The Fall of the Fainthearts

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The End Of An Era

Axel: Some people will never believe me. And that's okay. Me and her are the only two people in the world who truly know what happened that day, and it's never going to be any different. All I can do is tell my side of the story and hope that she never falls in love with anybody ever again - because they'd be in serious danger.

After asking her for comment on her encounter with Axel following Jade's wake, Figgy left the studio and has not since come back. We attempted to get in touch, but our efforts have been ignored.

We received a letter from a man claiming to be her lawyer a few days later. Despite the threats, no legal action has been currently been taken at this time.

Axel: She was smart - she kept it hidden under the skirt of her dress. It was this long red-carpet thing that was so inappropriate for a funeral. I don't know what she intended to do with the pocket knife, but if it was just to scare me, she could make sure no one else saw it. She made sure there was no evidence of anything she did to me.

She wore gloves when she spiked my drink. She hid the knife under a long slip dress. She told the world that I'd relapsed when she knew that I couldn't defend myself. She painted herself as the caring ex-lover who just wanted the best for me, and that put me firmly in the place of the villain in the story. Everything was planned out to perfection from the moment she decided to ruin my life.

I remember wondering, if she does want to stab me, how would she cover that up? Or would knowing that she's finally done what she set out to do be enough for her? Could she rot away in jail for the rest of her life, satisfied with what she'd done? Would that finally complete her? Would she feel whole again, knowing I'm gone?

She was unhinged, there's no other way to describe her. I feared for my life. I had to act fast. Images of Flo and our baby flashed before my eyes as I realised how little time I had to get away from her. But I had to; I had to save myself so I could save us.

I launched at her before she had time to realise what I was doing. I knocked her back into the wall, winded her so that she dropped the pocket knife to the floor. Before I even thought about taking the knife, which I really should have, looking back - I ran back inside the studio.

Florence: I've never seen such fear in anybody's eyes before. He looked as though he'd aged twenty years within five minutes. I didn't even know that Figgy had followed him out at the time, but I knew that something was very wrong.

Bentley: None of us had any idea what had happened because Axel couldn't speak. It wasn't long, though, before Figgy came stumbling back through the door, claiming he'd hit her.

Dahlia: She was pointing and wailing, saying he'd "punched her" and she was badly hurt. Yet nobody in the room moved a muscle.

Vince: It was Jade's wake, for goodness sake. Figgy always had a way of making everything about herself, and that day was no exception.

Bentley: No one believed her. Or, even if they did, they were so pissed off that she was making a scene on such a sensitive day, that no one even tried to help her.

Dahlia: If Jade was still alive, she would've been the one right at her side, asking where it hurt. That's the irony of the whole thing. But she'd killed her only alibi. No, she'd killed her only friend.

Axel: Every eye in the room was on me for a split second, then just as quickly they were all back on Figgy. I still remember how it felt when I realised that finally, everyone could see through her. All the tension in my muscles just eased and my shoulders dropped. I could've cried. After having to fight so hard for my innocence, people finally believed me.

I looked around the room at all of the solemn faces of people who just wanted to pay respects to their late friend. I saw Kian, hunched and droopy and dejected. His wife, looking miserable just the same, squeezing his hand in support. Bentley, who sat with his head in his hands with his fingers tight in his hair, frustrated. Vince and Dahlia, huddled together, their faces melancholy.

Figgy was right. I'd won. But it was terribly bittersweet. It was not the time nor place for me to 'win'. It was the worst time it could've happened.

Florence: There was a very clear air in the room that Figgy was no longer welcome. I expected her to go the full mile since she'd already come so far, but once she realised that her games were just not going to be tolerated there, she left without another word. We were all left as we were before, but somehow nothing was the same.

Axel: The weeks that followed were spent getting a restraining order on Figgy. It was emotionally draining having to relive the same shit over and over, especially when it made you feel so dreadful inside. Just the mention of her name made me a nervous wreck.

I'd left the knife, and Figgy wasn't stupid. The only evidence I had was gone, so it took a very long time to get anything in place. But the wheels were in motion at least, and the press moved on to harassing her instead of me.

Florence: Axel insisted we moved house to get as far away from her as possible, but we had to downsize since we wasn't sure how much of his music career was still standing. He hired security, hung cameras everywhere, sat there monitoring them into the dead of night.

After a while, I started to get concerned. Everything that had happened to him since the moment he'd met her was destroying him inside. Not to mention that he'd lost his family, again, since they were refusing to acknowledge that he existed following the scandal. Axel was a shadow of who he once was. He was a nervous wreck and spent his days ferociously paranoid, depressed and insecure. He needed serious help.

Axel: I started going to therapy... it did help. A lot, actually. I was in a really bad place and I had to confront a lot of the things that I was pushing away. I hadn't realised just how tightly wound I really was until I started to unpack it.

I still go now, actually. Once a week. It helps me keep my mind straight, focus on the present rather than the past. And believe me, my mind loves to dwell on the past. I'm addicted to the pain it causes me, but I'm a million miles away from how I used to be.

The police granted my restraining order after investigating what happened at Jade's wake, but closed the case on Jade's murder. Eventually, a lack of evidence resulted in them claiming it was an accidental overdose. Party full of bored, rich rockstars, a last hurrah before tour, everyone got a little bit too carried away. Figgy was free to go.

Dahlia: She may not be guilty in the court's eyes, but we all know the truth about what happened that night. We all know that Figgy is a murderer. We've always known it.

Axel: Until now, we've just been too scared to say it.

Since the filming of this documentary in May 2008, the case of Jade Cash's murder has been reopened. Currently, Figgy Taylor is in court fighting her case. Kian and Ophelia Cash have announced they will not be dropping the charges.