The One by Marni Mann Summary, Characters and Themes
The One (Spade Hotel Series Book 5) by Marni Mann is a contemporary romance novel grounded in emotional trauma, redemption, and the complexities of rekindled love. This installment centers on Rhett, a man whose life is marred by a tragic accident that occurred fifteen years earlier and the devastating consequences it had on his relationship with Lainey, the woman he once loved deeply.
Told through alternating past and present timelines, the book peels back the layers of a painful history involving addiction, guilt, family loyalty, and betrayal. As Rhett and Lainey confront the silence and secrets that kept them apart, their journey offers a slow-burning exploration of love not only surviving loss but finding a way back through truth, trust, and forgiveness.
Summary
Rhett is a man deeply scarred by an incident from fifteen years ago, an accident that led to the loss of someone close to him and drove a permanent wedge between him and Lainey, the woman he loved. Every year on the anniversary of the tragedy, Rhett isolates himself in grief, indulging in alcohol and marijuana to blunt the pain.
This year is more painful than ever because his father—the one person who used to pull him out of this ritual of mourning—is gone too. Forced to attend a family bachelor-bachelorette party, Rhett finds himself emotionally detached, overwhelmed by the memories associated with the date.
After abruptly leaving the club, he ends up falling asleep, and in his dreams, sees Penelope—Lainey’s identical twin sister—who plays a pivotal role in his tragic past.
Sixteen years earlier, Rhett and Lainey reconnected in high school after she unexpectedly returned following a long absence. Their reunion is filled with nervous anticipation and reawakened emotions.
Lainey confesses she never stopped thinking about him, and their bond quickly reignites. Despite Lainey’s modest and grounded nature, which contrasts with her twin’s seductive charisma, the emotional and physical connection between her and Rhett deepens.
Their summer before college is marked by love, passion, and future plans—particularly a shared dream to attend USC. Their commitment to each other is solidified when Lainey chooses USC despite receiving offers from more prestigious schools.
However, concerns emerge: Lainey feels responsible for her sister Penelope’s erratic behavior, and Rhett distrusts Penelope’s relationship with Anthony Potter. These emotional undercurrents foreshadow cracks in their seemingly strong foundation.
In the present day, Rhett is shocked when Penelope shows up alive and in front of him—an encounter that disrupts his emotional state. However, her words reveal she harbors deep resentment toward him, further complicating his already conflicted feelings.
Meanwhile, Rhett revisits more memories from his past with Lainey. He recalls a romantic beach day where they became physically intimate for the first time.
The experience is tender and deeply emotional for both, with Rhett taking care to ensure Lainey feels safe and loved. This intimacy becomes the most profound moment in their young relationship and sets the stage for their hopeful plans.
But everything begins to unravel with the tragedy that strikes the summer after graduation. Rhett takes Penelope on a boat trip to a beach house.
Lainey is not present, having asked Rhett to take photos of her sister. What begins as a favor turns into a nightmare.
Penelope is clearly under the influence—using cocaine on Rhett’s family boat—and her behavior becomes reckless and uncontrollable. She flirts aggressively with Rhett, climbs on his shoulders while he’s piloting the boat, and refuses to sit still, putting them both in danger.
Rhett’s anxiety heightens when another boat narrowly misses them. Penelope’s instability reaches a breaking point, and when she runs to the back of the boat, a terrible sound follows.
Rhett dives into the water to find Penelope unconscious and bleeding, her body mangled by the propeller. He performs CPR and calls the Coast Guard, but the trauma of that moment lingers with him for years.
Rhett never spoke the full truth to Lainey out of guilt and fear of hurting her. In the present, he finally opens up about that day.
He reveals not only the drug use but also the dangerous extent of Penelope’s behavior. Lainey, shocked and overwhelmed, begins to understand the depth of Rhett’s silence and the weight he’s carried.
