to spend the night with his first lover, a refusal he kept up the two years they dated and then the third year, when they were engaged. In the end, Corrine did run away from him. Since then, he'd refused to have sex with any woman he dated, lest this can't-sleep-over pattern repeat itself with the same ending. Another full-fledged girlfriend would have the same "expectations" as Corrine.

 

So he dated platonically, and when he wanted to get laid, he continued to use a hotel room for quickies. To make sure those sex relationships didn't lead to dating, he refused to even do "friends with benefits." None of those sexual relationships lasted very long either -- he'd reject every one of those short-term partners, I'm guessing the instant each sex partner showed the first sign of growing attachment. Maybe he even avoided that. Magdalene probably told Eva the truth that as soon as Gideon "stuck his d***" into a woman, he was done with her.

 

Granted, he was as much at fault as Eva was during the argument. Hours earlier, he'd asked her to give him guidance about how to handle things. Here in the middle of the first crisis, she tried -- she explained what "right" answers he could have given, when pressed to talk about the nightmare. Those included talking about it later if he wasn't able to talk about it then. Even after she explained that, still he kept trying evading and lying.

 

That's when she walked, which just made matters worse.

[julie54]

A little bit disappointed with Gideon.

At the beginning of Bared, after Eva had returned from lunching with Stanton. She was in the lift, eating chocolate, when Gideon got in. He said no lies Eva, ever. Duh! What did he do in chapter 13, lie. Oh Gideon.

[julie54]

Don't you just want to sit them down and explain where their going wrong. They are exasperating at the very least! Aargh!

[julie54]

 

Hi Julie,

I think that it may not necessarily matter what time Nathan was murdered.  Let me explain here.  Gideon already knew in advance that Eva would be going to pick up her dad at the airport.  Her dad is a well seasoned beat cop and as such would have been safe in his company.  

 

Gideon would also have known that Eva most likely would have refused his driver because things were rocky between them.  Every time that Eva got upset with Gideon she often went off on her own and only when she was assured that Gideon wouldn’t interfere with her plans in any way would she accept a ride from one of his staff (hadn’t that become a dance between the two of them?).

Now seeing as that Gideon probably factored in that Eva most likely wouldn’t have accepted a ride from his driver, wouldn’t Gideon have arranged for a “tail†of some sort to ensure Eva’s safe arrival to the airport to pick up her dad?  This man has made it a mission in his life to track Eva’s movements, know everything that there possibly is  to know about her and as such I wouldn’t have found it a stretch for Gideon to have had a backup plan in case Eva rejected his offer.  What do you think?  What does everyone think?

hi Gigi

I'm sure Gideon does have a backup plan at all times for Eva. As he said she is unmanageable with clothes on! Go girl! ,

The reason I wondered about the time of death, was alibis concerning Angus. Gideon always entrusted Eva's safety to him, but this early morning Raul turned up. Eva had never met him before. Would she have been more likely to have gotten in the car had it have been Angus? I don't know. She liked and trusted him. We will never know.

[Sheens263]

A little bit disappointed with Gideon.

At the beginning of Bared, after Eva had returned from lunching with Stanton. She was in the lift, eating chocolate, when Gideon got in. He said no lies Eva, ever. Duh! What did he do in chapter 13, lie. Oh Gideon.

You know I never thought of that, good point

[Sheens263]

hi Gigi

I'm sure Gideon does have a backup plan at all times for Eva. As he said she is unmanageable with clothes on! Go girl! ,

The reason I wondered about the time of death, was alibis concerning Angus. Gideon always entrusted Eva's safety to him, but this early morning Raul turned up. Eva had never met him before. Would she have been more likely to have gotten in the car had it have been Angus? I don't know. She liked and trusted him. We will never know.

Hi Gigi and Julie

I agree with both of you, I never thought of it all like that but thanks, it gives a new prospective on that time of events

[AMC]

A little bit disappointed with Gideon.

At the beginning of Bared, after Eva had returned from lunching with Stanton. She was in the lift, eating chocolate, when Gideon got in. He said no lies Eva, ever. Duh! What did he do in chapter 13, lie. Oh Gideon.

I know!!! What's the up with that!

