Once Megan leaves Nathan to return to Todd, we see once again his struggle with loyalty. This quest of his–to find a loyal woman–was introduced at the beginning of the story in the aftermath of Heather. And now he has found one—but her intense loyalty is for Todd, not him. The very thing he wanted is what is hurting him the most.
Sam reminds him that if he truly loves her, he must trust her.
I wanted to put the lyrics for “You are My Sunshine” into the book, but that’s a no-go with copyright law. We are all familiar with the chorus, but here are the three verses. I see the love triangle here.
Verse One The other night, dear
As I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you, in my arms
When I awoke, dear
I was mistaken
So I hung my head and I cried
(Megan)
Megan loves a dream and must grieve her loss when she awakens.
Verse Two I'll always love you and make you happy
If you will only say the same
But if you leave me to love another
You'll regret it all some day
(Todd)
Todd believes in transactional love and resorts to threats.
Verse Three You told me once, dear, you really loved me
And no one else could come between
But now you've left me and love another
You have shattered all my dreams
(Nathan) Nathan rested in Megan’s love. He found reassurance for his deepest fears. But he was torn apart when she left him.
And that’s why Todd calls Megan, “Sunshine.”