Sometimes I Lie Summary by Chapter | Alice Feeney

A doctor enters and notices that Paul’s hand is badly bruised, though Paul claims it is fine.

The doctor explains that Amber was not wearing a seatbelt during the crash and flew through the windshield.

Paul mentions Amber was “upset” when she left home, but the doctor notes suspicious marks on her body.

Amber’s sister, Claire, arrives at the hospital, causing immediate tension with Paul.

Paul aggressively demands that Claire leave, claiming Amber warned him not to trust her.

Amber is left alone with Paul, whom she now views as a stranger rather than her husband.

Key Moment: The discovery of pre‑accident marks on Amber’s body suggests domestic violence.

New Information: Paul was out looking for Amber on foot the night of the accident.

Chapter 6: The Uninvited Sister (Then: Monday, 19th December 2016 – Evening)

Amber returns home to find Claire and Paul drinking wine and laughing together, making her feel like an intruder.

Claire claims she came for a “girly chat” because her husband David was working late.

Amber forces Claire to leave, feeling overwhelmed by a “flash of danger” in her sister’s eyes.

After Claire departs, Amber and Paul argue about her sister’s presence and his criticism of her obsessive routines.

Paul criticizes her radio job and her habit of checking locks multiple times.

Amber begins humming “The Wheels on the Bus” to cope with the mounting stress.

She admits she is “not okay” but cannot reveal the full truth to Paul.

Key Moment: Amber finds her sister and husband in a compromising, cozy situation.

New Information: Claire was the one who originally suggested Amber apply for the Coffee Morning job.

Chapter 7: The Honest Diary (Before: Monday, 16th September 1991)

A ten‑year‑old girl begins her first diary entry after starting a new school, sharing a desk with an unpopular girl named Taylor.

She lists three “honest things”: she is ten, has no friends, and her parents don’t love her.

She reflects on her nana’s recent death from cancer and how much she misses her robin doorstop.

The girl describes her parents’ constant, loud arguments about money and her own behavior.

To drown out the fighting, she hums “The Wheels on the Bus,” the same song Amber uses as an adult.

The diary was a gift from Nana intended to help her deal with her feelings.

She sleeps in Nana’s old room, finding comfort in the familiar space.

Key Moment: The narrator identifies herself as a lonely child who believes her parents despise her.

New Information: The narrator’s nana died at the age of sixty‑two.

Chapter 8: Glass in the Hair (Now: Tuesday, 27th December 2016)

Amber hears heavy rain against the hospital window and longs to feel it on her skin.

Claire visits and whispers that Amber “still has glass in her hair,” triggering a vivid flashback.

In the vision, she sees a faceless girl in a pink dressing gown singing in the road, causing a car to swerve and crash.

A woman flies through the windshield, and Amber realizes the woman was herself.

Police detectives Handley and Healey arrive to question Paul about his bruised hand.

They reveal that neighbors reported Amber and Paul arguing loudly in the street before the crash.

The police are investigating the accident as a potential result of domestic conflict.

Key Moment: Amber’s flashback reveals that a child in the road caused the car accident.

New Information: Police are investigating the crash as a potential domestic violence incident.

Chapter 9: Hashtag Sabotage (Then: Tuesday, 20th December 2016 – Morning)

Amber arrives at work in a new dress and makeup to project confidence and manipulates Matthew into taking the panel guests to lunch.

Excluding Madeline makes the host feel sidelined and insecure, which is exactly what Amber wants.

She set up a fake Twitter account to spread rumors about Madeline’s departure, using the hashtag #FrostBitesTheDust.

The hashtag begins to trend quickly, and Amber watches Madeline read a mysterious red envelope she planted on her desk.

During the show, she picks the skin off her lips until they bleed, struggling to stay calm.

She feels triumphant as she realizes Step One of her sabotage is complete.

The red envelope contains a threatening anonymous letter.

Key Moment: Amber successfully seeds the public rumor that Madeline is being fired.

New Information: Madeline Frost is the celebrity face of the charity Crisis Child.

