It wouldn't be fair to consider my relationship over. Eric slept beside me once night fell, and although there weren't any hugs this time, the next morning I woke up to find his clothes neatly folded. He had left very early.

That night, I slept like I never had before. I woke up at 7:50 am feeling heavy and without the will to open my eyes. But that didn't stop me. I went to train them with a 10-minute delay, and to my surprise, my nine initiates were there with their vests in front of the sandbags, continuing with the tornado kick.

Sarah left during the night, she made the cut, and both the last of the initiates Four trains and Sarah had until midnight to leave. I didn't see her leave, and I'm grateful for that. I wouldn't have been able to bear seeing her go.

When I arrived, they greeted me with a "good morning," and their training was almost flawless. Even Marlene was there with her arm in a cast. She asked if she could just do leg exercises, and I allowed it. They put me in a slightly better mood, especially Lynn, who had perfected the tornado kick.

We finished the weapons training, and I let them go with good progress. Before they left, Uriah told me, "You're an incredible trainer. Zeke said I was lucky you were here, and I assure you, we all know it." They wanted to lift my spirits after yesterday's unpleasant incident, which kept bothering me. Everyone is afraid of Eric, but apparently, Marlene was the only one who responded poorly. They all refused to follow her orders and preferred to obey me. They didn't move until I asked them to. Is it my fault?

I don't understand. They're not afraid of me, but they listen to me. I earned respect and, to some extent, affection. Regardless of what Four says about Uriah feeling something for me, I feel there's a mutual fondness within the team, something Eric lacks. And if I think about it more, fear makes people do strange things, it makes them unpredictable, and that's something he still doesn't understand.

I've had this conversation with him before, last year when he hinted that I was in the third position because he wanted it that way and because they feared him. I told him that instilling fear isn't the solution, and now I have proof that fear is useless. Mutual respect and hard work are what I've achieved with my initiates, and they're effective.

"Grace." Four came to my side with his rigid walk, typical of him. "There's one more week until the last round of fights, and then we'll join them. Do you think your chart will be ready that same day?" he asked once he reached my side.

We were in the training room, ready to leave when I got lost in my thoughts.

"Yes, it's always ready once the round is over." I shrugged. "Where will it be? On your side or mine?"

"I suggest it be on my side. It's closer to the exit, in case we need to take someone to the infirmary. By the way, due to the new cut, my group ended up odd, just like yours. Should we merge them?"

"Yes, that's actually what I was going to ask you. I didn't know how to merge the fights." I shrugged, looking away, feeling disconnected from reality, tired of thinking.

"Perfect, I'll let them know tomorrow."

"Well." I nodded with a half-smile. "And is the bet still on? Have you seen my kids' skills?"

"Your kids?" he asked mockingly. "Don't get too attached." he warned.

I rolled my eyes. "They're great, they learn fast."

I sighed with anticipation. "I don't know why I shouldn't get attached quickly, after all, you already saw me as your friend at this stage." I shrugged.

He tilted his head, smiling, and took a big step closer to my ear.

"The second stage is coming, you know what that means. At least one divergent will come to light. Eric doesn't usually pay attention to me during that stage because the hatred is mutual, but he'll pay attention to you. Remember, since it's your first time, he'll evaluate their performance."

"He'll kill them if he finds out they're divergent." I whispered, my gaze lost.

"And you'll be in big trouble if you hide them. Are you willing to leave them in Eric's hands?"

I snapped back to reality with a bitter taste in my mouth, swallowing hard. Just yesterday, I prevented him from hanging one of them from the ledge, this time, I wouldn't allow him to kill them for being divergent.

"Seriously, Four. I was in a good mood, and you just had to come and ruin it." I rolled my eyes. "And no, I won't allow it. I don't know what I'll do, but I won't let him hurt them."

I turned around, ready to leave.

"Where are you going?" he asked from behind me.

"To find the genie in the lamp to grant me three wishes." I replied bitterly without turning to look at him.

         ********************************

I just saw Jina leaving the control center, in my work area. When she saw me, she smiled and greeted me kindly as if there were no hard feelings between us and as if she didn't want to take my man away.

When she left, I rolled my eyes and let out a bitter sigh.

I entered my workspace, the office I hadn't visited in a while, only because I had received a warning signal in one of the abandoned buildings and with the visual map, I had more access.

As I climbed the stairs, Hill's silhouette caught my attention. I was about to continue on my way when she called out to me.

"Grace!" she raised her voice. "Come here."

I contained a sigh and approached her, noticing she was talking to a guy.

"What should I do with the serum report?" the redhead asked.

"It's a waste of time giving it to Max, give it to Jina. She's used to reading Erudite reports." Hill rolled her eyes with indifference. "Now, go."

I rolled my eyes at the mention of Jina, and it seemed Hill noticed. When the guy left, she turned her attention to me.

"Let's go to my office, and you can tell me why you hate that girl so much." she took my hand to lead me to her arm. "Eric mentioned that you can't stand her."

We turned down the long hallway and entered through a door. The office was long and spacious with black and white walls and a black carpeted floor, a dartboard hung on the wall.