[julie54]

Favourite quote today, and I'm sure we all agree with it.

"But I think you two will find each other eventually. At least I'm hoping you will" his sigh was soft on my neck." I want there to be happily- ever- afters for the f*cked- up crowd. Show me the way, Eva honey. Make me believe."

Oh Cary. You don't know how much we want it too. Cheering here!!!

[Sheens263]

Favourite quote today, and I'm sure we all agree with it.

"But I think you two will find each other eventually. At least I'm hoping you will" his sigh was soft on my neck." I want there to be happily- ever- afters for the f*cked- up crowd. Show me the way, Eva honey. Make me believe."

Oh Cary. You don't know how much we want it too. Cheering here!!!

Yes very good quote Julie54, fingers crossed Cary will get his Happily Ever After as well as Gideon and Eva

[jennpenn926]

Hi jenpenn so you know first hand what I'm talking about!!

oh yeah its absolutely beautiful country up there and I think the fresh air would do Gideon some good don't you?

[sscrph]

Yes very good quote Julie54, fingers crossed Cary will get his Happily Ever After as well as Gideon and Eva

Yes I love this quote too!!

[jls1216]

On a different topic .... Magdalene ....

 

Doing this re-reading project has made me re-examine many little details in a new light. The Chapter Twelve mention of Magdalene smiling as she talked to Gideon (that photo a paparazzi got) coupled with the Chapter Fourteen incident where Magdalene shows up unannounced at Eva's office, trying to see Eva, is something I'm reconsidering.

 

Before now, I viewed that incident in the same class as what Corrine did do later: pull a stunt to mess with Eva at the Crossfire, the goal being to drive a wedge between Eva and Gideon, using Eva's insecurities as a weapon. Magdalene never did get to see Eva, and Megumi later reported Magdalene appeared to get mad when she (Magdalene) failed. At the time, I thought -- good for you, Eva! Sic Gideon's own staff on Magdalene to make the b**** go away!! You go, gurl!

 

By now, I'm thinking the whole reason Magdalene showed up was because, as a real friend to Gideon, Magdalene knew she'd hurt Gideon when she'd verbally attacked a woman who turned out to be someone Gideon cared very deeply about. She tried to see Eva that Friday morning in order to try to get Gideon out of any more trouble he might be in with Eva because of her (Magdalene). And the reason she got mad when she realized she wasn't going to get to even talk to Eva was because she (Magdalene) now was frustrated and afraid she'd no longer be allowed to be friends with Gideon.

 

I saw the Magdalene-tried-to-see-Eva in a new light based on what Magdalene did do not too long later, which was to call Eva up at work. Magdalene called Eva the morning after the whole mess of what happened the night before with Corrine - Gideon had (stupidly) allowed Corrine to monopolize his attention, something that got Gideon into real trouble (for good reason) with Eva. When Magdalene, who had eavesdropped on the whole thing the night before, called Eva up the next morning to gossip, I think Magdalene's real purpose was to get Gideon off the hook. And I saw Magdalene as having told the truth when Eva asked her why she was doing it. Magdalene explained she and Gideon were very old friends -- and so Magdalene didn't want things to be awkward when she was around Eva and Gideon in the future.

 

