Christine Drinkwater

Christine is a woman in her 50s living in London with her husband Alex. Lydia is Christine's best friend, and she was also extremely close with Zachary, Lydia's husband. Alex and Christine have one child, Isobel. In the novel's flashbacks, the reader learns that Zachary and Christine once had a romantic relationship. She and Lydia met Alex in college, where he was their French instructor, and were introduced to Zachary through Alex a short time later. Christine was working on her PhD in literature, studying the poetry of Christina Rossetti, but she ended up shifting her focus to art, in part because of the encouragement given to her by Zachary. In the present day, Christine is a successful (but not widely known) artist. After Zachary's death, she locks her studio and refrains from working due to her grief.

Christine is betrayed by the two people she cares...