Until Death Do Us Apart ➪ 𝔼𝕣𝕚𝕔 ℂ𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕥𝕖𝕣

Chapter Twelve: Broken and Rebuilt

II woke up to the sensation of being gagged and tied. My head throbbed as I blinked against the blinding light. When my vision cleared, I realized I was in Erudite's headquarters.

"Are you ready to talk?" Jeanine's voice was cold and calculating.

I rolled my eyes, not giving her the satisfaction of my fear. She ripped the cloth out of my mouth.

"You lied to me," Jeanine accused, her eyes narrowing as she circled me.

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You said you would honor and kill divergents if you ever knew one."

I stiffened, shaking my head. "I don't know any divergents," I said, my voice firm.

Jeanine raised an eyebrow. "Don't lie to me."

I swallowed, panic rising. "I'm not lying. I swear, I don't know any divergents. I would tell you."

She stared at me like she didn't believe a word. "Alright, untie her," she snapped to the guards.

As they unbound me, I flexed my wrists, relieved to have some freedom. "You're batshit crazy," I muttered, glaring at Jeanine.

She smiled—an evil, satisfied smile. The kind that made me want to punch her.

"You should get going," she said dismissively.

Without another word, I ran out of the building, making my way to the train. I hopped on and sat down, my mind racing. I needed to warn someone.

Eric's Apartment

I rushed through Dauntless, my heart pounding in my chest. The weight of what had just happened—of how close Jeanine came to figuring everything out—made my head spin. I finally arrived at Eric's apartment and knocked urgently.

He opened the door immediately, his face flashing relief. He pulled me inside and wrapped me in a hug.

"What happened to you?" he asked, his voice full of worry.

I pulled away slightly, wiping away the tears that had started to form. "Jeanine... she said I knew about some divergents. I lied. I told her I don't know any."

Eric's expression darkened, his jaw tightening. "But guess who is a divergent?" I said, holding up my hand with a grin.

"She really scared the hell out of me," he muttered, his eyes shadowed with concern. "If she comes close to you again, I'll kill her."

I bit my lip, my thoughts racing. "I have to go," I said, turning to leave.

Eric grabbed my wrist, stopping me. "Wait. Why?"

"Four gave me a punishment for running barefoot through the hallways. I have to clean the Pit after hours."

"Four..." Eric gritted his teeth in frustration. "I'll be fine. You don't need to worry," I reassured him, offering a soft smile. I kissed his cheek gently before pulling away.

Cleaning the Pit

I stood in the Pit with a bucket and mop, mopping the floor quietly. The night was eerie, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. My thoughts kept racing, the image of Jeanine and her cold, calculating stare haunting me.

Suddenly, I heard a noise.

I stopped, listening intently. Nothing.

I shrugged and returned to mopping, humming to calm myself. Then, there it was again—a creak of the floorboards.

"Hello?" I called out, but there was no reply.

The silence felt too heavy. Just as I turned to keep cleaning, a bag was thrown over my head. I screamed and kicked, but whoever it was held me down.

I was thrown to the ground, still struggling inside the bag. After a moment, I managed to free myself and yanked the bag off, only to see Brandon. He grabbed my arms and tied them behind my back, forcing me to kneel.

"Why do you hate me so much?" I yelled, trying to break free.

He scoffed, kneeling so he was face-to-face with me. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

I glared at him, fire in my eyes. "You embarrassed me when you beat me in that fight."

"I was trying to win," I snapped.

He sneered. "You should have tried harder."

The next moment, his hand collided with my face, sending me tumbling to the side. The force of the slap left me disoriented. "You know how embarrassing it is, getting beaten by a girl?" He hit me again.

Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wasn't weak. I wouldn't let him see me cry.

Eric's POV

I was sitting at my desk, trying to finish some leadership work when someone knocked on the door. Groaning, I stood up to answer it and found Four standing in the hallway, looking worried.

"What do you want?" I asked coldly.

"Is Jordan here?"

I frowned, confused. "No. She said you gave her a punishment after finding her running barefoot through the hallways."

"Yeah, I did. I went to check on her, but the bucket and mop were just lying there on the floor."

That's odd.

"Where the hell did she go?" I demanded, anxiety building.

Four raked a hand through his hair. "You tell me."

Jordan's POV

I lay on the cold rocks, my body aching with pain. My face was bruised, my lip split open, blood trickling down my chin. The rain started to fall, cold droplets hitting my skin as I sobbed.

Why did I choose Dauntless? I wasn't strong enough. They were going to find out I'm divergent, and they'll kill me.

Tucking my knees to my chest, I tried to hold myself together, but the fear and pain were too much.

Suddenly, I heard someone running towards me. I looked up, my vision blurry through the rain, and saw Four.

"Four," I gasped, relief flooding my chest as he rushed to me, pulling me into a hug. He held me tightly, as if trying to keep the world from crushing me.

"Hey, it's okay. You're alright," he murmured softly.

In the Infirmary

Later, I found myself lying in the infirmary, the sterile smell of antiseptic filling the air. My body ached, but I was alive.

Eric rushed in, his face pale with worry. "What happened?" he demanded coldly, his gaze locking onto me.

"Brandon," I whispered weakly, unable to hide the pain in my voice.

Eric's eyes hardened. "I'm going to kill him."

"Eric," I whispered again, gripping his hand weakly. "Please stay with me... just for a while."

He nodded, sitting on a chair beside me. I closed my eyes, feeling the darkness take over as sleep claimed me.