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

[Kirsten]

Most definitely, his being quiet the rest of the day I think was the direct result of learning that he'd triggered Eva, with the return of the rape nightmares being the direct consequence.

 

He'd been so careful -- would continue to be so careful -- with her sexually, terrified of triggering her physically.

 

The thought that their relationship had triggered her mentally/emotionally would have devastated him inside -- that his mishandling of the whole Corrine situation had resulted in Eva now suffering rape nightmares. He knew all too well how painful those nightmares can be.

 

At first, Gideon had thought that Eva simply wasn't handling the Corrine situation well, and he confessed this in North Carolina, confessed it after the Brett situation woke him up to the fact just how serious the ex-lovers problem truly was. But in the meantime, overhearing Eva talk with Cary that morning made him realize the immediate consequences of what his ex pulled in the past day and a half had seriously undermined Eva's trust. Later, he'd have to beg her "trust me" even while he was scared inside (with d*** good reason) that she did not trust him -- and so she'd run away again, maybe for good.

We talk about Gideon being clueless at times, does he realize the depth of Eva's insecurity about Corrine at this point? I mean I feel like he doesn't really understand it until that night with Brett. I hope we get a whole accounting from Gideon about this time period. It might sound cruel, but I want to know that he chewed Corrine out for her behavior.

[jls1216]

I know what you mean Juile I am beyond obsessed. I am constantly worried for them and have to remind myself they are fictional characters. Sylvia wrote their story so well its just too easy to love them.

I'm right there with you guys!

[julie54]

Probably explains him being quiet the rest of the day. I'm sure hearing he is triggering Eva's dreams was quite painful for him. Plus Cary had been pulling for Gideon so not having him onside might also be a concern.

Gideon did mention, when Eva approached him on the plane in his office, that he wasn't happy that he had woken without her that morning(no s*x), and was having to spend the entire weekend apart(no s*x).

Eva asked him why he was grumpy. She accused him of having PMS!

[julie54]

My daily reader's guide of the chapter we read yesterday (Chapter 3 of Reflected) is going to be late today, because I'm off to meet a friend shortly.

Hope you had fun. :)

[julie54]

Most definitely, his being quiet the rest of the day I think was the direct result of learning that he'd triggered Eva, with the return of the rape nightmares being the direct consequence.

He'd been so careful -- would continue to be so careful -- with her sexually, terrified of triggering her physically.

The thought that their relationship had triggered her mentally/emotionally would have devastated him inside -- that his mishandling of the whole Corrine situation had resulted in Eva now suffering rape nightmares. He knew all too well how painful those nightmares can be.

At first, Gideon had thought that Eva simply wasn't handling the Corrine situation well, and he confessed this in North Carolina, confessed it after the Brett situation woke him up to the fact just how serious the ex-lovers problem truly was. But in the meantime, overhearing Eva talk with Cary that morning made him realize the immediate consequences of what his ex pulled in the past day and a half had seriously undermined Eva's trust. Later, he'd have to beg her "trust me" even while he was scared inside (with d*** good reason) that she did not trust him -- and so she'd run away again, maybe for good.

Sometimes you think he's got it, then other times you want to slap him!

Yes he/Corinne were responsible for Eva's nightmare, but his care afterwards towards Eva, was so touching.

[jennpenn926]

Hi LN I have always thought that Gideon overheard that discussion between Cary and Eva simply because of what Eva stated later that Gideon had been quiet all day starting with when He'd woken up and the ride to work had been made in silence...GidEva most always have a nice chat of some type in the car on the way to work. I think he was just pondering what Eva and Cary said earlier in the morning etc...

I agree I have always thought that as soon as Eva got out of bed Gideon woke and went to find her. Since she was talking to Cary he decided to listen to get her honest feelings and reactions to the previous day's events.

[sscrph]

LMAO sscrph. Plus he would be doing that again for the next 2 days. Poor Gideon.

Yep!! :(

[julie54]

Favourite lines today are

"Listen to me, Eva. No one can touch you," he said fiercely. "No one can get to you. Never again." My fingers tightened on his.

"They'd have to get through me, Eva. And that will never happen."

"I'm going to fall," I slurred , drunk with pleasure.

"I'll catch you, angel. I'll always catch you."

:)

[LN Cronan]

We talk about Gideon being clueless at times, does he realize the depth of Eva's insecurity about Corrine at this point? I mean I feel like he doesn't really understand it until that night with Brett. I hope we get a whole accounting from Gideon about this time period. It might sound cruel, but I want to know that he chewed Corrine out for her behavior.