"We haven't talked in a while. What have you been up to?" she asked, approaching her chair.

"Did you know she and Eric used to be a couple?" I asked suddenly.

She smiled. "Of course, I'm older than you three, I saw Eric's stage with his typical behavior patterns and his childhood wound constantly coming between him and Jina. Why?"

I sighed. "For nothing."

She let out a slight laugh full of irony. "Oh honey, Aunt Hill knows when you're lying. And jealousy doesn't suit you. Besides, why did you let them replace you? It was just a damn opportunity for Max to promote her."

"And why her?" I asked with a grimace.

She crossed her legs, intertwining her fingers to rest her elbows on her chair, smiling happily, as if talking about this fascinated her.

"Let me tell you, Eric chose Jina as the leader. We weren't entirely sure, but we let it be since this girl had to prove herself. Clearly, she didn't succeed and ended up in fourth place... or fifth, I don't remember. But Máx's nephew was promoted, and it didn't stop there from being traces of love between them, or at least just in Jina." She explained. "So this girl applied for leader hoping for the day they would promote her to meet Eric's expectations, but when he saw that she was nothing more than a mere bold girl, he left her. Therefore, in the shortage of leaders, they accepted her application." she said casually. "She really is a girl without qualities, I don't know why you're jealous."

"I heard her talking about me and Eric, she thinks that being a leader is just a matter of time for Eric to realize that he's with me out of conformity since I actually met his expectations..."

"Stop." she interrupted, raising her hand with a furrowed brow. "Being blonde is overrated, they're just blondes and clumsy, as seen with Genesis and as we're seeing with Jina. Don't let them instill insecurity in you when there's no reason. Grace, I always thought Eric would never heal, but I'm seeing the opposite with you. I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary with Jina, he treats her like any other coworker." she shrugged.

I opened my mouth, ready to excuse Eric's strange behavior, hoping to find out more, but I was cut off.

"And besides, what a disappointment. How can you be like this because of that? I enjoy talking to you, really, but when the topic is Eric and your stupid emotional dependence on him, it's overwhelming. If he leaves you, forget him and move on with your life. You're strong and independent; stop thinking you don't exist without him. There was a time when you weren't together, and the first one to give his life to save the other was him, he was the one who couldn't resist."

Aunt Hill always knows best; I shouldn't worry about that or pretend there's no problem. We've been through a lot, and the fact that they had a past shouldn't affect me.

"Is the gentle Aunt Hill gone?" I raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

"The gentle Aunt Hill was only for your birthday, today I have the right to tell you how weak you are." she replied.

I nodded, letting out a chuckle, looking up at the ceiling and sighing.

"You're right." I conceded.

"I always am."

I smiled. "Do you know why Eric was in a bad mood yesterday?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Bad mood? He's always in a bad mood." she frowned, tilting her head.

"Working with Jeanine has him like that." I rolled my eyes. "I've noticed." I murmured.

"Grace, we don't work with Jeanine. We work for her." Hill corrected with a bitter smile. "Not only him, but all of us who see the truth despise Max for allowing Erudite to meddle in our faction." she sighed. "I hate to admit it, but I think the late Ronald was right." she shrugged.

"Dauntless doesn't know how to handle it, a man." I mentioned sternly.

"I've thought that too." she admitted, looking away. "This wouldn't have happened if I were in charge."

"I agree." I murmured.

"You know, years ago there was a leader, he had the demeanor and authority of a true leader. He was going to be the next faction leader." she smiled. "He was very handsome."

For a moment, a pang shot through my spine as I watched her reminisce about the past.

"And what happened?" I murmured.

"He was very young. Although I was in first place in my year, I refused the leadership. I just watched him from afar and saw that his mistake was falling in love with none other than Freya."she scoffed.

Yes, Norman spoke. The situation with my father is totally dangerous. Everyone knows him, or at least most people do, and if they decide to land in Amity, everyone will know he's there.

"And what happened?" I cleared my throat.

"He died. Max killed him. He wasn't going to allow him to take his place and stay with his wife." she shrugged. "Then I applied for leadership and got it. I wanted to finish what he started." she chuckled.

I wanted to tell her the truth, that he wasn't dead. That he helped me defeat Andrea, that he and Freya loved each other, and Max interfered. I wanted to tell her he was my father.

"All I know is that that man wouldn't have allowed Jeanine to meddle in the faction. He admitted that it's for a good cause, and I agree, but I hate her demanding attitude." she clenched her fist.

"I don't know what to say." I grimaced.

"I do." she looked back at me. "Don't be anyone's shadow, reclaim the power you refused to take."

"But Max..."

"Max doesn't matter, and you can use that to your advantage. I know Jeanine holds you in esteem, she feels she owes you because she would have been the next corpse of the rebel Divergents. Use that and reclaim your power."

"You're the first one to tell me to get involved. Eric doesn't want that."

"Believe me, Grace. In the upcoming plans, you won't want to be on the other side. Let Eric screw himself over. Besides, do you have any idea of the luxurious benefit they'll give us?"

"Benefit?" I asked.

"That vibranium building they're constructing is our future home. They'll give us all a room. I've seen the plans; they look like luxury suites." she smiled with excitement.

