History Characters / AllDressedInWhite

* MySecretPregnancy: Meghan has recently learnt she's pregnant at the beginning of the story, but on the same day she intends to tell Jeff, he reveals he agreed to participate in ''Under Suspicion''. Meghan doesn't want her pregnancy to be overshadowed by the re-investigation into Amanda's disappearance - for which Jeff is the top suspect - so she decides to hold off on telling him or anyone else until filming is finished. [[spoiler:This ends up [[DeconstructedTrope causing problems]] later in the story; Meghan calls Amanda's estate lawyer about the legal process of Jeff inheriting her trust fund, as they would need the money to buy a larger home and make other plans for the baby. However, because none of the others - including Jeff - know Meghan is pregnant and she had the extreme bad luck to have called the lawyer ''the same day'' Amanda's body is finally found, she ends up looking incredibly guilty, with even Jeff wondering if he really knows her and demanding an explanation. Meghan is so distraught and stressed (likely exacerbated by pregnancy hormones) she refuses to give Jeff a straight answer until he calms down. Jeff figures out what's really going on after learning his wife is pregnant from her emails, which partly helps to clear her name]].

* CommitmentIssues: Nick doesn't have much problem getting girlfriends, but he has a much harder time ''keeping'' them. He remarks that after 'the chase' is over, he quickly loses interest. It's also implied he has a wandering eye; the one serious relationship he managed to obtain fell apart after he got carried away at a bachelor party, with his girlfriend dumping him the moment she found out. He also finds that the women he's most interested in tend to prefer his friend Jeff.

* EntitledToHaveYou: He's revealed to have this attitude towards women, in particular Amanda, Meghan and Carly, all of whom were in some kind of romantic relationship with his friend Jeff. Considering Nick can usually get any woman he wants (only for him to swiftly lose interest), he finds it to be a personal affront that they rejected him for Jeff. All three women were/are considered smart, attractive and successful (Amanda and Carly in particular were said to be the most beautiful girls at their college and were [[DudeMagnet desired by lots of men]]), with the implication Nick feels he deserves their affections because they're 'the best'.

* PosthumousCharacter: She was murdered several years before Amanda's disappearance and about a decade before the present-day events of the novel. [[spoiler:It turns out the two cases are connected]].

A student who attended Colby College at the same time as Amanda and her friends, though they weren't especially close as she a year below them. She was tragically murdered in her junior year, with the case never being solved.

* HostileHitchiker: {{Inverted|trope}}; it's believed that Carly tried to get a lift while walking back to campus from a party, and that whoever picked her up killed her. [[spoiler:Nick later reveals that Carly actually refused to get a lift from him, [[VehicularKidnapping so he forced her into his car]]]].

* {{Narcissist}}: He's obsessed with wealth, image and status, both when it comes to himself and to the people he associates with. While Nick can act the part of a caring friend, he tends to [[ManipulativeBastard treat people as props or pawns]] and enjoys having [[ControlFreak complete control]] over others; he sees attractive women as prizes and quickly tires of them, and he uses his friend Austin as a wingman to make himself look better, while enjoying Austin's gratitude. He's selfish, manipulative, egotistical, lacking in empathy and can't stand anyone being perceived as better than him or looking down on him. [[spoiler:He goes so far as to ''kill'' two women who rejected him for Jeff and attempts to kill a third, gloating to his intended victim about how clever he is to have gotten away with it (he even says he was "too good, as with everything" in hiding Amanda's body); he also blames his victims for his crimes and whines about the 'unfairness' it]].
* NotGoodWithRejection: [[spoiler:Nick has a [[ExaggeratedTrope severe inability]] to deal with romantic rejection healthily. He became so resentful and bitter over women rejecting him and especially some of those women going on to show interest in his friend Jeff, [[IfICantHaveYou he murdered Carly]] - a girl who Jeff dated a few times while turning down Nick - when they were in college. He'd also dated Amanda in college, only for it to fizzle out; a few years later he learned Amanda was planning to marry Jeff shortly after Nick's would-be fiancee broke up with him, prompting Nick to murder Amanda too and try to get Jeff sent down for it. He also admits he was attracted to Meghan, only for her to end up with Jeff as well. Nick plots to kill Meghan too, telling her that he'd considered doing so before they returned to the Grand Victoria, but he could never find the opportunity]].

