AN: Hello out there, and a sincere thank you for sticking with this story. Things are definitely coming to a conclusion soon, but there are a few more twists and turns to make it through. I appreciate all of the feedback. I hope everyone enjoys this holiday season.

Chapter 37: The Aftermath

Eric POV

I scrub my eyes with the back of my hands after disconnecting from yet another update phone call from Jack Kang. Millicent was taken into custody over three weeks ago, and she is still not yet well enough to be transported to Candor for trial due to an aggressive form of lung cancer that Erudite is attempting to find a way to cure. Jack has decided to schedule her testimony for tomorrow in the hospital to be live streamed due to her precarious health situation. I stare at the latest notes from her around the clock guarding, not finding anything useful before pushing the folder aside.

I pull up my electronic itinerary to see what meetings my assistant Randall has scheduled for me. Usually, with a full leadership staff, I'm able to be selective about what meetings I attend, and Randall is well versed in which meetings require my attendance. Things have been chaotic with the unrest in the factionless, and I've been working almost non stop. Our apartment had literally been taken down to the studs in order to remove all of the listening devices, which placed a lot of suspicion on my wife and myself by proxy. Tris' admitted involvement with Millicent years ago has cast a lot of doubt on her, and while my testimony under truth serum was immediate her trial had been postponed, for a reason that wouldn't come to light until I had a conversation with Jack afterward.

I grab a smaller stack of papers from my desk, reading over them again in an effort to understand what could have possibly led up to the decisions that were put into writing, which are currently staring back up at me in their black typeface on the stark white papers.

I'm roused from my thoughts by a quick knock on my office door.

"Come in." I call out and Max enters.

"You wanted to see me." he states and I nod my head, gesturing with my hand for him to take a seat. I take a deep breath and stare down at my desk. We both sit in silence, and I can feel his dark brown eyes trained on me. "Am I here for any particular reason?" he finally asks.

"The apartment is ready." I state awkwardly. Max furrows his brow at me and crosses his arms across his chest.

"So you called me here to let me know you're going to stop sleeping in your office even though you've had a perfectly good bed waiting for you at my apartment this entire time. That's good to know. Anything else?" He asks angrily.

"Max, I'm sorry. I know you don't understand what's going on…"

"Oh I do understand Eric, your wife lied to you about her involvement with your mother. What I don't understand is how the only conversation you've had with her is when you suspended her from her leadership duties the day she turned herself in." He retorts. "Or how you've only visited with your children when she's not around."

"You of all people should understand the predicament she left me in Max. I'm the head leader, and I had to suspend my own wife, who happens to be the next most senior member of leadership because of possible espionage. I had to watch her testify under truth serum and hear details for the first time because she refused to talk to me about any of this beforehand." I reply.

"Yes, I do understand she left you in a terrible predicament son. What I can't fathom is how she's been home from Candor for over two weeks, cleared of all charges against her, yet you refuse to so much as look at her."

I close my eyes again and massage my temples. The day I had returned from Amity, I headed straight to our apartment to shower before going back to the offices. I was completely taken aback when I discovered guards at my door, and had my best soldier Goran tell me he couldn't allow me into my own home. He sent me to the leadership wing to talk to my wife, and when I attempted to speak to her she refused, instead picking up her phone and making a call to Jack Kang's office, asking for transport to turn herself in. I watched as my wife was placed into handcuffs, and led to a transport vehicle without so much as speaking one word to me.

"I had to find out about everything from Uriah, which wasn't a whole lot to go on, and I didn't get the whole story until I watched her testify." I stop myself, realizing I am raising my voice. "I'm sorry Max, I didn't mean to yell."

"It's quite alright. I had no idea she never spoke to you." He replies evenly.

I pick up the typed letter that was left on my desk and pass it across to Max. I sit back and watch the emotions on his face as he reads it, emotions that likely mirrored my own when I read it first thing this morning. It's a precisely written, unemotional, and neatly typed resignation letter signed by my wife. Tris offered no particular reason for her resignation, instead opting for a very generic letter.

"She never mentioned she was planning this." Max says quietly.

"She's been keeping a lot of secrets Max. I have filed for divorce." I finally say and Max's jaw drops. "I've also filed for joint legal and physical custody of our children, inducing the one she is currently expecting."

"She's pregnant? Divorce?" He stammers.

"Yes, she is pregnant, which is a rather important development in our relationship and yet I found out from someone other than her. She had to disclose it to Jack so a special version of the truth serum could be used, which is why her trial was postponed. She's yet to actually tell me. You do realize she's not once tried to speak to me since she's been home from her incarceration in Candor, right? She's been hiding out in your apartment with the kids, and disappearing when she knows I'm coming over. I haven't been avoiding her Max, she's been avoiding me. I've not wanted to drag you and Dana into this, however since I decided to go ahead and file today I thought you should hear it from me."

"Son, are you sure this is what you want?" Max asks.

"My wife refuses to talk to me. She's resigned from her leadership position via a letter. She's removed her name from the lease of our apartment, which is yet another thing I found out this morning when the construction crew released the keys to me. I'd say it's necessary, even if it's not what I want." I reply honestly. " I wanted to warn you, since she will be served with the official papers today, and I had to use your address as her place of residence."

