Part of Maddy felt as if she were on the way to her own execution as she climbed into the car. Her tears had long dried, but her breathing wouldn't return to normal as she buckled her seatbelt. It had taken a long time to coax herself from the bed, her heart racing a million miles an hour as his words rang sharply through her mind.

"I thought you made it clear you didn't want to see me."

"This is important."

He'd given her every opportunity to back out, but she'd stood her ground, desperation taking hold of her mind. He'd suggested meeting for lunch, but she wanted it to be somewhere private. Besides, she had a plane to catch, she couldn't wait that long. He was taking the morning off of work for her, and he had the house to himself. It only made sense that she came to him.

She was really going to do this. There was no turning back.

One moment had glued to her mind, replaying in her memory on a constant loop, the increments growing smaller and smaller until it was all she was thinking about.

She'd been twelve weeks pregnant, still trying to conceal her symptoms at school before she'd dropped out altogether to do her coursework at home. Her mother had accompanied her to see the doctor, her lips pursed the whole drive.

There were a lot of nervous doctor's appointments. After all, with Maddy's track record of party drugs and alcohol, there was a lot that could go wrong.

But not that day. She'd held her mother's hand and said a silent prayer. She'd known the moment the nurse broke into a smile that things would be okay.

"They've got a strong little heartbeat. Would you like to hear?"

Maddy had closed her eyes and focussed on the life growing within her, on the pitter-patter of a fluttering heart filling the room. It was real. Her baby.

Her hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard she was close to swerving into one of her neighbor's fences. She was about to break a lot of agreements, potentially dragging her whole world down around her. She didn't know what the next step would be. At that point, she couldn't care anymore.

All she cared about was freeing herself of the shackles wrapped firmly around her ankles, to release the truth to run its course. To haunt his life as much as it was haunting hers.

But this was more than revenge. It was about what was right.

She'd only been to the Greene's house three times. Once was for Francis' sixteenth birthday, and the other times had been late in the night, when the streets were so quiet she could hear her heart race in adrenaline as he snuck her into his bedroom.

It stood tall and intimidating, home to one of the wealthiest families in the area and hidden behind a tall brick fence and a winding driveway framed with thick hedges. Today, the gate was wide open, inviting her to drive towards the towering Greene mansion.

She didn't get out of the car at first. Maddy was glued to the seat with her gaze fixed ahead, her lips pressed shut, as if by not acknowledging it, time would not prevail. But around her, the world was still turning, her monumental decision seemingly small.

A knock sounded suddenly against her window, shaking her from her faraway mind. He was there, staring through the tinted windows with a confused look on his face. She shuddered, screwing her features up one more time before composing herself and opening the door.

She fought the urge to throw up. In her dreams, she'd confronted this situation many times. But, she always woke up when it came to getting the words out. Now, he was really here in the flesh, blue eyes and blonde hair and features that screamed royalty.

How could he choose her, a half-Brazillian girl who was dumb and reckless, over the blonde beauty that was Lola Davenport? So many times she had fantasized about him dropping his life for her if he ever found out about the baby. But he wasn't the boy in those fantasies. The real Francis Greene was too monstrous – too terrible – for that to ever be a good idea.

"Sorry," she said, keeping her gaze far away from his. "I was just having a moment."

He hesitated, and after a handful of moments passed she finally looked up at him. For some reason, Francis appeared terrified, his skin ghostly pale. His cheekbones were sharp and intimidating, his face carrying a regalness that made her feel inferior as he stared her down. "Come in."

She didn't want to. She wanted to run, to feel the ground against her feet as she scambled for safety.

But, like everything Francis had ever asked of her, she complied. Maddy followed him through the large foyer and into a living room, nodding for her to take a seat on one of the leather sofas. She did so carefully, perching beside a silk cushion and biting at her lip.

"Can I offer you a drink, coffee or anything?" he asked out of politeness. She knew that even after he'd grown up somewhat, he would never be the kind of person to really care for another. He was doing it because he was afraid. When she'd began rendering such power over him she didn't know.

Maybe it had been the urgency of her tone over the phone, or maybe he could sense it. But he was incredibly nervous, maybe even enough to rival her own anxiety.

"No, thank you," she said, her tone quiet. She didn't want to be here long anyway.

"What is it, Maddy?" he asked, his patience breaking. "Whatever you have to say just say it. I'm trying to move on from everything, can't you see that?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're trying to move on? What about the rest of us you've fucked over?"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" he said between gritted teeth. "I'm sorry for what happened in high school. It was all stupid. But I realize it now, I realize why I did it."