* {{Narcissist}}: Nick is obsessed with wealth, image and status, both when it comes to himself and to the people he associates with. While Nick can act the part of a caring friend, he tends to [[ManipulativeBastard treat people as props or pawns]] and enjoys having [[ControlFreak complete control]] over others; he sees attractive women as prizes and quickly tires of them, and he uses his friend Austin as a wingman to make himself look better, while enjoying Austin's gratitude. He's also [[ItsAllAboutMe incredibly self-centered]] [[spoiler:even prior to TheReveal]]; he sees appearing on ''Under Suspicion'' as a chance to party at Palm Beach again even though it's supposed to about finding out what happened to his best friend's missing fiancee, and he's mostly focused on cracking jokes about his fancy yacht the same day [[spoiler:''Amanda's body is found'']] and defensively says he was "just trying to lighten the mood". Nick can't stand [[AttentionWhore anyone being perceived as better than him or looking down on him]]; he's insecure about Austin being richer and is so jealous of Jeff being more romantically successful he's willing to [[spoiler:set him up for murder. Nick went as far as ''killing'' two women who rejected him for Jeff and attempts to kill a third, gloating to his intended victim about how clever he is to have gotten away with it (he even says he was "too good, as with everything" in hiding Amanda's body). After he's caught red-handed trying to kill Meghan, Detective Henson says Nick initially refused to cooperate, bragging that he could afford the best lawyers in the country; upon being told that getting a lawyer would be a good idea as he was being charged with one count of murder and attempted murder at the very ''least'', Nick started [[VillainousBreakdown blubbering]] and [[NeverMyFault blaming]] [[BlamingTheVictim his victims]]]].
* NotGoodWithRejection: [[spoiler:Nick has a [[ExaggeratedTrope severe inability]] to deal with romantic rejection healthily. He became so resentful and bitter over women rejecting him and especially some of those women going on to show interest in his friend Jeff, he murdered Carly, a girl who Jeff dated a few times while turning down Nick, when they were in college. He'd also dated Amanda in college, only for it to fizzle out; a few years later he learned Amanda was planning to marry Jeff shortly after Nick's would-be fiancee broke up with him, prompting Nick to murder Amanda too and try to get Jeff sent down for it. He also admits he was attracted to Meghan, only for her to end up with Jeff as well. Nick plots to kill Meghan too, telling her that he'd considered doing so before they returned to the Grand Victoria, but he could never find the opportunity]].

* ItsNotYouItsMe: This comes up when Charlotte and Meghan discuss their perception of Amanda's feelings for Jeff. While Amanda didn't explicitly say she wanted to cancel the wedding - besides asking Kate if she hypothetically thought it was too late to call things off - Meghan and Charlotte got the impression that Amanda didn't want to marry Jeff after all; they believe she did love him and that he hadn't done anything to mistreat her, but she had realised they weren't compatible in the long-term because they [[DifferingPriortiesBreakUp wanted different things]]. They speculate that Amanda let things get to this stage because she was reluctant to hurt Jeff, as he'd always been good to her but her feelings had changed. The prologue demonstrates that Amanda was privately debating over whether to go through with it and that if she still wasn't certain after tonight, she wouldn't marry Jeff.

* NiceGuy: After everything they'd heard about him, Laurie and Alex are surprised by Jeff's demeanor when they meet him in person; he comes off as a kind, easy-going and unpretentious man who is genuinely distressed by Amanda's disappearance and willingly works as a public defender for lesser pay because he wants to help people. Laurie and Alex debate whether Jeff is a really good actor, or if people are mistaken about his alleged misdeeds. [[spoiler:Jeff really is a nice guy]].

