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“All right, let’s say that you’re with someone, and one day a battle-axe comes hurtling out of his armoire… and nearly kills you. Wouldn’t you demand to see the rest of the armoire to make sure there are no other battle-axes poised to strike before getting back together with them?”

In Chapter 17, Imogen asks Violet when she is going to let Xaden off the hook for keeping her in the dark about the revolution last year. Violet insists that it is hard to love someone who “refuses to be open with you,” and uses this analogy to explain why it is difficult to give your heart to someone while simultaneously knowing so little about them. She compares Xaden to an armoire and his secret to a battle-axe that came flying out of it. She argues that it is merely good self-preservation to make sure that there are no more dangerous weapons in the armoire before opening it for a second time. Here, she is essentially telling Imogen that she was blindsided and hurt by Xaden’s “selective truths,” and she is not sure if she is willing to resume their relationship until he stops keeping secrets from her. Her conversation with Imogen anticipates the moment in Chapter 55 when Xaden uses Violet’s analogy to explain that, even though there are “knives” in his armoire, he would never use them to hurt Violet because he loves her. Violet and Xaden will continue to grapple with this dilemma for the majority of the book as they work to trust one another. Violet’s armoire analogy is essential to the progression of Violet and Xaden’s relationship; it starts them both on the path towards the “full disclosure” agreement that they come to by the end of the text.

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