Chapter 10: The Hockey Stick “Accident” (Before: Thursday, 24th October 1991)

The narrator observes that Taylor wants to be friends but worries about being “popular.”

A bully named Kelly O’Neil mocks Taylor for being flat‑chested during a rainy hockey match.

The narrator slides and lets go of her hockey stick, which flies through the air and hits Kelly in the face, breaking her nose.

She justifies it as an accident but reflects on Nana’s belief that nothing is an accident.

At home, she hears her mother throwing plates at her father during another argument.

She notes that her mother has “let herself go” and wears stretchy leggings now.

The narrator keeps the robin doorstop on her bed for company.

Key Moment: The narrator causes a violent injury to a bully, marking her first act of “defensive” aggression.

New Information: The narrator’s father often comes home late or sleeps at work.

Chapter 11: The Dead Omen (Then: Tuesday, 20th December 2016 – Afternoon)

Amber returns home to a quiet house and finds Paul missing, then watches a robin fly into her patio doors and die.

She finds the dead bird deeply unsettling and disposes of it in the bin.

Claire arrives uninvited, letting herself in through the back door, and expresses concern that Amber has been ignoring her calls.

Amber mentions her encounter with Edward, and Claire claims to remember him as “sure of himself.”

Amber confronts Claire about spending too much time with Paul lately.

After Claire leaves, Amber washes her hands repeatedly, feeling guilty for treating a life like rubbish.

The dead robin echoes the robin doorstop from her childhood.

Key Moment: The death of the robin serves as a dark omen for the violence to come.

New Information: Claire helped Amber and Paul find and buy their current home.

Chapter 12: Hands Around the Throat (Now: Wednesday, 28th December 2016 – Morning)

Amber loses track of time and describes the indignity of lying in her own waste, naming her nurses “Northern Nurse” and “Forty‑a‑Day Nurse.”

Paul arrives and tells the unconscious Amber that the police think he hurt her.

Amber perceives Paul’s voice as aggressive and senses him leaning over her.

She experiences a sensory memory of large hands closing around her throat.

Claire arrives, and Amber notices that she and Paul are no longer arguing but seem to be hugging.

Amber feels intense jealousy over the shared secrets and proximity of her husband and sister.

She begins to suspect that Paul may actually be violent.

Key Moment: Amber experiences a terrifying memory of being strangled.

New Information: Paul was released by the police but knows he is still a prime suspect.

Chapter 13: The Wrong Size Lace (Then: Tuesday, 20th December 2016 – Evening)

Amber obsessively rearranges her larder, cleaning every shelf and aligning labels, and finds a half‑empty bottle of white wine that neither she nor Paul drinks.

Realizing Paul is not in his writing shed, she searches the house and finds his phone in his favorite jacket pocket.

She discovers an expensive pink gift bag containing black lace underwear in a size too small for her.

Suspecting an affair, she walks to Claire’s house in her slippers and finds Paul’s green MG Midget parked there.

Claire’s husband, David, informs her that Claire is not home and he thought she was with Amber.

Amber is left with the chilling confirmation that her husband is lying to her.

She feels her marriage crumbling beneath her.

Key Moment: Amber finds physical evidence that Paul is buying lingerie for someone else.

New Information: Paul’s car is a green 1978 MG Midget.

Chapter 14: The Happy Drink (Before: Wednesday, 13th November 1991)

The narrator is furious with her mother for talking to Taylor’s mother at parents’ evening.

Her mother makes “happy drinks” (Mojitos) and lemonade for the narrator while they eat crinkle‑cut chips and watch television.

Her mother reveals she has invited Taylor over to play, and the narrator is so angry she leaves her favorite dinner unfinished.

She lists three things she hates about her mother: she drinks, she lies, and she wants the narrator to be “normal.”

The narrator insists that Taylor cannot come to the house and retreats to her room with Nana’s doorstop.

She feels betrayed by her mother’s attempt to force a friendship.

The interaction deepens her sense of isolation.

