After telling Madeline the name Saxon Banks, Jane is startled by having spoken it aloud. Madeline senses the seriousness of the moment and quietly makes space for Jane to explain, while Jane begins by minimizing the story and saying that she and Saxon went to a bar.

Jane recalls being nineteen, three weeks after Zach ended their relationship. Heartbroken but also curious about the new direction of her life, Jane let her friend Gail take her out for vodka and dancing at a hotel bar in the city, where a group of older interstate businessmen bought them expensive cocktails.

Saxon Banks, charming, wealthy-looking, and confident, focused on Jane. Encouraged by Gail and wanting to be young, free, and unlike her usual cautious self, Jane decided to have a one-night stand with him. She followed Saxon to his hotel room, still believing she was choosing a fun, classy, no-regrets encounter.

In Saxon’s room, the situation shifted when Jane asked about a condom. Saxon put his hands around Jane’s neck and called choking a thrill; Jane said no and tried to stop him, but Saxon did it again. When Jane pleaded with him not to continue, Saxon’s demeanor hardened and he began insulting her.

Saxon then forced the encounter into something brutal and degrading, verbally attacking Jane’s body, clothes, breath, intelligence, and worth while she froze and dissociated. Afterward, Saxon casually watched television while Jane dressed and left, feeling altered, ashamed, and detached from her own body. Jane remembers leaving the hotel and realizing that after Saxon, nothing ever seemed the same.