* FirstGirlWins: PlayedForDrama. Meghan met Jeff before he met Amanda, and they were closer to each other in college. Meghan and Jeff went on a few dates after they both moved to New York for work, but never really clicked (at least from Jeff's end). When Meghan re-introduced Jeff to Amanda a few years after graduation, they hit it off and later got engaged. Meghan went along with the perception that she set her two friends up as a couple but it actually was an accident and she was still desperately in love with Jeff, recalling that she'd cried for hours when Amanda told her Jeff had asked her on a date. Then Amanda disappeared the day before the wedding, Jeff fell in love with Meghan as she supported him and ''they'' ended up getting married, or at least that's the version they tell everyone. Meghan tries to avoid letting people know she already loved Jeff years prior, because she knows it will make her look even more suspicious. [[spoiler:They're still married in the end and happier than ever after they finally have no secrets between them, are cleared of any involvement in Amanda's death and are [[BabiesEverAfter expecting a baby girl]]]].

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: She’s been in love with Jeff since college, but when he and her best friend Amanda fell in love, she never let on about her feelings and was supportive of them, even agreeing to be Amanda's maid of honour despite her heartbreak. However, some people speculate whether she was really so selfless about it as she appeared, given Amanda and Jeff's wedding didn't go ahead thanks to Amanda going missing and that Meghan ended up marrying Jeff just fifteen months later. [[spoiler:It's revealed Meghan blew up on Amanda about supposedly stealing a clothing idea from her as an excuse to vent her hurt over Amanda's being with Jeff, but that's ''significantly'' tamer than killing her best friend to get her man, which Meghan isn't guilty of]].

* WithFriendsLikeThese: She and Amanda were supposedly best friends, with Amanda even making Meghan her maid of honour over her other close friend Kate and her sister Charlotte. However, some have questioned if they were really such good friends. Not long before the wedding, Meghan had stormed into Amanda's workplace accusing her of stealing a clothing idea from her and threatened to sue, to which Amanda suggested that Meghan should think carefully before doing that because she could derail her law career by filing "frivolous litigation". It's also considered highly suspect that Meghan ended up marrying Amanda's fiance only fifteen months after Amanda went missing, with no one yet knowing what had happened to her. [[spoiler:While Meghan ''was'' upset at Amanda for marrying Jeff and they'd argued about it hours before Amanda disappeared, Meghan [[DownplayedTrope truly did care for Amanda]] and didn't reveal her feelings for Jeff until Amanda confronted her directly. Nick lampshades this trope by saying that when he told Amanda Jeff was cheating on her, she immediately assumed it was Meghan ("Some friend, right?"), though as Nick had specifically told Amanda the 'other woman' was a bridesmaid and Amanda had begun to suspect Meghan had feelings for Jeff, it was a logical conclusion]].

* MiddleChildSyndrome: Henry is the middle child and only son in the Pierce family. He never had any interest in Ladyform, partly because his father pushed a little too hard to get him involved and partly because he can't even "partake" in the products (Ladyform specialises in women's underwear and "foundational garments"). While his sisters both got involved in Ladyform, Henry preferred to make his own way as the owner of an organic winery and has lived on an entirely different coast from the rest of the family for years (although his mother moved nearer to him after getting divorced). Walter was never very attentive towards any of his children growing up regardless of birth order, but Henry decided to remove himself from the situation entirely while Charlotte (the oldest) was left to compete with Amanda (the youngest) for Walter's attention. Henry is content with this, but Walter regrets that he may have driven his son away.