Key Moment: The narrator’s mother forces a social interaction that the narrator desperately wants to avoid.

New Information: The narrator’s father has begun sleeping at his workplace.

Chapter 15: The Red Envelope (Now: Wednesday, 28th December 2016)

Amber’s parents visit her hospital bed, but she notes their voices lack affection.

Her father calls her “Peanut,” a nickname she associates with being a “scratched doll” compared to Claire.

Claire and Paul return, and the family gathers awkwardly around the bed.

Amber has a nightmare of being covered in roots and dirt with a faceless girl.

After the family leaves, a stranger enters the room and listens to Amber’s phone, deleting an angry message from Paul and a concerned one from Claire.

He touches Amber’s face and tells her that her condition “wasn’t an accident” and she did it to herself.

She realizes someone is tampering with her recovery.

Key Moment: A mysterious man reveals he is tampering with Amber’s phone and recovery.

New Information: Amber’s parents “visit” her, but it is later revealed they have been dead for a year.

Chapter 16: The Blackmailers (Then: Wednesday, 21st December 2016 – Morning)

Amber wakes after a sleepless night, still haunted by the memory of the dead robin.

She tries on the lacy underwear she found and hates how her body looks in it.

In her private study, she puts on white cotton gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints and writes a threatening letter to Madeline Frost in a red envelope.

At work, Madeline asks Amber to be her “spy” regarding rumors of her firing.

Amber receives an email from Edward titled “Hello,” suggesting they catch up.

Jo notices that Amber is distracted and “all over the place.”

Amber feels no guilt about emailing Edward back, as Paul has been distant for months.

Key Moment: Amber begins sending anonymous blackmail letters to her boss.

New Information: Amber has a secret study where she keeps her gloves and fountain pen.

Chapter 17: Two Peas in a Pod (Before: Saturday, 7th December 1991)

Taylor visits the narrator’s house for a sleepover, and the narrator’s mother is unusually attentive.

The narrator shows Taylor Nana’s room, where she sleeps in the bed Nana died in.

They bond over a shared love of books and discover they share the exact same birthday, born in the same hospital only hours apart.

The mother remarks that they look like “two peas in a pod.”

The narrator watches Taylor sleep and feels she has finally found another version of herself.

She decides that having a friend might be okay if they are identical.

The connection feels almost supernatural to her.

Key Moment: The girls discover their identical birthdays and physical similarities.

New Information: The narrator’s mother draws her eyebrows on like a “clown.”

Chapter 18: The Predator (Now: Thursday, 29th December 2016)

Amber reflects on the trauma of infertility and how it broke her marriage, recalling her mother calling her an “accident.”

Claire tells the unconscious Amber that Paul has been arrested.

After Claire leaves, the mysterious man returns to Amber’s room and reveals he is a hospital staff member who “got the maths wrong” on her drug dosage.

He admits the dose should have killed her and promises to do a “better job” looking after her.

The man kisses Amber and touches her breast while she “shrivels inside.”

She finally remembers the man’s identity: it is Edward, her ex‑boyfriend.

Edward is actually a night porter, not a doctor.

Key Moment: Edward reveals he is working at the hospital and intentionally drugging Amber.

New Information: Edward is a night porter, not a doctor.

Chapter 19: The Alibi (Then: Wednesday, 21st December 2016 – Afternoon)

Paul returns home and claims he was at his mother’s house because she had a fall and broke her hip.

Amber finds a note from him on the counter that she is certain wasn’t there before, and he explains his car was at David’s garage for an MOT.

She checks the landline and finds a voicemail from Paul confirming his story, but she hits “Last Number Dialled.”

She realizes the house phone was used to call Claire, which she never did.

The alibi begins to look like a coordinated lie between Claire and Paul.

Amber feels the walls closing in as she uncovers their deception.

She suspects they are covering something up together.

Key Moment: Amber finds a suspicious alibi note that Paul seemingly planted after the fact.

New Information: Paul’s mother lives in a bungalow near the Norfolk coast.

