The next morning came far too quickly. When I crept into the dorm last night, my friends were already asleep, their breaths steady in the dim light. But this morning, the second I opened my eyes, their stares greeted me like a cold splash of water.

"Jeez, you guys mind?" I groaned, pulling the covers over my face.

"Not a chance," Jake said, yanking the blanket off me with a triumphant smirk. "Why did a guard come to get you last night? What's going on?"

I sighed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Jake's expression was a mixture of concern and curiosity, but Andrea's sly, knowing smile was impossible to ignore. She raised a brow at me, silently urging me to come clean.

"Fine," I muttered, sitting up and tugging my knees to my chest. "You really want to know?"

Jake threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "Yes!"

"Okay, but if I tell you, you absolutely cannot tell anyone," I warned, giving him a hard look. "Seriously."

Jake nodded quickly but then shot a suspicious glance at Andrea. "Wait, why is she already in on this? Oh no. Don't tell me, Andrea, you already know?"

Andrea grinned smugly. "What can I say? I've got a keen eye for these things."

Jake groaned, looking betrayed. "I thought we were closer than that, Andrea."

"Shhh!" I hissed, grabbing his arm and pulling him closer. "You're going to wake everyone up."

Jake lowered his voice to an exaggerated whisper. "Okay, fine. Spill."

"Alright." I took a deep breath. "I've kind of...been hanging out with Eric. Sort of."

The silence was immediate.

Then—"You WHAT?!"

"Shut up!" I whisper-yelled, clamping a hand over Jake's mouth. "Do you want the entire dorm to hear?"

Jake pushed my hand away, his voice rising again. "Eric?! As in Leader Eric? The guy who's been tormenting you since day one? That Eric?"

I rolled my eyes. "It just...happened, okay?"

Jake shook his head, clearly struggling to process the information. "How did I not see this?"

Andrea gave a dramatic shrug. "Some of us are more observant than others."

"You're enjoying this way too much," Jake grumbled before turning back to me. "When did this start?"

I glanced at Andrea, who gave me a slight nod of encouragement. Slowly, I started explaining, giving them the rundown of what had been happening. Andrea listened intently, even though most of this wasn't new to her, while Jake's jaw dropped further with every detail.

By the time I finished, Andrea was grinning like the cat that caught the canary, and Jake looked thoroughly overwhelmed.

"But you're okay, right?" Jake asked, his tone more serious now. "Like, you don't feel...pressured or anything?"

"Aw, Jakey," I teased, softening at his concern. "You're worried about me?"

"I'm serious, Jo. With the way things started between you two, I just want to make sure you're not—"

"Jake." I cut him off gently, placing a hand on his arm. "I'm okay. Really."

Satisfied, he nodded, though his brow remained furrowed. "If you say so. But if he steps out of line—"

Andrea cut him off with a laugh. "Oh, please. Jo's got him wrapped around her finger, and she knows it."

With my friends now fully caught up we move on with our day.

Breakfast at the dining hall then waiting around to do our fear sims. Waiting is always so hard; it gives me too much to get into my own head about everything when really, I should just focus on making sure my time is good enough to secure the first spot. I've been back and forth between first and second spot, and if I'm going to secure that leadership spot, I need to make sure I get into first.

"Jo." I look up at see the door is opened and Four is waiting for me. I go in and make myself comfortable in the chair, wanting to get this over with.

"You good?" He asks me.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Eric, last night at the pit," he waits for me to catch up.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. Honestly, that's not new. you know how he is," I say with a shrug.

"That I do."

Four settles in and gets me hooked up the machine. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

He injects me with the serum, and I'm thrust out of the room.

The first thing I notice, is that I'm back.

In abnegation.

What am I doing here?

I look around, and I'm in a house, it's familiar, but it isn't.

The sterile gray walls surrounded me like a cage. My breath hitched as I realized where I was—not my family's home, but a different one. The air was thick with an eerie chill, the silence oppressive. My hands trembled as I reached for the door, but a voice stopped me cold.

Wait.

No.

I can't be here.

It can't be.

My heart drops into my stomach.

"There you are," I turn around and come face to face with the man I hoped to never see again.

I let out a choked sob. "No." I back away from him, trying to get as much distance between us I can.

"I've been waiting for you," his voice is cold and menacing.

"No." The word slipped from my lips as a choked sob. My feet moved on their own, backing away from him. "Stay away from me."

Marcus Eaton laughs at me.

"Never."

He lunges for me, but my training instinctively kicks in. I'm no longer that frightened girl, and I will not let fear paralyze me. As he tries to grab me, I throw a hard punch to his face, his head snapping back. He recovers quickly, the expression on his face darkening. He lunges again, but I'm ready and I knee him in between his legs and he drops.

