Chapter 10 Madeline never once took Henry to school . Not even on his first day back after the break . Not once . And Finn ? He'd been gone for months . Europe , business , the usual . But while he was off playing diplomat with old men in custom suits , things at home were rotting . Henry was slipping . School had already sent two official warnings . He'd been skipping classes , getting into fights , sleeping through tests . The principal even said they'd consider dropping him if it kept up . Nobody helped . Nobody showed up . Madeline didn't care . She'd sleep ' til noon , sip champagne in the garden , then spend the rest of the day scrolling her phone like the world didn't exist . When one of the maids timidly asked her , " Ma'am , should we call the police ? Henry hasn't come home all day … " , Madeline barely looked up from her damn mirror . " Relax , " she said , waving her hand like they were talking about a missing sock . " He's probably wandering around , hiding to make a scene . That boy craves drama . " " But it's almost midnight , ma'am … " " Oh , please . " Madeline scoffed . " No one would dare touch a Gallagher . They know who his father is . Now leave me be , I've got plans . " And with that , she tossed on a fur - lined coat , stepped into her red heels , and strutted out the door . She headed to Velvet , this high - end bar downtown where the drinks cost more than rent and the air smelled like cologne and dirty secrets . Without Finn around , she was finally free to be her true self . She laughed too loud . Flirted with guys half her age . Tossed her hair like she was still twenty - five . She leaned across the table , trailing her nails down a model's chest when her phone buzzed . Unknown Number . She froze . Then it buzzed again , Finn . She slipped out the side door fast , heels clicking against wet concrete , and ducked into the alley beside the bar . It was dark , quiet , trash scattered by the wall . She checked her reflection in the phone screen , then answered . " Finn ? Why are you calling me so late ? " she said sweetly , like honey laced with poison .