She's fuming as she storms away.

How dare Nick think he can talk to her like that? And to speak so brazenly of her father, too?

As though he knew better, the arrogant ass.

Madison is so angry she doesn't know what to do.

She'd expected to laugh the night away with Nick, but the ass went and ruined that. Bastien is talking gleefully to a few guests and when she turns her head, she sees Nick speaking to his mother. Mrs Hawthorne looks flushed with pride, her eyes sparkling, and the sight of her hurts Madison's heart.

She makes up her decision in a split second.

Madison cuts through the crowd to seek out her mother. She's quick as she passes civilities and words of thanks towards the people offering her congratulations, but her gaze rakes incessantly over the crowd. She cannot see her mother and her irritation grows with every step she takes, her dress falling lightly over her knees.

"Have you seen my mother?" is the only question that falls from her lips, her brows beginning to furrow together.

When she's covered the entire room, Madison lingers briefly in the doorway, before she moves out. She makes straight for the sweeping staircase, her heels tapping against the ground, her fingers trailing against the bannister.

"Mother?" Madison calls out, her voice quiet and low.

There are the sounds of fumbling from a door.

Madison makes towards it, though strangely, her heart is beginning to pound. Her phone is ringing incessantly, but Madison doesn't once touch it, tracing her steps towards the door. It is slightly open, swinging a little, and Madison reaches out, before she can stop herself.

Blood rushes in her ears, ringing incessantly, but Madison pushes the door open.

Her mother is there, kissing the businessman from Morocco.

They realise she is there, jumping apart quickly, but Madison cannot say anything, her breaths fraught. She stares at her frazzled-looking mother. She faintly realises she has never seen her usually immaculate mother so vulnerable.

"Madison –," her mother begins.

"You're not divorced yet," Madison can only say, her voice sounding faint to her ears, as she stares at her mother. "Father hasn't signed the –,"

"Madison, I was going to tell you," Mother says. She attempts to pull herself together as she runs her fingers through her hair, her cheeks flushed hot. "You haven't met, yet, but – this is Mr Bassir, Ben –,"

"Mr Bassir, with the Moroccan shares," Madison realises. She stares at her mother, her voice still faint. "How can you do this to Father? After what he did to you –,"

Her mother frowns a little. "What?"

"You're doing the same thing he did. You're –,"

Then she breaks herself off. Madison stares at her guilty-looking mother, her heart in her throat, her breaths coming out fraught.

How could she have been so stupid?

Her mother tries again, "Madison, sweetheart –,"

"Father didn't cheat on you, did he?" she says. "That's why he looked weird when I threw that cheating line at him, that's why he left – that –,"

"What are you talking about?" Mother frowns, her voice growing strict and stern. "Have you seen your father, in the time that I've been gone? I told you not to, Madison –,"

"No," Madison says loudly, staring at her mother angrily. She has tears in her eyes, but she blinks them back fiercely, her jaw set in her fury and determination. "You told me Father cheated, but it was you. You cheated on him – and you're still doing it. No wonder he sent the divorce papers back, he had no idea. And everything you ever tell me to do has always been terrible for me!" She's beginning to cry, and her mother steps forward, looking startled, but Madison steps back. "You told me to go on that diet, but I collapsed in the middle of school because of it! You told me to take care of my part of the business and it's been killing me! You told me to organise parties and you're still not happy with what I do! You told me to dance with Nick, and you're not even here to watch me!" She's gasping hotly, distraught. Nick was right. "All this time, I thought Father was the wrong one – but it's you. It's always been you."

"Madison –,"

"Get away from me," Madison snarls, before she backs away from her hurt mother and runs.

*

Her phone has been ringing nonstop, but now it is perfectly silent.

As Madison barks impatiently at Louis to take her to the club, where her friends are, she taps angrily at her phone. There are no messages, but her friends have been giving her missed calls, she realises, her stomach dropping. When she tries to call them back, they don't pick up and it both confuses and infuriates Madison entirely.

Her mother never cared for her, Madison thinks to herself, her anger stopping her from crying. It had taken her cheating to make Madison see what Nick and everyone else had seen, from the very beginning. She's hot with humiliation that doesn't fade away, even when Louis pulls up.

"You can go, Louis," Madison says. "I'll catch a ride with Maria."

She walks into the club, her heels clattering against the ground, and the bouncers take her to her friends' private room. Madison hears the sound of crying, even before they knock on the door for her.

"I told you I don't want any –," Maria begins to roar, as she whips the door open. Her voice dies at the sight of Madison. She stares, for a moment, as though she cannot believe her eyes, and then, she snarls, "You bitch."