Rhett shows her a video from that day, providing undeniable proof of Penelope’s state, and confesses that he kept it secret to protect Lainey from further pain. This moment becomes a crucial turning point in their story.
As they continue to spend time together, Rhett and Lainey start healing. Rhett’s love for her has never faded—he even has a tattoo of her name that he’s never covered.
Lainey is confronted with memories she had suppressed or misinterpreted. Slowly, they begin to rebuild trust.
They share moments of vulnerability and nostalgia. Rhett reveals that he’s now a hotel executive and that a major project is taking him to Iceland.
Lainey has transitioned from nursing to healthcare administration, choosing a more emotionally distant path in life.
The spark reignites between them when a photo Lainey posts on Instagram pulls Rhett to her apartment. Their reunion is emotional and raw.
They talk openly about Penelope, the grief they’ve lived with, and the life they lost. A romantic reconnection follows—a slow and emotionally intense return to intimacy.
Rhett’s small gestures—flowers, coffee, love notes—begin to win Lainey over. She reveals that she saw him once in Bangkok but wasn’t ready to approach him then.
Her return to the city is an attempt to reclaim what she left behind.
Lainey eventually tells her mother the full story—about Penelope’s drug use and Rhett’s innocence. Her mother responds with compassion and acceptance, realizing how wrong they had been.
Lainey’s father also meets with Rhett, this time without hostility, and offers his blessing for Rhett to marry his daughter. This signals a closure to the long-held resentment and opens the door for new beginnings.
The culmination takes place in Iceland, where Rhett has set up an elaborate proposal—red roses, candles, and a private ballroom filled with memories. Surrounded by those who matter most, Rhett asks Lainey to marry him, and she says yes.
They talk about a future filled with family, children, and stability. A final scene shows Lainey bonding with Rhett’s niece, symbolizing her integration into his world and the life they are building together.
The One is a love story built on second chances. It shows how silence can fracture even the strongest bonds, but how truth and time, when finally embraced, can restore what was lost.
Characters
Rhett
Rhett is the emotional nucleus of The One, a man shaped by both love and devastating loss. His identity is deeply entwined with a traumatic event that occurred fifteen years prior—the day Penelope, the twin sister of his great love Lainey, was severely injured and nearly died in a boating accident while under his care.
From that day on, Rhett has lived in a purgatory of guilt, grief, and isolation, relying on rituals of self-destruction—alcohol, marijuana, and complete emotional shutdown on the anniversary of the incident. His father’s death compounds his sorrow, removing the last tether that helped pull him out of those yearly descents.
But Rhett is not just a broken man—he is also tender, loyal, and fiercely loving. This is evident in the flashbacks of his younger self, where his relationship with Lainey is painted in soft, deeply romantic hues.
He is attentive, passionate, and utterly devoted to her. His respect for Lainey during their first sexual experience, his playful dreams of college together, and his unwavering belief in their future all point to a man who, when in love, gives himself entirely.
However, the present-day Rhett is worn and hollowed out, caught between the man he was and the shell he has become. His reunion with Lainey, and later, his confrontation with the truth about Penelope’s accident, become crucial steps toward redemption.
Rhett’s willingness to bare his soul, to confess his secrets, and to once again seek a life with Lainey reveal his enduring emotional resilience and a deep desire to reclaim joy and meaning.
Lainey
Lainey is a woman marked by loyalty, self-restraint, and an aching vulnerability. In her teenage years, she is portrayed as earnest, grounded, and deeply in love with Rhett.
Unlike her twin sister Penelope, Lainey is modest, emotionally reserved, and resistant to adopting a more seductive persona. Her identity is wrapped in authenticity and quiet strength.
She yearns for a love that sees her for who she truly is—an ideal she finds in Rhett, who embraces her without expecting her to mimic Penelope’s boldness. As a teen, Lainey is also weighed down by family expectations, particularly her sense of duty toward her unstable sister.
This sense of responsibility often overshadows her own desires, yet she still dreams of a future with Rhett, prioritizing their shared college plans and emotional bond over personal ambition.