 

I think at this point (i.e. Corrine being back in the picture only 36 hours or so) Gideon was probably frustrated with himself for repeatedly failed to control the situation -- Mr. Control Freak would have still been thinking, however, that if he just kept trying things his own way, he could regain the situation.

 

As soon as he spotted Corrine at that fundraiser, in order these were his attempts to totally take control of the situation, everyone one of which failed:

 

Attempt: Hide the true nature of the relationship on the spot by telling Eva a half-truth (Corrine is an old friend). Then go off with Corrine alone briefly so that he could tell her to keep her mouth shut, because Eva has insecurity/jealousy issues. He asked Corrine to not upset Eva.

Failure: He left Eva's side, so Magdalene let the cat out of the bag. Next -- not even realizing what Magdalene had revealed -- he then left Eva unattended with Corrine, thereby giving Corrine her first real shot at messing with Eva's mind. And Corrine landed a knockdown blow by letting it slip Gideon ditched Eva the night of their first date so that he could take urgent phone calls from Corrine in crisis.

 

Attempt: When Eva confronted him and announced she was leaving, he ought to have left with her at that point so they could have an immediate, honest talk. Instead, he thought sex would be the answer -- reassure her of his feelings for her the best way he knew how.

Failure: By going back into the fundraiser, instead of leaving, he again exposed Eva to Corrine. Corrine monopolized Gideon throughout dinner, and in his effort to try to control Corrine at the dinner table, he made matters much, much worse.

 

Attempt: Tried to physically restrain Eva from leaving the table when Dr. Lucas took total advantage of the situation to humiliate Gideon for ignoring Eva in favor of Corrine. He tried to make Eva stay so that Lucas couldn't further his feud with Gideon, using Gideon's girlfriend as a weapon.

Failure: Eva finally snapped, safeworded Gideon to force him to physically release her -- and then pulled a runner.

 

Attempt: Chased her home and did what he ought to have done much earlier in the night, done immediately upon spotting Corrine -- remove Eva to a place where they could be alone to talk about that part of his history.

Failure: He ought to have agreed to what Eva demanded, that he cut Corrine off -- cut Corrine off because Corrine obviously was in love with him and was practically stalking him. Eva was right to ask him to do this. He made a mistake by not taking her advice.

 

Epic Failure: having handed Corrine mental weapons to use against Eva, Corrine pulled the nooner stunt the next day, sending Eva into an emotional tailspin. Then when Eva freaked out, he belittled her concerns and got mad at her in return. Cutting him slack though, Eva was so triggered at this point that honesty would have been of only limited use, because she was practically hysterical. But what he did instead, defensiveness and evasion, only worsened matters. The result was that Corrine succeeded in undermining Eva's trust in Gideon and thus undermined the entire relationship.

 

Later, he confessed in North Carolina (pages 189 and 190) "I thought I understood your feelings about Corrine, and frankly, I thought you just weren't dealing with it well. But I had no clue. I was a self-centered idiot ..... I get it now. I didn't before. Sometimes it takes something drastic to shake me up ... I'm disgusted with myself for not being more understanding about Corrine ...."

 

Epic control attempt: And yet days later, faced with something drastic (Nathan had become a danger to Eva's life) and now knowing how badly his ex upset Eva, he still took a terrible risk by using Corrine to deliberately manipulate a situation -- including deliberately manipulating Eva herself. Faced with an extreme situation, Gideon went right back into Control Freak Mode.

Really epic failure: the cover-story part of his plan spun completely beyond his control. In fact, as Entwined opens, the situation still is way beyond his control now. Rather than its original goal of making the cops quickly eliminate him from the suspect list, he's now the chief suspect -- and though the smart thing to do at this point would be to have absolutely no contact with Eva, both of them are taking a huge risk that could bring them both down - bring Eva down too, because now she's colluding to cover up a crime.

[Sheens263]

A Chapter A Day Re-Read Project - Today is Chapter 4 of Reflected in You

 

This chapter covers Friday (day 18) starting in the pre-dawn hours and continuing through to breakfast time.

 

Key plot developments

• For the first time in ages, Eva suffered one of her own flashback nightmares of being raped.
• When she'd fallen asleep, Gideon had been beside her in the bed. When he woke her up out of the nightmare, she found him fully clothed in her bedroom (him and Cary both). It turned out he'd gone out somewhere after she'd fallen asleep - where, he wouldn't say.
• Eva asked Gideon to make love to her to chase away the lingering effects of the nightmare.
• The next morning, while Gideon is still in Eva's room, Cary and Eva had a close friend-to-friend conversation, the first chance they'd had to really talk with one another about how crisis erupted in both of their respective love lives in the past couple of days.

