Matt and Mady found themselves alone in the living room, their bitter hostility was palpable. 'Why won't you tell me what happened at the party, Mady?' Matt demanded.

Mady's face turned pale, 'I don't owe you any explanations, Matt.' she retorted, her voice trembling. Matt raised his hand in frustration causing Mady to flinch.

Mady's breath hitched, her hands trembling as her past flooded back to her. She fell to her knees, gasping for air.

Matt dropped beside her, his annoyance replaced by concern. He tried to calm her down but she seemed to be getting worse.

Seeing Mady's struggle to breathe, Matt swiftly picked her up and carried her to his room, away from the remnants of the party.

Mady continued to gasp for air, her vision blurred, and her ears started to ring. She couldn't hear anything Matt was saying.

Matt, desperate to help, did the only thing that came to mind. He leaned in and kissed her, hoping it would distract her from her panic.

He pulled away, looking at Mady with concern. 'I'm sorry,' he said, and quickly left the room, leaving Mady sitting there in stunned silence.

Mady sat there, her breathing slowly returning to normal. She touched her lips, still feeling the warmth of Matt's kiss.

Her mind was a whirl of confusion. She thought she hated Matt, but his concern and the kiss had stirred something within her.

As the first rays of dawn filtered in through the window, she sat there, lost in thought. Did she really hate Matt, or was it something else?

She was unsure of her feelings but one thing was certain, her relationship with Matt had taken an unexpected turn and things would never be the same again.