* BrokenAce: It becomes clear that Amanda Pierce was a complicated woman. She appeared to have a charmed life: she was beautiful, wealthy, loved by many, a talented businesswoman, was set to inherit the family company, had successfully beaten cancer and was about to marry a man who appeared to be the perfect partner. However, some of those closest to her believe that despite all this, Amanda wasn't really satisfied with her life; her sister explains it as Amanda feeling she'd "taken the easy way" and had "her entire future mapped out for her" before she was even thirty. Laurie and her team get the impression that Amanda was still trying to figure out who she was and felt under pressure to make her loved ones happy at the expense of her own desires, which caused some issues in her personal relationships; many of her family and friends admit things weren't always as rosy between them as they acted. It's to the point that Laurie starts to think it doesn't seem so ridiculous Amanda might've fled from her own wedding to start a new life, or the very least tried to call things off.

* ItsNotYouItsMe: Charlotte and Meghan both discuss this regarding their perception of Amanda's feelings for Jeff. While Amanda didn't explicitly say she wanted to call off the wedding - though she did ask Kate if she hypothetically thought it was too late to call things off, then tried to brush it off - Meghan and especially Charlotte got the impression that Amanda had started to realise she didn't want to marry Jeff after all; they both believe she did love him and that he hadn't done anything to mistreat her, but she had realised they weren't compatible in the long-term because they wanted different things. They speculate that Amanda let things get to this stage because she was reluctant to hurt Jeff, as he'd always been good to her but her feelings had changed. The prologue demonstrates that Amanda was privately debating over whether to go through with it and that if she still wasn't certain after tonight, she wouldn't marry Jeff.

* NearDeathExperience: A year before her wedding and subsequent disappearance, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. She was extremely sick for a while but managed to beat her illness. A few characters, especially her best friends Kate and Meghan and her sister Charlotte, note that after surviving cancer Amanda changed as a person; they don't think she became selfish exactly, but she was increasingly focused on living her life the way she wanted, without being as concerned about what other people would think. She also appeared to be having reservations about how her life was turning out; she had gone to work in her father's company right after graduating and gotten engaged to the man who supported her through her illness, but no longer seemed certain whether this was what she wanted, or what she felt was ''expected'' of her.
* RunawayBride: She was dubbed "[[LampshadeHanging The Runaway Bride]]" by the media due to her having up and vanished the day before her wedding. Some people who follow the case - including half of the detectives involved in the initial search and even a few of her loved ones - believe she did just run away, theorising she had second thoughts about the marriage and didn't want her whole life planned out for her by her family. Amanda had admitted to one of her bridesmaids that she was having doubts, (a sentiment shared by the other bridesmaids) while the groomsmen state her fiance Jeff also briefly expressed reservations about the marriage while drunk, though they laughed it off. However, other people close to her are adamant that even if Amanda changed her mind, she wouldn't have disappeared completely for years. It's also brought up that if she called off the wedding, Jeff would no longer be able to inherit Amanda's trust fund, whereas if Amanda just went 'missing' it would be a different situation. [[spoiler:While Amanda ''was'' having serious doubts about the wedding, she never confided these in Jeff, mostly because [[NeverJustARunaway she never got chance to before she was murdered]]]].

* MarriedTooYoung: She admits she does sometimes think she married her husband Bill too young - they started dating when they were thirteen, he was the only serious romantic partner she ever had and they quickly got married after Kate graduated, with Kate having four children with him by the time she's in her early 30s - and she confided this to Amanda. Kate occasionally wonders what her life would've been like if she'd taken more time to discover herself before jumping into marriage and motherhood, though she is certain she loves Bill and their children. [[spoiler:It's revealed that Kate ended up having a one-night stand with Amanda's brother Henry - who had similar doubts about his marriage - in the lead up to Amanda's wedding. However, they both deeply regret it and Kate is desperate that her husband never find out, not wanting to ruin their happy family]].

* AwwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Laurie notes that while Charlotte is obviously jealous of her younger sister and tends to speak about her disappearance in an "almost businesslike" tone, she looks and sounds genuinely sad whenever she talks about Amanda's cancer diagnosis and how frail she became. She adds that she sometimes thinks she was only person who truly knew Amanda, yet even then she wasn't sure how well she understood her in the lead up to her disappearance. Although she tries to keep an open mind, Laurie gets the sense Charlotte is being sincere. [[spoiler:It's confirmed that while Charlotte didn't always get along with Amanda, she did love her sister, warts and all, and never wanted her to come to harm]].
* BrainyBrunette: She has light brown hair and is an intelligent and clear-headed businesswoman, who works ceaselessly to keep Ladyform profitable. It's also mentioned that she graduated top of her class from the University of North Carolina.
* BrutalHonesty: Charlotte tends not to beat around the bush or sugarcoat things; in her interviews with Laurie and Alex (the latter of which will be aired on national television), she is very open about the strained relationship between herself and her sister, about how she always felt inadequate next to her, how her sister wasn't as sweet and perfect as everyone thought, the heavy amounts of pressure they both felt to make their family proud and her belief that the wedding might seriously get called off prior to her sister's disappearance. When Alex brings up that Jeff's friends got the impression that Charlotte was "disinterested" in the wedding, Charlotte's blunt response is that "Jeff's friends are idiots" before clarifying how she actually felt. Out of all the persons of interest, Laurie feels that Charlotte comes off as one of the sincerest because she doesn't pull punches. [[spoiler:Unlike some of the others, Charlotte genuinely has nothing to hide]].
* INeedAFreakingDrink: While having lunch with Charlotte, Sandra says she has something to tell her about Amanda, intending to reveal she'd approached Laurie Moran about featuring the case on ''Under Suspicion''. The moment Sandra mentions Amanda, Charlotte immediately turns to a waiter and asks for a vodka martini before she hears her mother out. Considering that Charlotte thought Sandra had flown across the country from Seattle to New York to see her, only to realise she's mostly here about the younger sister she always felt overshadowed by, it's understandable she's a bit miffed.
* TheResenter: Charlotte holds some resentment towards Amanda because she was more conventionally attractive, had an easier time getting along with people and persuading them to do what she wanted, and introduced many successful new ideas into the family company, resulting in their father making her his heir over Charlotte. She points out that "in any other family, I'd be a superstar", but that every one her accomplishments was and still is [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter overshadowed by Amanda's]], even though Amanda has been missing for over five years.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: Charlotte is right that Meghan was still upset on the wedding trip and trying to hide it, but it wasn't over her argument with Amanda about X-Dream, at least not directly. [[spoiler:She was upset because Amanda was marrying Jeff and they were both oblivious to how she felt... at least until Nick tipped off Amanda and she sharply questioned Meghan about a potential affair]].
* SheCleansUpNicely: When Laurie first meets Charlotte, she's wearing her hair loose and messy, and hasn't bothered with make-up. Laurie is visibly taken aback when Charlotte turns up to her formal interview with her hair nicely-done, a full face of make-up and wearing a fancy suit. Charlotte drily tells Laurie "Don't look so surprised. Did you really think I'd go on national television looking like the ugly duckling?"
* TheUnfavourite: She’s often felt like this in her family, especially compared to Amanda. She still feels she's competing with Amanda even now she's gone; she believes that her father has never appreciated her hard work for Ladyform as much as Amanda's contributions despite having worked there longer, and that everything her mother does revolves around Amanda first and her second. It doesn't help that she's considered less conventionally attractive and less approachable compared to Amanda. Walter admits he was distant with all his children, while Sandra loves each of her children the same and wishes Charlotte wouldn't constantly compare herself to others, also recalling that Charlotte is so competitive she was once suspended from school for tampering with another student's science fair entry; this implies that Charlotte's perspective is a bit skewed due to her insecurities. It's also understandable Amanda gets a lot of focus given she's currently missing.
* WeightWoe: She’s described as "slightly heavy-set" and is self-conscious about her weight, deliberately choosing healthier options when she eats out with her mother and hoping she doesn't comment on it. It's mentioned she's never been as naturally slender as her siblings (yet another trait she used to compare herself with Amanda). Charlotte admits she's finding it difficult not to put on weight, because she works such long hours at Ladyform she can't find the time to eat proper meals and so relies on take-out fast food.
* {{Workaholic}}: Rather like her father, her life revolves around her work first and foremost. She's so dedicated to her job she barely finds time to eat properly and unlike her siblings it's never mentioned if she was in a long-term relationship or considering children. She eventually confides in Laurie that she finds it difficult to maintain a social life because she's so devoted to Ladyform. It's implied part of the reason she's a workaholic - besides enjoying her job - is because she wants to prove herself worthy of running the company to her dad.