Bared timeline of Magdalene and Eva

1. Saturday (fundraiser): Magdalene essentially called Eva as s*** and claimed she (Magdalene) was the one he respected. Being a b****? yes. But dishonest? No. Magdalene had herself fooled into thinking she was somehow filling the hole Corrine left years ago, and she had every reason to believe Eva would go right on the reject pile like every other woman Gideon f****.
2. Monday lunchtime: (Eva and Gideon become a couple): Eva expressly warned Gideon she had a problem with Magdalene, including telling him almost word for word what Magdalene had said, details he hadn't known about. He got mad about what happened and promised to deal with Magdalene, so moving forward, Magdalene would not be a problem.
3. Monday afternoon? I think Gideon called Magdalene, chewed her out and informed Magdalene that Eva was now his full-fledged girlfriend. And I think Magdalene believed him, felt a little bad about how mean she'd been, and promised him she'd treat Eva with respect moving forward. Sure, Magdalene probably hoped the Gideon/Eva thing was just a fling that would burn itself out. But she valued her old friendship with Gideon enough that she didn't want to endanger it.
4. By Tuesday morning: Plastered all over the Internet are pictures of Gideon kissing Eva and stories that they're serious.
5. Tuesday night: Magdalene ran into Gideon at the restaurant where he'd attended a business meeting. Outside, they talked, and they both looked happy. Gideon later tried re-assuring Eva the happy look in his eyes was because he was talking about her (Eva). I think that even though Magdalene undoubtedly was jealous, she was happy for him. But .... the two of them standing there together looked incriminating in a paparazzi picture someone got
6. By Wednesday morning: Plastered all over the Internet are false stories and pictures Eva and Cary have something going on and that Gideon had run right to Magdalene the night before because of it.
7. By Thursday morning: plastered all over the Internet are pictures of Gideon and Eva arguing out in public - stuff that includes them passionately making up.
8. Friday morning: Magdalene shows up at Eva's office to try to talk to her.

 

I think Magdalene's main motive was to make sure Gideon wasn't in trouble anymore because of those pictures of him talking to her (Magdalene) that hit the Internet on Wednesday. Perhaps Magdalene might wanted to make sure for herself, too, those rumors Eva was juggling two boyfriends (Gideon and Cary) weren't true. Because Magdalene cares a lot for Gideon as a friend.

wow... you make some really good points. I am totally re-thinkng that whole situation.

[LN Cronan]

Magdalene knew when to throw in the towel. I think she really did so right after she accidentally walked in on Gideon making love to Eva inside the Vidal mansion the afternoon of the garden party.

 

As she cried to that snake Christopher Jr. immediately afterward, she told Christopher she believed Gideon was in love with Eva. Gideon definitely was treating Eva differently than any other woman, Magdalene admitted.

 

We're lead to believe Magdalene really threw in the towel when Corrine came to town. But Magdalene would have already gotten that new haircut (to quit trying to look like Corrine) even before the night Corrine showed up. Corrine crashed that event unannounced.

 

I think that night, when Magdalene was being so nice to Eva, Magdalene was sympathetic to the fact that Eva at last (so Magdalene would have believed) had a real rival (Corrine). Magdalene figured, correctly, she herself was out of the running, and the contest probably was now down to Eva and Corrine.

[julie54]

Magdalene knew when to throw in the towel. I think she really did so right after she accidentally walked in on Gideon making love to Eva inside the Vidal mansion the afternoon of the garden party.

 

As she cried to that snake Christopher Jr. immediately afterward, she told Christopher she believed Gideon was in love with Eva. Gideon definitely was treating Eva differently than any other woman, Magdalene admitted.

 

We're lead to believe Magdalene really threw in the towel when Corrine came to town. But Magdalene would have already gotten that new haircut (to quit trying to look like Corrine) even before the night Corrine showed up. Corrine crashed that event unannounced.

 

I think that night, when Magdalene was being so nice to Eva, Magdalene was sympathetic to the fact that Eva at last (so Magdalene would have believed) had a real rival (Corrine). Magdalene figured, correctly, she herself was out of the running, and the contest probably was now down to Eva and Corrine.

and we all know who floats Gideons boat!!

[LN Cronan]

and we all know who floats Gideons boat!!

 

Corrine never stood a chance at a second relationship with Gideon. She never was in the race to begin with.

 

But at least Magdalene came to her senses that all she (Magdalene) ever had was friendship that crossed over into platonic dating for social purposes. The only relationships where Gideon ever combined sex and dating were Corrine, his first attempt, and then Eva, the love who broke through every boundary he'd never, ever been able to break through before.

[julie54]

Corrine never stood a chance at a second relationship with Gideon. She never was in the race to begin with.

But at least Magdalene came to her senses that all she (Magdalene) ever had was friendship that crossed over into platonic dating for social purposes. The only relationships where Gideon ever combined sex and dating were Corrine, his first attempt, and then Eva, the love who broke through every boundary he'd never, ever been able to break through before.

definitely. Eva blew all Gideons barriers to smithereens. As he said, she will have no secrets from him, the same has to be said about him. When he opens up more to Eva about his past, only then will he be free.