In the present, Lainey is far more guarded and emotionally distant. Her cold rejection of Rhett upon seeing him again—her declaration that she had hoped never to see him—reveals the profound pain she still carries.
That pain is rooted not only in Penelope’s trauma but in her belief that Rhett betrayed her, a belief fueled by years of silence and incomplete truths. As she listens to Rhett’s side of the story and watches the video evidence of Penelope’s erratic, drug-induced behavior, Lainey begins to unravel the false narrative she had internalized.
Her eventual openness, the act of telling her mother everything, and her decision to embrace Rhett again show a remarkable emotional evolution. Lainey reclaims her voice, confronts the painful truth, and makes peace with the past—not by forgetting it, but by choosing love over bitterness.
Penelope
Penelope is the most enigmatic and tragic figure in the novel. As Lainey’s identical twin, she lives in sharp contrast to her sister’s groundedness.
Penelope is flamboyant, emotionally volatile, and self-destructive. In her youth, she gravitates toward recklessness, seeking validation and excitement through provocative behavior, drugs, and unstable relationships.
Her emotional instability, exacerbated by substance abuse, culminates in the catastrophic boating incident that scars everyone involved—physically, emotionally, and relationally. Penelope’s need for attention and her habit of pushing boundaries not only place her in danger but leave a lasting impact on Rhett and Lainey’s lives.
In the present day, Penelope’s brief appearance is haunting. Her rejection of Rhett is searing—her words weaponized to inflict emotional wounds.
That bitterness is complicated by the knowledge that Penelope survived but withdrew from Rhett entirely. While she does not dominate the narrative like Rhett or Lainey, her presence lingers over every moment, like a ghost haunting the lives of those left behind.
Penelope symbolizes the weight of unspoken trauma, the destructive potential of denial, and the ripple effects of addiction. Her character never fully redeems or explains itself, but it doesn’t need to—she is the embodiment of a tragedy that shaped everyone else.
Rowan
Rowan, Rhett’s sister, plays a supporting but emotionally significant role in the present-day narrative. Though she may not be a central figure, Rowan represents family, the continuity of life, and the steady beat of unconditional love.
Her decision to involve Rhett in social events—like the joint bachelor-bachelorette party—stems not from insensitivity but from a desire to pull him out of his shell and back into the world. She is a reminder that while Rhett has been grieving alone, those who love him have also been grieving—him.
Through Rowan’s eyes, we see Rhett not just as a tragic figure, but as a brother and a man worth saving. Her gentle presence is instrumental in nudging him toward healing and reconnection.
Ridge
Ridge, Rhett’s brother, mirrors Rowan’s role as a persistent, albeit imperfect, anchor. While Ridge doesn’t fully grasp the depth of Rhett’s trauma, his inclusion in Rhett’s life reflects a desire to maintain some semblance of normalcy and connection.
Ridge’s actions—planning celebrations, participating in family functions—are ways of trying to keep Rhett tethered to the living, breathing world. He’s a foil to Rhett’s isolation, reminding the reader that grief manifests differently across individuals, and that sometimes, family tries to help even when they don’t fully understand.
Rhett’s Parents
Though Rhett’s parents are largely absent in the present timeline, their influence is keenly felt—especially his father’s. The loss of his father marks a pivotal emotional rupture for Rhett, compounding his already staggering grief.
His father had been a lifeline during the annual anniversaries of Penelope’s accident, someone who, without judgment, simply sat with Rhett in his darkest hours. The void left by his father’s death underscores Rhett’s sense of abandonment and amplifies his emotional unraveling.
His mother, though not as prominently featured, symbolizes a distant but enduring presence—a part of the family that has learned to live around grief, if not through it.
Lainey’s Parents
Lainey’s parents, especially her mother, undergo a significant emotional transformation in the present-day narrative. Initially, they are figures shrouded in blame, having projected their grief over Penelope’s injuries onto Rhett.