Chapter 20: The Stolen Bracelet (Before: Saturday, 14th December 1991)

The narrator stays at Taylor’s house and is envious of her “cool parents” and perfect home, noticing three toothbrushes in a cup.

She creeps into Taylor’s room and opens her jewelry box, finding a gold bracelet engraved with Taylor’s birthdate and “my darling girl.”

She steals the bracelet, wanting to see what it feels like to own it.

The narrator watches Taylor sleep and feels they are “two peas in a pod,” promising to give the bracelet back but keeping it for the night.

She wishes her house smelled like popcorn and had stars on the ceiling like Taylor’s.

The theft marks the beginning of her jealousy and possessiveness.

She feels entitled to what Taylor has.

Key Moment: The narrator steals a sentimental piece of jewelry from her only friend.

New Information: Taylor has luminous star stickers on her bedroom ceiling.

Chapter 21: The Ruined Godmother (Then: Thursday, 22nd December 2016 – Morning)

Amber puts laxatives in Madeline’s coffee before the show, and Madeline becomes ill, so Amber offers to drive her home in Madeline’s VW Golf.

As they drive, Amber realizes Madeline lives in Nana’s old house, which was rebuilt after a fire.

Madeline insults Amber, calling her “work‑shy and clueless,” and Amber realizes Madeline is her godmother who stole her inheritance.

Amber has been syphoning petrol from Madeline’s car and paying with Madeline’s credit card, planting empty petrol cans in her shed to frame her.

She feels disgusted by Madeline’s lack of remorse for abandoning her as a child.

The confrontation brings decades of resentment to the surface.

Amber’s revenge is personal and long overdue.

Key Moment: Amber realizes her boss is the godmother who abandoned her after her parents died.

New Information: Madeline Frost inherited the house that belonged to Amber’s nana.

Chapter 22: The Staircase Fall (Before: Wednesday, 14th October 1992)

On her eleventh birthday, the narrator is caught wearing Taylor’s stolen bracelet, and her mother becomes hysterical, calling Taylor’s mother to return the “gift.”

A confrontation occurs at the top of the stairs, and the mother slaps the narrator.

The narrator pushes her mother, who falls down the stairs and is seriously injured, moaning about “the baby,” revealing she was pregnant.

The narrator is left alone while her father takes her mother to the hospital.

She eats her birthday cake with her fingers, making a secret wish.

She realizes that her “peas in a pod” friendship with Taylor may be over.

The fall causes the mother to miscarry the child.

Key Moment: The narrator’s push causes her mother to fall and miscarry a child.

New Information: The narrator’s mother had her “something” removed from her tummy at the hospital.

Chapter 23: The Lost Girl (Now: Friday, 30th December 2016)

Paul tells the unconscious Amber that they “had a girl,” revealing she lost her baby, and Amber is devastated by the forgotten memory.

She has a nightmare about being in an open coffin with a faceless girl who tells her to “point at the exit” sign.

In reality, Amber manages to move her finger, which Claire and Paul both notice, but Claire dismisses it as a “twitch in her sleep.”

Amber realizes she was pregnant and feels she killed the child with her mistakes.

She resolves to wake up and tell them about the man in her room.

The memory of the pregnancy adds another layer of grief to her paralysis.

She blames herself for the loss.

Key Moment: Amber learns she was pregnant but lost the baby during the accident.

New Information: Claire was in the car with Amber when the crash happened.

Chapter 24: The Live Scandal (Then: Friday, 23rd December 2016 – Morning)

Amber confirms her pregnancy with a home kit before the final show and discovers Madeline is frightened by the anonymous red letters.

During a TV interview for Crisis Child, Amber leaves Madeline’s microphone on, and Madeline rants about “stupid people” and “mentally retarded offspring” live on air.

Madeline’s career is destroyed instantly as her comments reach national television.

Madeline quits the show for “personal reasons,” and Amber pretends to be surprised but is secretly triumphant.

Matthew reassures Amber that her own job is now safe.

The sabotage has worked perfectly.

