Chapter 28

Summary

• The chapter opens with the protagonist dressing up in a glamorous cocktail dress, preparing herself for an eventful night.
• She decides to seduce a man named Mick into eloping with her in Las Vegas by playing up to his desire for public recognition and her own need for an intentional scandal.
• She manipulates Mick into flying with her to Vegas on a whim, ensuring to stoke his desire for her throughout the journey.
• The protagonist insists she will not have sex unless married, tricking Mick into thinking that marrying her is his only chance at physical intimacy.
• In the casino, she engages in a pretense of romantic attachment for the public, demonstrating to Mick what it could be like if they were together.
• After hitting a winning streak, she convinces Mick to propose and they drunkenly get married in a Vegas chapel.
• In the bedroom, she intentionally disappoints Mick, ensuring that he will not desire sex with her again.
• The next morning, she continues to dissuade Mick from further intimacy, leading him to express his regrets about their marriage.
• Mick feeds her a familiar line about being undeserving of her, and proposes they get an annulment, to which she feigns distress.
• Upon realizing that Mick also took pleasure in condescension and rejection, the protagonist throws a phone at him as he leaves, fulfilling his need for drama and conflict.
• The chapter ends with the protagonist reflecting on her carefully orchestrated performance and expressing a jaded wish for an Oscar for her "performance".