1. Eva told Cary all about Corrine, from Corrine's crashing the fundraiser Wednesday night to the possibility that Gideon f***** Corrine in his office during lunchtime on Thursday.
2. Cary told Eva his new relationship with Trey is now in trouble because Cary repeatedly seriously hurt his boyfriend in the past few days.

 

After each of us has read Chapter 4, Sylvia would like to know what each of us liked best - either a quote or a paragraph.

I actually held my breath reading this chapter, I am now listening to it while writing (on chapter 5) and both seem so horrid an experience for Eva, all the motions coming back.  You can see how Gideon felt careful in the shower, not wanting to give Eva any triggers after such a horrid dream.

[Sheens263]

Favourite lines today are

"Listen to me, Eva. No one can touch you," he said fiercely. "No one can get to you. Never again." My fingers tightened on his.

"They'd have to get through me, Eva. And that will never happen."

"I'm going to fall," I slurred , drunk with pleasure.

"I'll catch you, angel. I'll always catch you."

:)

Yeah love this bit too Julie

[Kirsten]

What a huge mess this has become. I'm listening to the audio, at times with tears in my eyes; wondering how Eva ever works through this emotional betrayal. Can she learn to trust him with her heart again? Ultimately the answer is yes since Sylvia has said time and time again that they will have their HEA, but it seems like these issues are at times insurmountable.

[julie54]

I think at this point (i.e. Corrine being back in the picture only 36 hours or so) Gideon was probably frustrated with himself for repeatedly failed to control the situation -- Mr. Control Freak would have still been thinking, however, that if he just kept trying things his own way, he could regain the situation.

As soon as he spotted Corrine at that fundraiser, in order these were his attempts to totally take control of the situation, everyone one of which failed:

Attempt: Hide the true nature of the relationship on the spot by telling Eva a half-truth (Corrine is an old friend). Then go off with Corrine alone briefly so that he could tell her to keep her mouth shut, because Eva has insecurity/jealousy issues. He asked Corrine to not upset Eva.

Failure: He left Eva's side, so Magdalene let the cat out of the bag. Next -- not even realizing what Magdalene had revealed -- he then left Eva unattended with Corrine, thereby giving Corrine her first real shot at messing with Eva's mind. And Corrine landed a knockdown blow by letting it slip Gideon ditched Eva the night of their first date so that he could take urgent phone calls from Corrine in crisis.

Attempt: When Eva confronted him and announced she was leaving, he ought to have left with her at that point so they could have an immediate, honest talk. Instead, he thought sex would be the answer -- reassure her of his feelings for her the best way he knew how.

Failure: By going back into the fundraiser, instead of leaving, he again exposed Eva to Corrine. Corrine monopolized Gideon throughout dinner, and in his effort to try to control Corrine at the dinner table, he made matters much, much worse.

Attempt: Tried to physically restrain Eva from leaving the table when Dr. Lucas took total advantage of the situation to humiliate Gideon for ignoring Eva in favor of Corrine. He tried to make Eva stay so that Lucas couldn't further his feud with Gideon, using Gideon's girlfriend as a weapon.

Failure: Eva finally snapped, safeworded Gideon to force him to physically release her -- and then pulled a runner.

Attempt: Chased her home and did what he ought to have done much earlier in the night, done immediately upon spotting Corrine -- remove Eva to a place where they could be alone to talk about that part of his history.

Failure: He ought to have agreed to what Eva demanded, that he cut Corrine off -- cut Corrine off because Corrine obviously was in love with him and was practically stalking him. Eva was right to ask him to do this. He made a mistake by not taking her advice.

Epic Failure: having handed Corrine mental weapons to use against Eva, Corrine pulled the nooner stunt the next day, sending Eva into an emotional tailspin. Then when Eva freaked out, he belittled her concerns and got mad at her in return. Cutting him slack though, Eva was so triggered at this point that honesty would have been of only limited use, because she was practically hysterical. But what he did instead, defensiveness and evasion, only worsened matters. The result was that Corrine succeeded in undermining Eva's trust in Gideon and thus undermined the entire relationship.

Later, he confessed in North Carolina (pages 189 and 190) "I thought I understood your feelings about Corrine, and frankly, I thought you just weren't dealing with it well. But I had no clue. I was a self-centered idiot ..... I get it now. I didn't before. Sometimes it takes something drastic to shake me up ... I'm disgusted with myself for not being more understanding about Corrine ...."

Epic control attempt: And yet days later, faced with something drastic (Nathan had become a danger to Eva's life) and now knowing how badly his ex upset Eva, he still took a terrible risk by using Corrine to deliberately manipulate a situation -- including deliberately manipulating Eva herself. Faced with an extreme situation, Gideon went right back into Control Freak Mode.

