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Chapter 22
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in It Ends with Us, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Cycles of Abuse
Naked Truths
Good and Evil
Chosen Family
Summary
Analysis
Lily heads home from the hospital a few hours later. The lights are off in the apartment, but Lily turns them on so she can make some food before joining Ryle in bed. But when the lights flip on, she sees that Ryle has been waiting for her in the dark kitchen. He is smirking at her, and she sees that he’s been drinking scotch. She gets excited at the prospect of the wild sex she thinks is coming. Lily notices that Ryle is holding her Boston magnet. He asks her where she got it, and she tells him she doesn’t remember.
Because Lily has been so content with the way her and Ryle’s relationship has been going, she doesn’t initially pick up on the glaring warnings in Ryle’s behavior.. The alcohol he’s been drinking and the look on his face denote that he is in an unhinged state, but Lily still believes this has to do with their plans to make a baby. Her guard has come down in all the excitement of the day. It isn’t until Ryle starts asking questions about the magnet, a symbol of Atlas that has lingered on her fridge, that her concern flares.
Themes
Ryle walks over to her without responding. He kisses Lily and lifts her up onto the counter. He is rough with her as they continue to kiss. Ryle pauses and asks Lily for a naked truth. She agrees. As he touches her sexually, he asks again where she got the Boston magnet. At the repeated question, Lily starts to get worried. He is still touching her, and he is starting to pull aggressively at her hair. Lily complains that he’s hurting her. He moves his hand to her throat and begins kissing her again. When he pulls away and looks down at her with longing, she feels she may have overreacted.
As is the case with many abusive relationships, the shift from the highest high to lowest low can occur suddenly. Sex, something that has always improved Ryle and Lily’s relationship, is suddenly weaponized by Ryle. Instead of the pleasure Lily associates with physical intimacy, she feels fear. She struck by how the sexual vulnerability that leads to close connection with a safe person is flipped into something ugly and terrifying when you feel unsafe. Because Ryle shifts in and out of affection and aggression, however, Lily is utterly unsure whether she is safe or not.
Themes
Leaning against the refrigerator, Ryle asks Lily if she’s read the newspaper article about new businesses in Boston. She hasn’t, so he asks her to read it aloud. Lily is confused. She asks if he really wants her to read it now, and he tells her to remove her clothes first. Ryle instructs her to read the final paragraphs of the article. Lily reads that the upcoming business voted best in Boston is Bib’s—Atlas’s restaurant. In the story, Atlas is interviewed. He explains that Bib’s stands for “Better in Boston.” Lily thinks about the magnet Ryle had been holding, but he tells her to keep reading. Atlas told the reporter that the name was in honor of a woman who had been—and still is—incredibly meaningful to him.
Like sex, truth can be used to build or break emotional connection; Ryle seems to be taking the couple’s typical exchange of naked truths and using it to enact damage. He intertwines the vulnerability of truth-telling and sex in the way he asks Lily to take off her clothes before reading the article that has infuriated him, as if he is trying to dismantle her power as he works up to his next episode. As she reads, Lily is learning for the first time what Bib’s means and how Atlas feels about her. At the same time, she realizes that Ryle has already put the pieces together, which means she is truly in danger.
Themes
Lily stops reading. She leaves the kitchen, but Ryle follows her into the bedroom. She sees that he has gone through all her memory boxes, leaving her journals strewn about their room. Lily realizes that Ryle must have read her Ellen diaries. Ryle comes up behind her and grabs her by the waist and then the breast. He moves her hair so he can look at the heart tattoo on her shoulder. He bites into it aggressively, and Lily cries out in pain. She begs him to walk away and calm down, but he doesn’t listen.
Lily tries to remove herself from the situation, but in the bedroom, she discovers that the situation is worse than she imagined. Ryle has gone through her childhood mementos; he has laid bare her teenage thoughts without giving her the opportunity to provide context for them or comment about how her feelings have changed in the intervening years. As Ryle sinks his teeth into Lily’s heart tattoo, he is symbolically attacking Lily’s past and trying to leave his own mark. This is another example of the dangerous possessiveness Ryle feels toward Lily.