"My God." He states.

"I love her, but I can't make her want to talk to me or be with me anymore." I reply with a sigh.

"How are you handling things? Have you continued talking to Johanna?" He asks.

I had waited for Tris after her testimony in Candor, only to find out she had purposely left without speaking to me. I shouldn't have been surprised since she had also refused visitors during her incarceration at Candor. I immediately hopped on a train and went straight to Amity to speak with Johanna, and I've continued with conversations every other day ever since then. While I know that Johanna would never betray our trust in her by discussing the details of any of her sessions with others, I did learn that my wife had not even reached out to her to talk. I also learned that Tris hadn't spoken to any member of leadership since this happened, not even Uriah who had been with her when Edgar first mentioned that Millicent had planted listening devices in our apartment.

"I have. I have three, well four good reasons that I need to keep myself focused. I love my children more than anything, and they need me right now. Plus, this faction depends on me." I reply with a nod, Max seems satisfied with that answer.

"I heard that your sister has been caught visiting your mother in the hospital. She was arrested recently, correct?"

"She was, we had gotten intel from Edgar Powell that implicated her involvement with the Factionless."

We had finally filled our last junior leadership position with the top initiate for our last training class, a Candor born young woman named Stella. She had been instrumental in questioning Edgar further, and also in negotiating with Jack Kang to sign off on our offer of clemency for his continued cooperation in apprehending the remaining Factionless rebels. Once Edgar had the deal on the table he had opened up immensely, naming both my sister Emily and my father David as the top brass in the Factionless.

The intercom system on my desk beeps and I press the answer button. "Yes Randall?" I ask my assistant.

"Sir, I know you had requested no interruptions, however Goran is on line three, and he says it's important." He states.

Max and I exchange a look. "Put him through." I bark to Randall. I push the blinking extension and I hear strange background noise feeding through the speaker phone.

"Goran, are you there?" I ask.

"Eric, we have David Coulter in custody. He's been injured, and were en route to Erudite. We exchanged fire with him and a small group of factionless. You may want to head to the hospital if you want to have a chance to speak with him. We administered field wound treatment but I'm not sure what his current status is."

"Has Jack been briefed?" I ask.

"Yes sir, he is en route to Erudite as well. With this capture we have all three of the de facto leaders of the Factionless rebels in custody." Goran replies.

"This is excellent news. Great work Goran. I will brief the team and see you in Erudite." I reply before disconnecting.

I ring the leader offices and call everyone to meet in the conference room. I can tell there is so much more that Max wants to say to me, however, he knows that right now is not the time and he excuses himself to head back home.

"Sir, we have everyone except Tris. We've been unsuccessful in reaching her." Jasper explains as I enter the room.

"Tris submitted her resignation this morning via letter. However, that is not what this meeting is about." I continue, even though everyone's face shows their shock at my abrupt announcement. "I just spoke with Goran, his team has captured David Coulter. This means all three of the leaders of this team of Factionless rebels are in custody. Goran's team exchanged gunfire with David's team, resulting in an injury to David of unknown seriousness. They are en route to Erudite. I will be heading there, Stella I'd like for you to accompany me for interrogation purposes in case we are able to speak with our prisoner today. I'd like two volunteers to head to Amity to meet with the troops, two to remain here, and anyone else can choose which team to accompany."

"I'll go to Amity." Rayne volunteers, breaking the awkward silence.

"I'll go with you." Will offers and Rayne nods.

"Peter and I can stay here." Uriah offers while Peter nods in agreement.

"I'd like to accompany you and Stella to Erudite." Jasper adds.

"I'm fine with that. Let's head out." I say.

"I'm going with you." Four says. I can tell by the look on his face there's no changing his mind.

We break apart from the team and head towards the garage. Stella jumps behind the wheel of the SUV, with Jasper taking the seat next to her after I have to decline his multiple offers to sit up front. One day I will be able to get the Abnegation out of him, but for now Four and I retreat to the middle row of seats. Once Jasper and Stella are engrossed in their own conversation, Four nudges me.

"What happened with Tris?" He asks.

"She resigned. She left the letter with Randall and he had it on my desk this morning."

"The two of you still haven't talked? It's been three weeks." He replies.

"She's avoided me."

"She's not talked to anyone really, just Marlene. It doesn't seem like Marlene has shared anything with Uriah, because I've asked, and there's no way he wouldn't have said something by now. Did she resign thinking the suspension was going to stick? I mean she had to know once the thirty days were up we'd reinstate her. It's normal procedure."

"She's likely talking to Marlene because she's pregnant." I reply quietly.

"Marlene? Damn Uri hasn't said shit…"

"No, Tris is pregnant. I found out from Jack Kang, since she had to disclose it to get the other version of the truth serum."

"Eric, no… she wouldn't have hidden that from you…."

