AWLL2 — Book 6 — Samantha¶

Last updated through AWLL2.6 ch 68.

Book summary¶

AWLL2.6 Samantha runs June 1992–August 1993. Lisa Glass's lie shatters Steve and Samantha Spurgeon's exclusive arrangement; Elyse reunites with Eduardo and Abbie pairs with Jason, leaving Steve without a stable long-term third. Samantha — heiress, dealmaker, emotionally walled — rebuilds trust with Steve and Birgit, then redefines herself as daughter/mentor not lover; Michelle enters then leaves an Orthodox monastery; Caroline, Lena, and Pia arcs; Stephanie burns the blood-stained towel and reconciles with Steve; Jessica trial separation. Saint Martin yacht, Tara weekends, Matthew's go-kart crash. Book ends with Michelle asking Steve to take her home from Ellwood City. Prologue (July 2012): Stephie's wedding; father-daughter dance; Birgit line never crossed.

Chapter summaries¶

Prologue — July 14, 2012, Chicago, Illinois — Early-morning Stephie wedding (July 2012); Steve dances with Birgit (daughter); she asks bluntly whether he and she ever crossed the line — no; family secrets stay buried.
Chapter 1 — June 18, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Lisa Glass's false claim that Steve slept with her shatters Samantha engagement; Les bans Steve from Spurgeon house; Steve blames Lisa's timed office call and plans to avoid Foundation social games.
Chapter 2 — June 19, 1992, Iron Mountain, Michigan — Iron Mountain vacation; Lisa/John engagement off; Lisa alleges Samantha's transactional past; farm neighbor Bill's daughter Jodie enters Steve's orbit.
Chapter 3 — June 22, 1992, Iron Mountain, Michigan — Jeri reports Samantha met a man in Monaco and refuses Steve's calls; Steve insists reconciliation is still possible if Lisa's lie is exposed.
Chapter 4 — June 22, 1992, Iron Mountain, Michigan — Jodie and Steve share first full intimacy in an Iron Mountain stream; Steve stays cautious after Samantha fallout.
Chapter 5 — June 22, 1992, Iron Mountain, Michigan — Morning-after with Jodie; Bethany warns stored relationship energy could rival the Tsar Bomba.
Chapter 6 — June 28, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Noel Spurgeon apologizes — Lisa lied; Foundation social restraint; Daytona — Richard Petty's last race.
Chapter 7 — July 10, 1992, Chicago and Glencoe, Illinois — Steve confronts Samantha in Glencoe; ruthless dealmaking backstory with Lisa and Jeri to win her back.
Chapter 8 — July 10, 1992, Glencoe, Illinois — Samantha confesses transactional sex history from age twelve; Lisa's motive was revenge after John dumped her.
Chapter 9 — July 11, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Steve tells Elyse the full Samantha history before morning debrief with Kara and Jessica.
Chapter 10 — July 11, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Wives interrogate Steve's Samantha reconciliation; NIKA/Glass REIT net-zero lease swap approved; Elyse disconnects conference call.
Chapter 11 — July 19, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Elyse returns from Miami; Kimmy's wedding; Guys' Breakfast forgives Jeri; Howard invited.
Chapter 12 — August 1, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Michelle's lunch invitation via Elyse; Kara frames Samantha-vs-Michelle as today-or-never for Michelle's courage.
Chapter 13 — August 1, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Michelle's first intercourse with Steve; Abbie/Jason racing backstory at Elyse's.
Chapter 14 — August 2, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Bethany reads Samantha's interior state — not Bethany's trauma arc; third-person-plural future still open.
Chapter 15 — August 4, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Kara «agápē» talk; triad fidelity rules vs Steve's historical pattern.
Chapter 16 — August 9, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Samantha grief work and diary; Days of Our Lives quip from Elyse.
Chapter 17 — August 16, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Kobayashi Maru no-win framing; Michelle monastery path and wife debates.
Chapter 18 — August 23, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Steve changes sheets at NIKA apartment after Michelle office tryst; wives not fully told.
Chapter 19 — August 31, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Michelle departs for Ellwood City monastery; Japan training month and parents' Hyde Park visit planned.
Chapter 20 — September 4, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Michelle in novice vows; father cannot talk her out; Steve's Scripture fluency cited.
Chapter 21 — September 7, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Foundation Georg and Maria party; Denise inquiry; Steve refuses more Foundation girls after Lisa.
Chapter 22 — September 19, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Crystal college rap session; sauna boundaries; Kara teases future naked session.
Chapter 23 — September 25, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Michelle chooses among friend, dad, lover roles — decision still pending after long sauna talk.
Chapter 24 — October 1, 1992, San Francisco, California — San Francisco with Bethany; Orthodox liturgy moves Steve; shared vision thread persists.
Chapter 25 — October 5, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Philosophy-club partnership evening; Ben and Elizabeth linger after snacks.
Chapter 26 — October 15, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Samantha temper tantrum; Eduardo return complicates Elyse third-slot.
Chapter 27 — October 17, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Grief counseling Part I — Caroline's father death and family fracture.
Chapter 28 — October 24, 1992, Colerain Township, Ohio — Colerain Township funeral Part II; Caroline's call-to-talk bargain with Steve.
Chapter 29 — October 25, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Samantha negotiates friend/dad/lover roles; Jesse hockey rage in mask terrifies Birgit.