Lainey’s father, who once threatened Rhett, represents the protective patriarch blinded by loss. But when the truth emerges—when Lainey finally explains the reality of Penelope’s addiction and Rhett’s innocence—they both shift.
Her father’s apology and blessing to Rhett are redemptive, symbolizing the healing of a wound that had festered for over a decade. Her mother’s embrace of Lainey’s truth and love reflects the strength it takes to let go of the past and choose compassion over judgment.
Daisy
Daisy, Rhett’s young niece, may be a minor character, but she serves as a symbolic bridge between past and future. Her innocent acceptance of Lainey, her joy, and her effortless connection with the adults around her bring a sense of renewal and continuity.
Daisy is a living reminder that love can be reborn even after years of pain. Her presence in the final family scene is emblematic of hope, second chances, and the possibility of a joyful life not defined by grief but illuminated by it.
Themes
Grief and the Weight of Memory
Grief in The One is neither clean nor confined—it is visceral, enduring, and layered across years. Rhett’s character is the embodiment of a man who has not just experienced loss but has been fundamentally shaped by it.
The trauma of Penelope’s accident and its aftermath is not a moment in his past but a recurring event that dictates his present. His annual ritual of shutting down on the anniversary marks how time has failed to heal his wound.
It is not simply sorrow for a life lost, but anguish over silence, misunderstanding, and the emotional fallout that severed his ties with Lainey and her family. His grief becomes a private prison, an emotional state that isolates him not just from others, but from healing itself.
This stagnation is compounded by the loss of his father, removing the only figure who could reach him during his periods of withdrawal. The novel explores how unresolved grief can manifest as avoidance, substance dependence, and emotional paralysis.
At the same time, the narrative opens a space to question how people can carry the weight of tragedy when the truth behind it has been distorted or hidden. Lainey, too, carries grief, but hers is tied to guilt and misdirected blame.
She lost a sister, a partner, and, for years, her sense of clarity. Their shared sorrow makes their eventual reunion feel less like romantic fulfillment and more like emotional survival—a chance to finally make peace with a past that neither could bear alone.
Love, Separation, and Reconnection
Love in this story is presented not as a linear or idealized path but as something subject to disruption, distance, and the corrosive power of unspoken truths. Rhett and Lainey’s romance, first marked by youthful passion and emotional intimacy, is interrupted by trauma and the unraveling of trust.
Their initial connection is deep and authentic, made more profound by Lainey’s decision to save herself emotionally for Rhett and his constant reassurance of her worth and comfort. However, their separation fractures that love, turning it into a memory tinted with confusion, pain, and bitterness.
When they finally reconnect years later, it is not with fireworks but with hesitation and guarded vulnerability. The story makes it clear that love cannot be revived simply through nostalgia or physical desire—it must be rebuilt on honesty, mutual recognition of growth, and acceptance of past mistakes.
Their slow re-entry into each other’s lives—through conversation, confession, and meaningful gestures—underscores how real intimacy is not just about physical closeness but emotional safety. Lainey and Rhett do not just fall back in love; they renegotiate their relationship, recognizing who they are now versus who they were.
Their eventual engagement, set against a romantic backdrop in Iceland, symbolizes not just a reunion of hearts but the deliberate choice to move forward together despite everything that tore them apart.
Silence, Truth, and Emotional Withholding
A dominant thread running through the novel is the destructive power of silence and the difficulty of telling painful truths. Rhett’s decision to withhold the details of Penelope’s drug use and behavior was made with the intention of protecting Lainey from further grief.
However, this silence results in years of estrangement, during which Lainey internalizes a distorted narrative of events. The story critiques the tendency to avoid conflict and discomfort by remaining quiet, showing how this avoidance can fracture relationships and prevent healing.
