The Rules of Survival Chapter 9 Summary

On the Rocks

  • Nikki tries to keep up her façade of normalcy and act like an awesome mother, but eventually she starts to crack. And Murdoch, being a reasonably sane man, totally notices.
  • One Sunday, Murdoch takes the whole family out on a picnic near the ocean. Suddenly, Nikki grabs Emmy and runs out onto these rocks that are slippery and dangerous for running—she just thinks it's a whole lot of fun and excitement.
  • Murdoch starts running after Nikki as she runs off while carrying Emmy, and so do Matthew and Callie. They're all super worried.
  • As they run, Callie slips and falls, cutting herself on the rocks. And Matthew looks up to see that Nikki is holding Emmy upside down over a cliff, swinging Emmy back and forth, terrifying everyone at this picnic.
  • Murdoch comes up to them carefully and grabs Emmy. Then they all head back—Nikki unaware that she's shown Murdoch just now crazy she is. And Matthew knows right away, with a sinking feeling, that Murdoch will leave Nikki.