* INeedToGoIronMyDog: The last time Meghan and Charlotte saw Amanda, she was heading upstairs with them to their hotel rooms, when she abruptly said she needed to go back down to hotel bar because she'd "forgotten something". Both Charlotte and Meghan thought this was odd, though they didn't question it until Amanda was discovered to be missing the following day. It's obvious that Amanda deliberately made up a lame excuse to go back downstairs, though it's not initially clear why. [[spoiler:She had earlier made plans to meet Nick in secret after her bachelorette party, as Nick claimed he had knowledge of Jeff cheating on her and she wanted to find out the truth before making a decision about her wedding]].

* FairytaleWeddingDress: Amanda was set to wear one for her dream wedding, having tried on more than a hundred gowns to find the perfect one: "Off-white silk with an empire waist and handmade lace overlay for the bodice". She had tried the dress on the same night she disappeared with Kate's help, ostensibly to make sure it fitted, though also to test if she still felt right about getting married. The dress was found by her fiancé and the wedding guests laid out on Amanda's bed while they were searching for her, right where she'd left it.

* MarriedTooYoung: A few days before her wedding, Amanda asked her bridesmaid Kate Fulton if she ever thought she was getting married too young, especially as Kate married her husband straight out of college and so would have more personal insight on the matter. Amanda herself was twenty-seven and had gotten engaged to Jeff while going through cancer treatment just a year ago, and had gone straight to working for her father's company after graduating. Kate - and some other members of the wedding party - got the sense that Amanda was having second thoughts about settling down so soon.
* NearDeathExperience: A year before her wedding and subsequent disappearance, Amanda was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. She was extremely sick for a while but managed to beat her illness. A few characters, especially her best friends Kate and Meghan and her sister Charlotte, note that after surviving cancer Amanda changed as a person; they don't think she became selfish exactly, but she was increasingly focused on living her life the way she wanted, without being as concerned about what other people would think. She also appeared to be having reservations about how her life was turning out; she had gone to work in her father's company right after graduating and gotten engaged to the man who supported her through her illness, but no longer seemed certain whether this was what she wanted, or what she felt was ''expected'' of her.
* RunawayBride: Amanda was dubbed "[[LampshadeHanging The Runaway Bride]]" by the media due to her having up and vanished the day before her wedding. Some people who follow the case - including half of the detectives involved in the initial search and even a few of her loved ones - believe she did just run away, theorising she had second thoughts about the marriage and didn't want her whole life planned out for her by her family. Amanda had admitted to one of her bridesmaids that she was having doubts, (a sentiment shared by the other bridesmaids) while the groomsmen state her fiance Jeff also briefly expressed reservations about the marriage while drunk, though they laughed it off. However, other people close to her are adamant that even if Amanda changed her mind, she wouldn't have disappeared completely for years. It's also brought up that if she called off the wedding, Jeff would no longer be able to inherit Amanda's trust fund, whereas if Amanda just went 'missing' it would be a different situation. [[spoiler:While Amanda ''was'' having serious doubts about the wedding, she never confided these in Jeff, mostly because [[NeverJustARunaway she never got chance to before she was murdered]]]].

* HeroesLoveDogs: It's established in her introduction that she owns two dogs she her 'babies'; they in turn adore her. This helps show that beneath her tough exterior, she's a genuinely caring and benevolent person dedicated to finding Amanda.