Chapter 30 — November 1, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Self-control theme; school principal over Jesse's forbidden quote.
Chapter 31 — November 14, 1992, Milford, Ohio — Milford/Winston Cup — Alan Kulwicki champion; family race weekend.
Chapter 32 — November 22, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Revenge served cold — Lisa scheming; Samantha assigns Steve a task he must accept.
Chapter 33 — November 29, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Wicked Wanda fantasy roleplay with Samantha circle.
Chapter 34 — December 6, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Lena weekend intimacy; post-coital cuddle on Steve's chest.
Chapter 35 — December 11, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — That was fast — Steve ranks Jodie and Pia top among distant lovers.
Chapter 36 — December 19, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — Christmas greetings; Samantha wealth and Glencoe mansion hints at New Year's.
Chapter 37 — December 29, 1992, Chicago, Illinois — New Year's Eve — Samantha reveals parents' true fortune, Corvette, private jet.
Chapter 38 — January 1, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Follow the Leader — Ellie group scene at Samantha's.
Chapter 39 — January 2, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Samantha questions Ellie best-friend dynamic vs triad analogy.
Chapter 40 — January 9, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Caroline's confessions and therapy progress on prior abuse.
Chapter 41 — January 23, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Unidentified body at hospital — Al has no next-of-kin; working-arrangements fallout.
Chapter 42 — February 5, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Karate demonstration of power with Samantha; mat takedown training.
Chapter 43 — February 13, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Pia Sandberg visits Chicago; Cirque du Steve lunch with Jorge crowd.
Chapter 44 — February 21, 1993, Los Angeles, California — Los Angeles with Elyse — fire traps occupants; smoke and power outage crisis.
Chapter 45 — February 27, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Another last time with Elyse before Eduardo; lagom as Steve's stated happiness model.
Chapter 46 — March 8, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Consumed in Flames — Stephanie burns the blood-stained towel on her twenty-sixth birthday; Branch Davidian / Lisa Glass news.
Chapter 47 — March 14, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Conflagration — Stephanie reconciliation: brother-sister bond restored; Doctor Mercer notified.
Chapter 48 — March 15, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Elyse fellowship secured — she no longer needs the Adams household; feels expendable.
Chapter 49 — March 15, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Tomorrow is Another Day — Steve parallels Jessica grief to Birgit and Jennifer Milford bench.
Chapter 50 — March 16, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Icing on the Cake — triad negotiates Samantha as long-term third; Jessica's wants unclear.
Chapter 51 — March 21, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — April Fools' Day disaster; Earnhardt points; Penguins playoff chatter.
Chapter 52 — April 2, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Glencoe police and Cook County Sheriff raid Samantha's great room — You Have the Right to Remain Silent.
Chapter 53 — April 14, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Business proposition with Ally and Jeri at office; Samantha sorting privately.
Chapter 54 — April 16, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — No Way Out? — Samantha proposes trial separation terms including kids.
Chapter 55 — April 19, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Trial separation begins; Abbie dishes while Kara and Steve read Samantha's sealed envelope.
Chapter 56 — April 23, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Strange advice — Samantha effectively orders Jessica to love the triad.
Chapter 57 — April 25, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Rock Bottom — Bethany pep talk; teen admirers will keep lining up.
Chapter 58 — April 26, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Big Changes — wives urge post-graduation-style summer fun before decisions.
Chapter 59 — May 4, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Penguins playoff loss with John — sympathy when cheer plan backfires.
Chapter 60 — May 15, 1993, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — Pittsburgh — Zo hiring; Samantha yacht Saint Martin invite; Brian context.
Chapter 61 — May 28, 1993, Aboard the Gulfstream — Saint Martin Part I aboard Gulfstream — relationship-change talk; Julia leaving.
Chapter 62 — May 28, 1993, Saint Martin, Leeward Islands, Lesser Antilles — Saint Martin Part II — Ellie, Liz, Justine tackle Steve on island.
Chapter 63 — May 29, 1993, Saint Martin, Leeward Islands, Lesser Antilles — Saint Martin Part III — Mary/Justine watched-first-time dynamics.
Chapter 64 — May 31, 1993, Saint Martin, Leeward Islands, Lesser Antilles — Saint Martin Part IV — Charlie/Tasha hiring gossip; Zo stands by call.
Chapter 65 — June 12, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Summer of '93 Part I — movie outing; Iron Mountain return planned.
Chapter 66 — June 27, 1993, On the road from Iron Mountain, Michigan — Summer Part II — Davey critical after accident; Jessica return odds shrink.
Chapter 67 — July 13, 1993, Chicago, Illinois — Summer Part III — Matthew go-kart lessons; Elyse agreed; video camera on track.
Chapter 68 — August 7, 1993, Norway, Illinois — Off Track — Matthew kart flip; paramedics; Tara Pittsburgh weekend; Michelle at monastery asks Steve to take her home.