Chapter Sixteen Summary

Cassie reviews her recent classroom lesson, when Alex had come to sit in and wish her happy anniversary. The students were more interested in getting his autograph than her fascinating unit on bones. She is sitting on the veranda, bruised, and eventually reveals that during a coastal storm, Alex had been abusive to her again, and then made his usual remorseful apologies. She had forgiven him and told him it was alright.

Cassie finds a groundbreaking fossil in Tanzania and when she calls Alex, exhilarated, he is cold and uncongratulatory. But he appears at the dig with gourmet food, apologetic about his behavior, proud of her for her discovery. She tells Alex she forgot to take her birth control pills to Tanzania, and he is angry, saying he does not want children. She feels she can change his mind eventually, since...