Really epic failure: the cover-story part of his plan spun completely beyond his control. In fact, as Entwined opens, the situation still is way beyond his control now. Rather than its original goal of making the cops quickly eliminate him from the suspect list, he's now the chief suspect -- and though the smart thing to do at this point would be to have absolutely no contact with Eva, both of them are taking a huge risk that could bring them both down - bring Eva down too, because now she's colluding to cover up a crime.

For a clever man, he was way off base. Poor Eva, its a wonder if she knows whether she's coming or going. When you consider how long they have been a couple, I think a lot of women would have thrown in the towel, unable to carry on with this level of treachery. It doesn't matter how good looking he is, or how good in bed. My god, what a hold he has on her.

[Sheens263]

For a clever man, he was way off base. Poor Eva, its a wonder if she knows whether she's coming or going. When you consider how long they have been a couple, I think a lot of women would have thrown in the towel, unable to carry on with this level of treachery. My god, what a hold he had on her.

I agree Julie, it just seems ages now until the books come out, this is torture waiting

[julie54]

I'm in Las Vegas with Eva and Cary. can anyone explain to me about counting cards please. My knowledge of cards is a bit basic. Thank you.

[Kirsten]

I'm in Las Vegas with Eva and Cary. can anyone explain to me about counting cards please. My knowledge of cards is a bit basic. Thank you.

Julie it's really a card game scheme (e.g. blackjack) where a player keeps a mental tally of the cards played in order to calculate the probability of certain cards being dealt, therefore gaining an advantage against the "house." It's very difficult to do because most casinos use 6-8 decks in a game.

[julie54]

Julie it's really a card game scheme (e.g. blackjack) where a player keeps a mental tally of the cards played in order to calculate the probability of certain cards being dealt, therefore gaining an advantage against the "house." It's very difficult to do because most casinos use 6-8 decks in a game.

So basically you have to have a very good memory?

Gideon must have been an awesome player then, to have amassed such an empire. It must be illegal? Wonder if he ever got caught?

[sscrph]

For a clever man, he was way off base. Poor Eva, its a wonder if she knows whether she's coming or going. When you consider how long they have been a couple, I think a lot of women would have thrown in the towel, unable to carry on with this level of treachery. It doesn't matter how good looking he is, or how good in bed. My god, what a hold he has on her.

That is why I always wonder Julie if she wasn't so broken would she have stayed the course because the average woman without a tragic past and self esteem issues would not...although Eva does say that if she doesn't work it out with Gideon she won't work it out with anyone simply because he knows all her secrets.

[Kirsten]

So basically you have to have a very good memory?

Gideon must have been an awesome player then, to have amassed such an empire. It must be illegal? Wonder if he ever got caught?

Yes a very good memory. It's certainly frowned upon, but not illegal. I believe in Las Vegas card counters can be asked to leave the casino, but in Atlantic City, which is another gambling city here, they cannot be.

[julie54]

Yes a very good memory. It's certainly frowned upon, but not illegal. I believe in Las Vegas card counters can be asked to leave the casino, but in Atlantic City, which is another gambling city here, they cannot be.

Thanks for that Kirsten. My knowledge of cards is limited. :)

[julie54]

That is why I always wonder Julie if she wasn't so broken would she have stayed the course because the average woman without a tragic past and self esteem issues would not...although Eva does say that if she doesn't work it out with Gideon she won't work it out with anyone simply because he knows all her secrets.

They both saw pain and heartbreak in each other, the day they met. She made it clear to Cary, that she feels Gideon is healing her with his touch. Putting behind her all the relationships that made her feel used and degraded. She realises that what she has is special with Gideon, but her insecurities and jealousy rear their ugly heads, exaggerating all feelings out of proportion. She needs to control this. Communicating her fears.

[LN Cronan]

Yes a very good memory. It's certainly frowned upon, but not illegal. I believe in Las Vegas card counters can be asked to leave the casino, but in Atlantic City, which is another gambling city here, they cannot be.

 

There are no criminal laws against card counting, but it is considered cheating, and casinos will throw out anyone they even suspect is card counting. Then they'll circulate his/her picture to other casinos, who will bar those players as well. It even can be dangerous if a card counter angers, shall we say, somewhat shady characters connected to the gambling world (cough, cough)

 

The trick to counting cards is to never get caught. I imagine Gideon perfected his stone cold chilly exterior while cheating at blackjack, not giving away any "tells" -- tell-tale signs his mathematical genius ability was able to keep track of all the cards played thus far -- and thus being able to calculate in his head how well the remaining cards stack the odds in his favor.