Her mouth was now gaping open. "Stupid? It was just stupid?"

"I did it because I love her, Maddy. I was selfish and fucking insane. That's what love does to someone."

Pain ripped through her, his ignorance infuriating. She was sure Francis Greene was not capable of holding one inch of love in his stone cold heart. "You have no idea."

"Just get it off of your chest," he said, a darkness overcoming his features. He'd always had a problem with his temper. "I want to move on from all of this, Danton. The sooner I can be done with this the sooner I can become better for her."

"You're so delusional," Maddy said. Though her and Lola never got along – and to this day she was sure she'd ever forgive her for everything she'd done – she knew the girl well. Apparently better than he did. "She outgrew you. She's said it herself. Lola doesn't love you, and she never will."

Francis turned around so he was facing away from her, clearly trying to compose himself. "I don't need your forgiveness. I just needed to try, and if you can't accept that then leave."

"You will never get my forgiveness," she spat, impressed by her ability to hold back tears. "So you don't need to try."

"Then why are you here?"

He turned to face her again, his eyes burning a hole into her own.

In that moment, with him before her, trapped in his own delusional world, it would have been so easy to let it go. He could continue on his make-believe path to win back Lola's heart. And maybe he would, and she could pretend to continue on her journey of forgetting what had happened.

But it would kill her. She was sure of it. And her life was worth no less than his.

"The day before the photo you took of me was released by your psycho girlfriend and spread around the whole school," she began, after taking a shuddering breath. Keeping her words even was almost as hard as forcing them out of her lips. The next words caught in her throat.

"Hey, I didn't release that, she took it from me," he interrupted, as if that made a difference.

"The day before that day, I took a test, Francis." She paused to gulp back the lump risen in her throat. This was one of ner nightmares again. Only, instead of waking up, she forced herself to go through with it. "A pregnancy test."

If his face was pale before, it was snow-white now. It was like she had just murdered his family before his eyes, or something equally horrific.

"I was pregnant, Francis. And you were the only one I'd slept with in months."

After a long moment, he spoke, his voice faint. "That... that doesn't make sense."

She was quiet, waiting for it to sink in, waiting for it to click.

"So you had an abortion. You fucked up as much as I did and you had an abortion. That's not a big deal, Maddy."

Tears were burning a path down her cheeks now. She didn't know if it was in hurt, or disappointment, or just pure hate.

"I didn't have an abortion."

He frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, Maddy, you were doing a lot of drugs, it was probably best if it miscarried or whatever, it might not have even been mine, we always used protection after all—"

"I had the baby," she whispered, cutting him off. "I had her."

And in three little words, it was like she had pressed the barrel of a gun to Francis' head and asked him to say goodbye. Because clearly, his world had ended.

"I don't believe you," he said, despite the frantic way he was pulling at the roots of his hair. "If you'd had a baby I would have known. This is a pretty stupid fucking prank, Maddy."

"It isn't a prank," she said. "I had her. She was adopted by a young couple with a lot of money, she went to a good home and I made sure they were good people—"

Francis started laughing. "This is absurd, even for you."

"Ask your parents," she said quietly. "Ask your parents. They told your lawyers to keep me quiet. How do you think I got into Yale?"

"You extorted us for money," he said. His pale complexion was now turning red with fury.

"I would never need your money," she replied. Her tone was a deathly calm.

"Get out of here, Danton," he said, turning away again. "Get out of my house!"

Oh, how tables had turned.

"You know the truth, Francis." With a rattled breath, she headed towards the door. "I guess it's up to you whether you can grow up and take it."

She was shaking hard when she got back into the car, her teeth chattering as she shifted it into gear. Though the tears were still flowing steadily from her eyes, they hadn't turned into sobs just yet.

Why didn't she feel it? Why wasn't she free?

She made it to the end of his street when she pulled over, her thoughts swirling so thickly through her mind that she couldn't navigate the road. He knows, he knows, now they'll take everything away from me. Now I'm free. With a hysterical laugh bubbling through her throat, Maddy dialed the number of the one person who seemed to always understand.

"Maddy," Chloe answered, her voice sharp. "I have been calling you non-stop! You're supposed to leave in like two hours and I haven't seen you once!"

"I told him, Chloe. I told him everything," Maddy choked, the words spilling from her chest, leaving her wide open and vulnerable. She could only hope Chloe would understand. That Chloe would help her.

There was a long silence.

"Well, shit." She could almost hear the gears of Chloe's mind shifting into overdrive. "I'll be at your house in thirty minutes. Cancel your God-damned flight."