Maria lunges for her, but Madison flinches back instinctively, startled. She catches her balance by steadying herself against the wall, as Maria almost clumsily falls.

"Maria –," Madison begins, her brows furrowing together, her heart beginning to pound. "What are you –,"

"Don't you say a –,"

"Who is at the door?" Lula is shouting, before she looks out, herself, and her face drains of colour. "Madison?" She takes one look at a heavy breathing Maria, who looks like she wants to claw out Madison's face, and turns her head. "Elliot! Elliot, hurry up!"

Elliot hurries to grab Maria, who has attempted to make for Madison, spitting venomous insults at her, and pulls her back into the room.

"Lula –," Madison starts again. "Lula, what the hell is going on?"

And then she hears the sound of crying.

Madison inhales sharply. She knows that sound, she'd know it anywhere.

"Is that Audrey?" Madison demands. "Is Audrey crying? What's going on? Let me in, Lula!"

"Madison," Lula says, but she does not move from the door.

"Not Madison, no," Madison hears Audrey sob, from the room.

Madison feels like she's been punched in the gut, her breath stolen away from her chest. Something terrible has happened, she realises, and when Maria's shrieks get louder, she flinches. She turns her head to Lula, her mouth filled with questions, confused, but Lula glances heavily at Madison.

Lula's face is torn, her eyes bright, as she turns her head back into the room. "Audrey, sweetie, I could just let –,"

"Just tell Madison to leave, please, Lula!" Audrey is gasping for breath, and Madison is so filled with hurt and confusion she doesn't know what to do. "I can't – I don't want –,"

She doesn't understand!

Why is Audrey so upset?

She dealt with Kyle, she dealt with everything – but before she can stalk inside and pull Audrey up to explain herself, Lula is gently tugging at her elbow.

"Lula?" Madison says, and her voice sounds faint to her ears, as Lula looks at her pityingly. "What happened?"

"Madison, I think Audrey just needs to be alone –," Lula begins, before Maria's shouting overpowers her voice.

"You utter bitch, Madison!" Maria is roaring. "Let me go, Elliot! I'm going to kill her for what she did to Audrey! And Lula, too!"

Lula freezes and drops Madison's elbow, staring up at her. "Madison? What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Madison begins immediately, panicked.

But Maria has heard her.

"You lying whore!" she snarls. "You gave all that money to Lula's family, even when she told you not to!" Lula is staring at her, startled and horrified. "Are we all just charity cases to you, then? You give money to Lula, you give money to that bastard, Kyle –,"

"Kyle?" Madison inhales sharply, and the sound of Audrey's cries grow louder. "What the hell is going on?"

"Kyle attacked Audrey," Lula says coldly, glaring at her. "You should go, Madison."

Then Madison's fury grows.

"You –," she begins, snarling out her words furiously. "I got rid of Kyle! Because she didn't have the guts to do it! You think I'm just going to sit there and watch while this bastard beats her the whole time?"

"And what about me?" Lula shouts angrily. "After everything, after everything, Madison, I thought you finally understood not to mess with our personal lives, but you're just the same –,"

"Fine," Madison snarls fiercely. "I see how it is, how it always is. I'm a great help to you all, when you need something, but now that I've outrun my usefulness, I'm a bitch. Fine. You're all nothing to me, then."

She storms out, her heels clattering furiously down the hallway, Maria and Lula's shrieks following her. She uses the back of her hand to brush the wetness from her eyes. Madison turns for the exit, but she finds herself bumping into Olivia, of all people.

"Get out of my way, troll," Madison snarls.

Olivia is staring at her.

"I heard what you said, Madison," she says, slightly stumbling over her words. She shakes her head at her. "That – that wasn't right."

"You think I'm going to stand here and be policed by a hideous troll in flip flops? This is my business, not yours," Madison bites out, her eyes blazing. "I said, get out of my way or I'll make you."

"You bitch! This is not about you!" Olivia shouts. Madison can't believe the troll is speaking to her in such a way, but Olivia is clearing her throat. She tries to look strong under Madison's crippling glare but falters a little. Even so, Olivia continues, "It is about Audrey and Lula and your friends! You did this, Madison, and for once, it is not about you!"

Madison is breathing hard, for the barest of moments, and Olivia looks scared. She looks as though she thinks Madison might kill her and for a moment, Madison considers punching the girl.

Instead, she leans forward, snarls, "Stay in your lane, bitch," and storms out of the club.

It takes her a moment of walking to realise that she had told Louis to leave, having thought she'd catch a ride with Maria. Angry, Madison stomps down the pavement, only just catching her furious growl in time.

Her phone beeps once more.

Her stomach drops when she sees it.