* DoesntKnowTheirOwnChild: Sandra provides a {{downplayed|Trope}} example in regards to Amanda. While Sandra isn't a neglectful parent (especially compared to Walter) and dearly loves Amanda, it becomes evident she has an overly-idealised view of her youngest child. Laurie notes that Amanda's sister and friends talk about Amanda in "a darker way" compared to her mother; Sandra didn't appear to realise Amanda felt trapped by her family's expectations and was having doubts about her upcoming marriage. On the other hand, Sandra does turn out to be right that [[spoiler:Amanda would never have run away and left her loved ones worrying over her for years]].
* ExcessiveMourning: Walter accused her of this in response to their youngest daughter's disappearance, saying she had become "obsessed" with finding out what happened to her at the expense of his feelings and their other children. In this case, Sandra's response is [[DefiedTrope a fairly reasonable one]] for a grieving mother who wants answers (especially given the police didn't do a particularly good job looking for Amanda) and ''Walter'' comes as the one with unhealthy coping mechanisms, with Sandra asking if Walter ''really'' expected her to just give up and move on. Sandra is also hardly neglectful towards her other children and grandchildren; she actually spends more time with them than Walter does.

* MamaBear: She's protective of her children, albeit in a more subtle way. She alwways tried to be warm and encouraging towards them to make up for Walter's emotional distance. She was actually the one who urged Walter to implement Amanda's ideas for Ladyform, saying that if he simply dismissed her it would break her heart and that it was hypocritical of him to have pushed their children to get involved if he wouldn't even let them contribute meaningfully. One of the biggest reasons she divorced Walter was because he was disapproving of her efforts to find Amanda, to the point he didn't even like her talking about Amanda. Sandra has vowed to never stop looking for Amanda has long as she lives. She is also quick to defend Amanda's reputation, being disgusted people think her daughter would run off and abandon her loved ones just because she didn't want to get married. Sandra can barely hide her contempt for Jeff due to her belief he was involved in her daughter's disappearance and cannot bring herself to seriously believe her other daughter could've been involved despite her obvious jealousy of Amanda, being horrified at herself for even entertaining the thought.

* CameraFiend: He's obsessed with photography. While this made being a wedding photographer's intern a logical career choice and he is admittedly talented at it, he also has a habit of following people and taking photos of them without their knowledge, as he's fascinated in seeing their true selves beyond the "false faces" they put on when they know they're being photographed. He has dozens of candid photos of the wedding party from Amanda and Jeff's wedding trip, revealing some their secrets. [[spoiler:He was also the last person to see Amanda alive besides her killer, he having followed her all the way to the hotel garage after everyone else went to bed. Laurie ends up hiring him to take more photographs of the wedding party in the present day, as by this point she knows one of them killed Amanda and may give themselves away. Jeremy ends up snapping a picture of Nick forcing Meghan onto his yacht, enabling the coast guard to launch a rescue]].

* ImperiledInPregnancy: [[spoiler:Meghan is several weeks pregnant when she's kidnapped by Nick, who drugs her, takes her out to sea on his yacht, and intends to weigh her down and drop her overboard. Meghan is terrified not only for herself but for her unborn baby, and [[DamselOutOfDistress vows to find a way to save them both]]]].

* ExcessiveMourning: Walter accused her of this in response to their youngest daughter's disappearance, saying she had become "obsessed" with finding out what happened to her at the expense of his feelings and their other children. In this case, Sandra's response is [[DefiedTrope a fairly reasonable one]] for a grieving mother who wants answers (especially given the police didn't do a particularly good job looking for Amanda) and ''Walter'' comes as the one with unhealthy coping mechanisms, with Sandra asking if Walter ''really'' expected her to just give up and move on. Sandra is hardly neglectful towards her other children and grandchildren; she actually spends more time with them than Walter does. Walter's son also points out to him that he never even talks about Amanda anymore, almost as if she didn't exist. Walter eventually admits that he couldn't bear talking about Amanda partly because he blamed himself for her disappearance and partly because he was in denial she's likely dead, telling Sandra that she was actually stronger than him because ''his'' response was to act like it didn't happen rather than face up to it.

