The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: Part 6, Chapter 11 Summary & Analysis

New York City. July 30, 2014. The black car drives through Manhattan, and Luc and Addie sit in silence. He speaks first, recalling the opera in Munich—the complete “wonder” with which Addie looked at the performers on stage. It was then that he knew he’d never win. Addie wants to relish Luc’s admission of defeat, but she doesn’t trust him. Finally, the car pulls to a stop outside their destination: Le Coucou, a French restaurant in SoHo. They step inside, and a host leads them to their table. A server opens a bottle of merlot, and Luc toasts to Adeline. Plates begin to arrive at their table: rabbit terrine, and foie gras, and halibut. The food is amazing, but Addie feels guilty when she sees the glassy-eyed waitstaff standing helplessly to the side. She hates how unashamed Luc is about his power.

Luc asks Addie if she’s missed him. She has: over the past 300 years, Luc has been the only stable thing in her life. At first, Addie thinks that Luc is just playing with her. But then his voice softens, and he tells Addie that he thought about her all the time. Addie asks if anything between them has been real—he himself has stated that he is “not capable of love.” If Luc really loved her, she insists, he’d let her go. Luc argues that this doesn’t make any sense—that “Love is selfish.” Addie argues that Luc is mistaking love for “possession.” Luc doesn’t see the difference. Addie pleads with Luc to free Henry—for her. Luc gets angry at Addie for bringing Henry into their special evening together. He turns everything to ash, and then he dashes out of the restaurant.