 

Young Gideon would, however, been breaking the law by going into those casinos while under age 21, the legal minimum age to enter "gaming floors" (the gambling part of a casino resort.) One has to be at least age 21 in Atlantic City (Las Vegas too) to gamble. He's need more than a fake ID -- he'd need to look older. Maybe that's where he started perfecting his ability to alter his appearance -- make himself appear older via wearing power clothes, make himself look unobtrusive by wearing very casual clothes. Stuff I'm sure came in handy later while sneaking around avoiding the paparazzi -- and now avoiding the cops.

[LN Cronan]

There was a major motion picture -- 21 -- that was a hit movie in 2008 and is about card counting. It's based on a true story about how a professor and some students from one of the leading science universities in the United States perfected a scheme of card counting and used their scheme to amass a fortune in winnings before things went bad and they got caught. 

[LN Cronan]

Late with this today ...... usually I post the daily summary of yesterday's re-read twelve hours earlier:

 

 

Chapter 3 of Reflected in You - The Readers Guide

 

This chapter covers Thursday (day 18) starting early afternoon and ending that night.

 

Key plot developments

• The key development actually isn't in the book at all, but rather, what happened is something Sylvia later revealed in spoiler posts: Nathan and Gideon confronted one another face to face in his office during lunchtime.
• Chapter 2 ended with Corrine having pulled the "nooner stunt." In this chapter came one of the worst fights Eva and Gideon ever have, with Eva losing control.
• The fight continued Thursday evening in Dr. Petersen's office, when Eva and Gideon had their first couples therapy session.

 

 

What Eva saw next

At the end of Chapter 2, Eva saw Corrine looking freshly f****** and being driven away by Angus in Gideon's Bentley.

This chapter started with her storming into Gideon's office, discovering more things that totally set her off, convincing her he'd had a nooner with Corrine.

1. One of the couches had been bumped askew several inches, and a pillow had been knocked to the floor
2. He'd apparently just finished taking a shower in his private office bathroom
3. He was changing into a clean dress shirt
4. Eva marched into the bathroom and fished out of the hamper the shirt he'd put on that morning. There was a bright red stain on one of the cuffs.

 

The fight - round one

Once she'd seen the "evidence" she didn't even bother to voice her suspicions -- instead, she tried to flee the office, and when he went to stop her and try to get an explanation, she slapped him hard.

Then came the huge argument -- with him getting angry that she basically was accusing him of cheating, when he hadn't the first clue Corrine had even been in building, much less why she exited looking like she'd been manhandled.

The real turning point for the worse came when an angry Gideon asked Eva point blank, "I want to know if you think I f**** her. If you think I would. Or could. Do you?" (page 42)

Rather than answer yes or no, Eva demanded Gideon explain the lipstick on his shirt. He wouldn't.

He wouldn't, we later found out -- not in the book but from Sylvia -- that it was blood on the cuff. Nathan's blood.

Gideon wouldn't tell the truth about his shirt, wouldn't even begin to explain why he and his office looked like they did.

So Eva was left believing Gideon deceiving her about Corrine, doubts that would poison her in the days to come.

"I won't run this time, but you can push me away. You might want to think about that," Eva's parting words to him were as she left his office (page 44.) Something he'd learn the hard way she meant.

 

The fight - round two

Thursday evening, Gideon and Eva had their first couples therapy session with Dr. Petersen, where a still furious Eva ran down the entire list of "evidence" Gideon had done something with Corrine -- Gideon trying helplessly to counter every one of her accusations.

During this back and forth, it slipped out that he still had his f*** pad at the hotel where he used to take Corrine and every lover in the years since then. Eva moaned in pain when she found out he still had the room.

Then the session turns to the real crux of the problem -- communication. More specifically, Eva's concerns about lack of fidelity and lack of communication.

And the fact that sex is used to try to resolve their differences. Gideon believed the sexual relationship is the one thing that is working, Petersen felt otherwise "I'm not sure it is working, Gideon .... not the way it should be," Petersen said (page 50).

The doctor suggested a period of abstinence, but Gideon refused to even consider the possibility.

 

Afterward

Finally on the way home, Eva admitted that as suspicious as everything had looked earlier that afternoon, she really can't believe he cheated -- BUT -- his secret-keeping could lead to them breaking up.

He begged her to trust him -- but she told him he has to trust her back.

However, inside she questioned herself about whether there would come a time when it would be best for them to let go of one another rather than keep stubbornly trying.

[Kirsten]

Here's an interview Sylvia did. I don't know where to post it so I just put it here.

 

http://www.omnivoracious.com/2013/05/sylvia-day-entwined-with-you.html