At the same time, it acknowledges the emotional complexity behind withholding truth—how fear of being blamed or misunderstood can silence even the most well-intentioned people. Rhett’s eventual decision to share the video of Penelope doing drugs is not presented as a moment of vindication but one of painful necessity.
It forces Lainey to reevaluate not only her sister’s choices but her own assumptions and long-held resentments. This theme also extends to family dynamics: Lainey’s mother’s initial rejection of Rhett, and her father’s threat against him, both stemmed from incomplete knowledge and emotional reaction.
The eventual unraveling of silence—through confessions, video evidence, and heartfelt conversation—functions as a form of emotional exorcism, freeing Rhett and Lainey from the chains of their past and allowing them to rebuild with honesty as their foundation.
Forgiveness, Redemption, and Emotional Maturity
The narrative emphasizes that redemption is not about forgetting the past but confronting it with courage and humility. Rhett does not seek forgiveness from Lainey as a transactional gesture; he lays bare his pain, guilt, and the truth of what occurred, knowing it may never be enough.
His arc is that of a man who has suffered, grown, and learned to own his mistakes while refusing to justify or gloss over them. Forgiveness, on Lainey’s part, is not immediate or easy—it is a process of re-evaluation, not just of Rhett’s actions but of her own responses and the biases shaped by grief.
The novel portrays forgiveness as an adult decision, born from emotional maturity rather than blind faith. It extends beyond the romantic duo to include Lainey’s parents, particularly her father, whose earlier hostility is eventually replaced with grace and understanding.
These reconciliations are powerful because they are earned, not gifted. The characters do not just forgive; they acknowledge pain, rebuild trust, and allow space for healing.
The story shows that redemption is possible, but only when people stop running from their past and begin the hard work of facing it, sharing it, and choosing to move forward with empathy.
Identity, Sibling Dynamics, and Personal Autonomy
One of the more subtle yet significant themes is the exploration of identity, especially in the context of siblings. Lainey’s relationship with her twin sister Penelope is fraught with contrast and entanglement.
Penelope is portrayed as bold, erratic, and emotionally volatile, while Lainey is steady, grounded, and modest. Growing up in Penelope’s shadow created an internal struggle for Lainey—she yearned to be recognized for who she was rather than as a counterpoint to her sister.
This tension also influenced her romantic relationship with Rhett, as she feared being compared to Penelope’s overt sexuality and emotional intensity. The story brings this dynamic to a head with Penelope’s tragic downfall and Lainey’s gradual realization that her identity cannot be defined by her sister’s choices.
Rhett’s consistent love for Lainey—then and now—serves as a stabilizing force that affirms her individuality. Moreover, the novel explores how Lainey’s caretaking role affected her personal freedom, as she often prioritized family obligations over her own desires.
Her eventual decision to pursue a life with Rhett, after confronting her past and standing up to familial expectations, is a declaration of autonomy. The theme reinforces that true emotional freedom comes from embracing one’s identity without shame or fear, and from refusing to be limited by past roles or family expectations.
Hope, Healing, and the Future
Despite its emotionally intense subject matter, the novel ultimately ends on a note of cautious optimism. Hope is not portrayed as naive or immediate but as something that must be cultivated through truth, effort, and vulnerability.
Rhett and Lainey’s journey from estrangement to engagement encapsulates this slow emergence from emotional wreckage. Their love, once shattered, is carefully pieced back together through shared meals, honest conversations, familial reconciliation, and finally, a public declaration of commitment.
The proposal in Iceland, surrounded by roses and candlelight, is not just a romantic gesture—it is a symbol of rebirth, of choosing to believe in happiness again. The scene with Lainey bonding with Rhett’s niece Daisy further reinforces the idea of generational healing, of creating new memories that are not burdened by loss.
Hope, in this narrative, is not a passive waiting for things to get better—it is an active decision to love, forgive, and imagine a future despite the shadows of the past. The story makes clear that healing does not erase pain but integrates it into a new understanding of self and others, allowing characters to move forward with clarity and purpose.