I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. My foot lashed out, kicking him again and again, every blow fueled by fear and anger. I screamed, the sound ripping from my throat as I kept hitting him, the world blurring around me.

Suddenly, the simulation ended.

I gasped, stumbling out of the chair and pressing myself against the wall. My chest heaved as I struggled to breathe, to remind myself that it wasn't real.

"It wasn't real," I chant to myself. I take deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart.

But then I remember.

Dauntless.

Four.

I look up and see Four standing, he's as still as a statue as he looks at me. His face shows confusion, anger, I can't tell.

"What the hell was that?" His voice is low and controlled.

I shake my head.

I never wanted him to know.

I never wanted anyone to know.

All I can do right now is shake my head, I can't even get a word out.

I can't talk about it. Not now at least.

"Jo," he says softly, taking a small step towards me.

I take a sidestep closer to the door. I didn't even mean to, but I can't stop with how I'm reacting right now.

Four halts. "Jo," his voice is soft, concerned. "I would never hurt you."

I nod my head. I know he wouldn't. He's been good to me; he's never shown me that he's anything less than a good man. He takes a slow step toward me, his movements cautious, like approaching a skittish animal. "It's okay. Whatever that was, you're safe now. I promise."

I wanted to believe him. I did believe him. But the weight of my fear, my shame—it pressed against my chest like a stone, making it impossible to breathe.

"Please," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I just...I can't—"

Four closed the distance between us in one fluid motion, his hand reaching out. For a moment, I flinched, the instinctive reaction making him hesitate. But when I didn't pull away completely, his hand settled lightly on my shoulder.

"I've got you," he murmured, his voice low and calm. "You're safe."

The warmth of his touch shattered something inside me. My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor, burying my face in my hands. The sobs came uncontrollably, wracking my body as years of carefully buried pain surged to the surface. Four knelt beside me without a word, his arms wrapping around me securely. He didn't say anything, didn't try to fill the silence with meaningless platitudes. He just held me, grounding me with his steady presence.

Minutes, or hours, passed before the storm of tears subsided. I stayed in his arms, my breathing slowing, the steady rise and fall of his chest soothing. Four's hand moved to my hair, his fingers threading through it in a way that was both comforting and gentle.

"I've got you," he said again, softer this time.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "I didn't mean for you to see that."

"There's nothing to apologize for," he replied, his tone firm. "But I need you to tell me what's going on. I can't help you if I don't know."

I hesitated, my hands gripping his shirt tightly. "It's not...it's not something I ever wanted anyone to know."

Four pulled back slightly, just enough to meet my eyes. His gaze was steady, patient. "You don't have to tell me if you're not ready. But if you are, I'll listen. No judgment. No pushing."

Something about his calm, unwavering presence gave me the strength to speak. I took a shaky breath, looking down at my hands as I started.

"I don't know how much you know about my father, but my father worked with yours a bit on government projects. They were...almost friends. He came by our house a lot.

Four stiffened beside me, his jaw tightening, but he said nothing. I pressed on.

"Marcus, started to pay attention to me. At first, it was just small things, comments, looks. But then one day, I was alone at home. He came over, and..." I choked on the memory, the weight of it threatening to crush me. "He tried to..." I could barely get the words out at this point.

Four's grip on me tightened slightly, his hands trembling against my back. "Jo," he whispered, his voice breaking.

"I said no," I forced out. "I told him to leave, but he didn't take it well. He got angry, so angry. He hurt me, Four. He grabbed me, shoved me—" My voice cracked, tears streaming down my face again. "And then he just...left. Like it was nothing. Like I was nothing."

Four's face darkened, his jaw clenched so tightly I thought it might snap. "That bastard," he muttered under his breath.

"I knew then I would never be able to stay in Abnegation, not after that. When the time came to volunteer to leave and be in Dauntless, I took it without hesitating. It's why I've tried so hard, to learn to fight, to defend myself."

"You wanted to make sure that could never happen again." Four says in understanding.

I shook my head.

Four cupped my face gently, his thumbs brushing away the tears on my cheeks. "You didn't deserve that," he said fiercely. "None of it. And I promise you, Marcus will never touch you again."

The sincerity in his voice made my chest ache. For the first time in years, I felt like I could finally let go of the weight I'd been carrying. I leaned into him, letting his strength hold me together.

"Thank you," I whispered. "For being here."

Four's arms tightened around me. "You don't have to thank me," he said softly. "You're not alone anymore, Jo. Not ever again."

And for the first time in a long time, I believed it.