▁catch ▁his ▁employee ▁G igi ▁tam per ing ▁with ▁their ▁research ▁find ings . ▁Caroline ▁eventually ▁disco vers ▁the ▁truth ▁about ▁Mary lou ' s ▁real ▁identity ▁through ▁old ▁files ▁about ▁her ▁father ' s ▁research , ▁and ▁confront s ▁her . ▁Mary lou ▁explains ▁that ▁while ▁she ▁did ▁intend ▁to ▁destroy ▁their ▁lives , ▁she ▁abandoned ▁that ▁idea ▁because ▁she ▁realized ▁that ▁they ▁were ▁innoc ent ▁people . ▁ ▁S omet ime ▁after ▁this , ▁Buff ▁reg ains ▁support ▁from ▁the ▁church ▁for ▁what ▁happened ▁with ▁Su zi . ▁C aus ing ▁an ▁out rag ed ▁Mary lou ▁to ▁give ▁him ▁a ▁p ine apple ▁ups ide ▁down ▁c ake ▁mixed ▁with ▁poison . ▁She ▁then ▁takes ▁Wilson ▁back ▁to ▁the ▁clin ic ▁where ▁they ▁first ▁met ▁in ▁hopes ▁of ▁jog ging ▁his ▁memory . ▁During ▁the ▁trip , ▁she ▁and ▁Wilson ▁form ▁a ▁connection ▁over ▁the ▁past . ▁When ▁Caroline ▁tracks ▁them ▁down , ▁Mary lou ▁and ▁her ▁father ▁tells ▁them ▁that ▁they ▁have ▁decided ▁to ▁get ▁married . ▁ ▁Char acters ▁Mary lou ▁A he arn - ▁Mary lou ▁is ▁the ▁main ▁protagon ist ▁of ▁the ▁story . ▁She ▁is ▁approximately ▁sevent y - four ▁years ▁old ▁at ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁the ▁novel . ▁Mary lou ▁was ▁pre gn ant ▁about ▁three ▁times ▁in ▁her ▁life ▁( the ▁first ▁two ▁being ▁mis car ri ages ) ▁from ▁her ▁ex - hus band ▁Ted dy . ▁Right ▁before ▁Helen ' s ▁death , ▁Mary lou ▁real izes ▁that ▁the ▁medicine ▁given