Themes
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Ryle throws Lily on the bed. He tells her that he can sees reminders of Atlas everywhere: the journals, the magnet, the heart tattooed on her shoulder. Lily pleads with him again to leave until he’s no longer angry. Ryle pins her to the bed and assures her that he isn’t angry; he tells her he just has to do a better job of showing how much he loves her. Lily is reminded of how her father would force himself on her mother. Ryle kisses her to silence her screams, and before he can go any further, Lily bites his tongue. He headbutts her in response. She loses consciousness.
Ryle holds Lily to a standard he doesn’t hold himself, interpreting her diary, tattoo, magnet, and carved heart as evidence of both deceit and active betrayal. Lily may not have shared all aspects of her history with him, but Ryle also withheld the truth of his brother’s death—a far more impactful, grave truth—until Allysa forced him to tell her. Ryle doesn’t rape Lily to show her he loves her, so she forgets about Atlas—it’s another way for him to assert his claim over her.
Themes
Lily wakes up in pain and covered in blood. Ryle is still on top of her. He apologizes profusely, but he doesn’t get off her. He tells her that he loves her, and she can tell he is panicked. Ryle, with his anger dissipated, understands that he has ruined any chance at happiness with Lily. She assuages him in an effort to keep him calm, assuring him that everything will be okay. She tells him that she understands he was only angry. He kisses her, and she loses consciousness again.
Though Ryle’s has come out of his rage and alcohol-induced stupor, he is still trying to manipulate Lily. Instead of violence and sex, he hopes his sadness and regret will bend her to his will. Lily’s response is motivated solely by her drive to survive. She forgives him only to ward off further injury and keep him calm until she is strong enough to flee.
Themes
When Lily stirs again, she sees Ryle is no longer lying fully on top of her. Only his arm and head are resting on her. Before she tries to move, she takes stock of her injuries and tries to remember where her keys and phone are. Her head is in excruciating pain. Lily slides slowly out from under Ryle’s grasp. Once free, she tries to stop herself from crying, afraid it will wake him. The gash that Ryle’s head left on her brow has flooded her eyes with blood. She can’t find her keys, so she opens her phone. Lily isn’t ready to call the police. She feels that she can’t bother Allysa, who is still in the hospital, and she doesn’t want to cause her mother pain by telling her what happened.
Largely, Lily is operating absent of emotion; her only imperative is to get away from her abuser. Lily is torn between needing help and not wanting to cause anyone else pain. It is significant that like her mother before her, Lily doesn't want to call the police or drag anyone else into her marital conflict. Lily has always judged her mother for this type of behavior, but Lily’s personal experience of abuse has given her new insight into her mother’s situation.
Themes
Lily dials Atlas’s number. She had lied to Ryle when he found it—in reality, she had looked at it immediately and memorized the number. As she calls him, she realizes that she knew all along that she would need it. When Atlas picks up, Lily begins to cry. He immediately knows it’s her. She asks for help, and she can hear him leaving over the phone. She texts him the address and begs him not to knock. While she waits for Atlas to come, Lily gets dressed. She slouches by the door until he arrives.
Lily’s memorization of Atlas’s number suggests that despite her commitment to making things work with Ryle, a part of her—the part that grew up in an abusive household—knew that another attack was inevitable. In the same way, she knew that she could trust Atlas to show up for her, regardless of the time or situation.
Themes
Atlas hugs Lily when she opens the door. He wants to confront Ryle, but Lily asks him to take her away instead. Atlas is torn between rage for Ryle and care for Lily, but he decides to help Lily down to the car. Atlas has to carry her when she feels faint. Lily knows that she needs to go to the hospital, but she asks Atlas to take her to any hospital other than the one where Ryle works. Though she feels a deep hatred for him, she also hates herself for trying to protect his career in spite of what he’s done to her.
Rather than act of his anger, Atlas sacrifices his impulse in order to take care of Lily; his love for her takes precedence over his desire for vengeance. It is notable that Lily directs Atlas to any hospital but Ryle’s, prioritizing his career over her needs. She is self-aware that she is repeating her mother’s behavior and resents herself for it. In this way, Lily is beginning to see how love can be a more powerful motivator than she imagined.
Themes