Amber feels a cold satisfaction as she watches Madeline fall.

Key Moment: Amber successfully orchestrates Madeline’s public career suicide.

New Information: Madeline refers to pregnant women as “sluts who get pregnant by mistake.”

Chapter 25: The Arsonist (Before: Christmas Eve, 1992)

Taylor stays at the narrator’s house one last time before the narrator moves to Wales.

Feeling abandoned by her parents, the narrator steals matches from school and packs a rucksack with her diaries and favorite books.

She lights a match, intending to burn the house down with her parents inside.

She tells Taylor “we’re like two peas in a pod” and they will never be apart.

The fire kills the narrator’s parents, but the narrator and Taylor escape.

The girl writing the diaries is revealed to be the one who becomes “Claire.”

She claims she killed them for Amber so they could stay together.

Key Moment: The childhood fire that killed Amber’s parents is revealed as deliberate arson by Claire.

New Information: Claire manipulated social workers to stay with Taylor’s family after the fire.

Chapter 26: The Porter’s Revenge (Now: New Year’s Eve, 2016)

Edward assaults Amber in her hospital room, revealing his deep resentment and explaining that he became a night porter because Claire’s letters ruined his medical career.

He confesses he has been stalking Amber for years.

Amber manages to pull out her drip and tug on the emergency red cord.

Paul has set up a hidden camera in the room and witnesses the assault.

Amber finally regains consciousness and speaks Paul’s name.

Paul is crying with relief as Amber opens her eyes.

She remembers that it was Claire driving the car on the night of the crash.

Key Moment: Amber wakes from her coma and exposes Edward’s presence and Claire’s role in the crash.

New Information: Paul used a movement‑activated camera to watch over Amber.

Chapter 27: The Crash Reveal (Then: Christmas Day night)

Claire forces Amber into the car to “get her to the hospital” after Amber starts bleeding from the pregnancy.

Claire drives at high speeds, wearing red leather gloves, and ignores Amber’s pleas to slow down.

She tells Amber “I love you” before slamming on the brakes intentionally.

Amber flies through the windshield because she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

Claire sees no child in the road but leaves Amber’s broken body on the tarmac and flees the scene.

Claire later claims she saw a child in a pink dressing gown to justify the braking.

The crash was no accident; it was murderous intent.

Key Moment: Claire intentionally crashes the car to kill Amber’s unborn baby and “protect” their bond.

New Information: Claire was drinking before she got behind the wheel on Christmas night.

Chapter 28: Cold Vengeance (After: 15th February 2017)

Amber has been home for a month and pretends to have forgiven Claire.

She prepares a special Valentine’s meal for Claire and David and offers to babysit their twins.

Using drugs stolen from the hospital, she paralyzes her sister and brother‑in‑law.

She enters their home and finds David already dead from the dosage.

Amber whispers “Two peas in a pod” into the paralyzed but conscious Claire’s ear and shows her a petrol can before setting the house on fire.

She flees the scene with the twins and her new puppy, Digby.

She frames Madeline Frost for the murders by planting evidence and blackmail notes.

Key Moment: Amber completes her revenge by burning Claire’s life to the ground and stealing her children.

New Information: Amber frames Madeline using a credit card and matching handwriting.

Chapter 29: Paradise and the Bracelet (Later: Spring 2017)

Amber is on a tropical beach with Paul and the twins, whom she is raising as her own.

She sees a news report that Madeline Frost is on trial for the murder of Claire and David.

Amber feels she is finally living the life that was stolen from her.

A waiter delivers a tray to their room while Amber is in the shower, and on the tray is a thin gold bracelet held together with a rusty safety pin.

The bracelet is engraved with Amber’s birthdate, the same one Claire used to taunt her.

Amber realizes her cycle of lies and the threat of the past are not over.

She repeats her three facts: she was in a coma, her sister died, and she sometimes lies.

Key Moment: The appearance of the bracelet suggests that someone knows Amber’s secrets.

New Information: Amber’s full name is revealed as Amber Taylor Reynolds.