Agree with your here. Every new chapter makes me realise that a lot of choices in previous chapters don't actually matter in the long run, which like you said, is probably an afterthought by Eva. There seems to be a lot of streamlining in recent chapters, specifically ch 8 and 9. Ch 8 simplified the Holly Lena conundrum for Ian, this one did the same for Alison and Cindy it looks like.
It's why I think the game might be nearing its end a lot sooner than we think. I get the impression Eva is really picking up the pace and getting key events out of the way as quickly as possible. The scope she originally envisioned for the game is way too big for her, so she is making do with these simplifications.