* OOCIsseriousBusiness: He tells his son over a phone call he's decided to participate in ''Under Suspicion'' to help find out the truth about his missing daughter, which will mean travelling to Palm Beach and staying there a week for filming. When Henry asks if he'll be okay stepping away from Ladyform for a week, Walter himself is surprised to realise he hadn't even thought about the company, demonstrating just how much his priorities have shifted in the past few years.

* HiddenDisdainReveal: [[spoiler:Laurie realises that Nick has actually hated his supposed best friend Jeff for years, mostly from jealousy. Despite being just as good-looking as Jeff and a hell of a lot richer, Jeff tended to be the one who got women's attention over Nick, particularly as he's more naturally charismatic, while Nick comes off more as arrogant. Nick grew to resent Jeff so much, he murdered two women who chose Jeff over him, including going so far as to murder his fiancee two nights before their wedding]]. Following this realisation, we have a chapter from Nick's perspective confirming Laurie's suspicions, in which he rants almost non-stop about how much he despises Jeff and his significant others]].

* HiddenDisdainReveal: Laurie realises that Nick has actually hated his supposed best friend Jeff for years, mostly from jealousy. Despite being just as good-looking as Jeff and a hell of a lot richer, Jeff tended to be the one who got women's attention over Nick, particularly as he's more naturally charismatic, while Nick comes off more as arrogant. Nick grew to resent Jeff so much, he [[spoiler:murdered two women who chose Jeff over him, including going so far as to murder his fiancee two nights before their wedding]]. Following this realisation, we have a chapter from Nick's perspective confirming Laurie's suspicions, in which he rants almost non-stop about how much he despises Jeff and his significant others.

* {{Narcissist}}: Nick is obsessed with wealth, image and status, both when it comes to himself and to the people he associates with. While Nick can act the part of a caring friend, he tends to [[ManipulativeBastard treat people as props or pawns]] and enjoys having [[ControlFreak complete control]] over others; he sees attractive women as prizes and quickly tires of them, and he uses his friend Austin as a wingman to make himself look better, while also enjoying Austin's gratitude. He's also [[ItsAllAboutMe incredibly self-centered]] [[spoiler:even prior to TheReveal]]; he sees appearing on ''Under Suspicion'' as a chance to party at Palm Beach again even though it's supposed to about finding out what happened to his best friend's missing fiancee, and he's mostly focused on cracking jokes about his fancy yacht the same day [[spoiler:''Amanda's body is found'']] and defensively says he was "just trying to lighten the mood". Nick can't stand [[AttentionWhore anyone being perceived as better than him or looking down on him]]; he's insecure about Austin being richer and is so jealous of Jeff being more romantically successful he's willing to [[spoiler:set him up for murder. Nick went as far as ''killing'' two women who rejected him for Jeff and attempts to kill a third, gloating to his intended victim about how clever he is to have gotten away with it (he even says he was "too good, as with everything" in hiding Amanda's body). After he's caught red-handed trying to kill Meghan, Detective Henson says Nick initially refused to cooperate, bragging that he could afford the best lawyers in the country; upon being told that getting a lawyer would be a good idea as he was being charged with one count of murder and attempted murder at the very ''least'', Nick started [[VillainousBreakdown blubbering]] and [[NeverMyFault blaming]] [[BlamingTheVictim his victims]]]].

* TheResenter: Nick has deeply resented Jeff for years because Jeff has repeatedly managed to find romantic partners willing to commit to him, while all Nick gets is short-term flings or rejection. [[spoiler:He resents Jeff so much he murdered his fiancee shortly before their wedding day and tried to incriminate Jeff]].