I swallowed hard at the news, feeling like I'd had too many surprises and heart attacks in less than twenty minutes. I began to feel intimidated and suspicious. I didn't understand why Eric had denied me information and why he refused to have me with him.

Hill went from being just a leader with an unreliable level of sadism to being Aunt Hill. I liked her a lot.

I smiled, trying to appear determined to leave the place. "Looks like I'm just wasting my time here,I need to get myself a room."

"Exactly."

             ***************************

I'm not sure how to feel about it. I'm tired and have a headache. So far, Hill has been more helpful than anyone else. I need to sort out my priorities and ignore my emotions. Screw Jina.

I have no reason to feel intimidated by a woman who doesn't surpass me and wants to get Eric back. And if she succeeds, she can leave. I'm the owner of this room; he can pack his things and go. If his intention is to go to his luxurious room after working with Jeanine, let him. As long as they don't harm me, I won't do anything to them because they should know that they won't want me as an enemy.

I took a sip of my beer while sitting on a couch, staring into space, letting my thoughts overwhelm me and lead me into an abyss. I drank the bitter beverage hoping the alcohol would calm my thoughts and help me sleep peacefully.

The door was suddenly flung open, and Eric entered with his eyes almost bulging out, wider than usual. When he saw me, he nodded slightly, closing the door behind him, while I tried to remain calm by taking another sip of my drink.

He was angry, his expressions and attitude were so predictable, and the big strides coming towards me confirmed that there was going to be another fight. I didn't expect that act; he grabbed my beer from my hands and angrily smashed it against the wall, causing the glass to shatter with a loud noise.

"How far along are you?" he asked sharply.

"What?" I furrowed my brow, sitting up from the couch.

"Don't be hypocritical! Were you tired of the deceit, the lies, and the evasions?" he raised his voice, his face turning red. "But look at you, such a hypocrite," he looked me up and down with a furrowed brow.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, feeling agitated.

My pulse quickened; partly he was right. I have so many secrets, and I don't know which would be worse. I even think I'd prefer him to find out I'm divergent than discover my kiss with Four months ago.

"About your damn pregnancy, Grace!" he shouted.

I opened my mouth slightly, but I couldn't articulate a word. It definitely wasn't what I expected. I had buried that secret so deep that I had forgotten about my fetus.

I knew I shouldn't have trusted Jane; I swear I'll kill her. She could go to Hall and tell him her secret out of sheer revenge.

"Who..." I murmured, but he didn't let me finish, he sighed angrily and interrupted me.

"That's the damn problem," he growled. "It sickens me to know that Four was the one who told me you were expecting. That idiot knew before I did!" he pointed at the door.

Damn brunette, just when I think we have a perfectly amicable relationship, he goes and does something stupid.

"Eric, listen to me," I pleaded, raising my hands to seek a healthy balance.

"I can't calm down. How could that bastard tell me that my girlfriend is expecting a baby?" He growled, turning slightly to break eye contact and sighing as he ran his hands over his face. "How far along are you?" he murmured.

"What does that matter?" I rolled my eyes. "It's not nece..."

"It matters more than you know." he interjected.

"Why?" I raised my eyebrows.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head, sighing again with exhaustion, as if seeing me made him lose his sanity.

"That thing is going to ruin everything." he muttered, lowering his gaze, placing his hands on his hips, and letting his gaze fixate on a point, lost in his thoughts.

It was a situation I had expected; Eric wasn't going to be thrilled about being a dad any more than I was about being a mom. I knew it was the right decision, but it still hurt to hear it.

I took a step forward, my jaw clenched.

"You don't have to worry anymore, Eric. Your son won't ruin your plans, you know why?" I caught his attention; he looked up with intrigue. "Because I already aborted it." saying this hurt me, I felt like the worst person in the world.

Now he was the one surprised, his features slowly fell as he tilted his head, his mouth slightly agape.

"You aborted?" he asked in surprise. "When?"

"I found out at 6 weeks, I vomited in the training room and Four was there. He accompanied me to get some blood tests, and it came back positive. After that, I didn't involve him and went to the infirmary on my own to get it done." I looked away. "It was last week, the second time you didn't come home to sleep. It hurt a lot, I felt really bad, and it's an experience I wouldn't wish on anyone." I said. "I knew neither of us wanted this. You have your strange plan with Erudite, and I'm still 17, I can't see myself changing diapers." I rolled my eyes.

"You went through it alone." he murmured.

I didn't want to look him in the eyes because I knew it would hurt, but I took the risk and saw his damn beautiful blue eyes looking at me with pity.

"I didn't have anyone." I shrugged.

He sighed, briefly diverting his gaze to the window, seeking an answer in the beautiful view of Chicago. With a grimace, he turned back to me and stepped forward to wrap his arms around me. I just let myself be carried away, leaning against his chest and hiding my face while inhaling his scent.

This doesn't solve anything; there are still tensions and delicate issues that would hurt us, but we wanted to avoid the unpleasant moment.

There was no need to talk to set the topic aside; we wanted peace. He held me firmly, resting his chin on my head, and I listened to him sigh.