"She has, and continues to. She's not talked to me at all ever since this shit went down. The only explanation I've heard is when we went to her trial. When I go to visit the kids she vanishes. I've not seen, or talked to her since she's been back. So I've known for over three weeks that she's pregnant, and she has to know I would have found out, and she's made no effort to speak to me. I filed for divorce this morning."

"You don't want that." He accuses.

"I'm done Four. I've tried. I need to be the best father I can be to all of our children, including the one on the way. I need to lead this faction. I can't do this with her. She put our children in jeopardy when she allowed Millicent into our home. She is reckless, and dangerous as a leader, and she hid things from me for years. I can't just overlook this, and I don't have the patience to keep this unknown bullshit going when people depend on me as their head leader."

"Does she know about the divorce?" He asks.

"She'll find out today when the papers are served." I reply as Stella pulls into the leadership parking garage in Erudite.

Jack Kang is waiting for us in the garage, along with several members of his leadership staff. A quick text to Goran brings him to the garage, where he briefs us on the current status of David Coulter. David is currently in surgery, where they will evaluate and repair the damage he sustained in the earlier gunfight. Goran ushers our group into the hospital and steers us towards the surgical waiting room, which I recognize as the same room that I waited to hear if my wife was going to survive her gunshot, also the same room I later learned of our son Gunnar's death.

Four notices my discomfort and asks if I want to take a walk. I readily agree, leaving explicit instructions with Goran to contact me if there are any updates about David. I follow Four out of the room, and we wander the hallways in silence.

"Leaders Coulter and Eaton, good afternoon sirs." A Dauntless guard named Celia calls out as we approach the guarded corridor. "Are you here for an update on the prisoner?"

"You're guarding Millicent, correct?" I ask and Celia nods in the affirmative.

"Yes sir. She's not been doing very well with her treatments. Leader Kang will be here first thing tomorrow morning to gather her testimony…." I walk away from Celia and let her continue talking to Four, instead turning my attention towards the window that separates me from the woman who gave birth to me. I can tell she has lost weight, and the curly platinum hair she's so proud of is thinning from her cancer treatments. She is covered with the standard hospital blankets, along with what appears to be a handmade throw as well. One I recognize from our apartment.

I walk past the guards, ignoring their protests and head straight into the room, and I can tell she is startled. "Eric…" she rasps.

"Where did you get the blanket?" I ask.

"I made it." She replies in her thick voice. "I'm sure you recognize it, I had made two, one of which was meant for our first grandchild." She pauses to catch her breath, taking a few deep breaths from her oxygen mask before moving it to the side so she can continue. "When your wife reached out to me after your loss, I brought it to her."

"Why? You wanted nothing to do with us. Why would you make a blanket for a child you didn't acknowledge until he was dead?" I ask angrily.

Millicent takes a deep draw from her oxygen mask before speaking. "You have a lot of nerve asking me that when you turned your back on your own family when you went after Jeanine."

"She wanted people like me dead. She was evil. She deserved to die for her crimes. Our son never had a chance to take a breath. There is nothing similar about their circumstances."

"She was my sister. You had no right…."

"I had every right. She wanted Tris. She wanted to capture her, and to experiment on her. She wanted me to bring her others to use for her own experimentations and then to kill when she was finished with them. If you expect me to feel any type of guilt for what I did you are setting yourself up for nothing but disappointment."

"That's nothing new, you've been nothing more than a disappointment your whole life." She replies before bringing her mask back to her face.

"Why did you do it? Why plant a bug in our apartment?"

"You're only angry that you didn't find it on your own. Don't think for a moment that I don't know that you have Edgar in custody." She retorts.

"Did you like listening to all of our personal conversations? Did you enjoy hearing our most private moments you sick bitch?"

"I was always a step ahead of you." She replies.

"Not anymore. We have everyone now. Emily, you and David. You lose." I reply icily and her silver eyes widen.

"David is in custody?" She asks shakily.

"Yes." I reply.

"Can I see him?" She asks.

"That won't be possible. Why would you think I would show you any mercy?"

"I'm dying Eric. I've not seen my husband in months. I'd like to say goodbye." She replies.

"You've been in custody less than a month. It's obvious you're no Candor."

"I'd left him months prior to my capture." She replies before a coughing fit overwhelms her, making her gasp for air. Her fingers grasp her oxygen mask and she attempts to take a deep breath. Once she has calmed her breathing, she continues. "I knew something was wrong with me, and I wanted to get treatment. I wanted to be captured. I am tired of this."

"So, there is no guilt or remorse for your attempt to murder my wife, our unborn child and her friend? You wanted to get caught so you could get medical attention?" I ask without any attempt to hide my disgust.

"They were driving your marked vehicle. No one knew that you weren't in the vehicle." She rasps.

"You wanted me dead." I accuse.

Millicent just pulls the mask to her face, drawing in ragged breaths. She turns her face away from me and shuts her eyes, effectively ending our conversation. I turn away from her and exit her room with the understanding I'll never get the truth out of her myself, instead hoping that I will get my answers once she's under truth serum.

I pass the guards and walk towards Four, who is idly scrolling through his phone. "Any word on David?" I ask.

"He's still in surgery." He replies. "That didn't appear to go well." He remarks while nodding towards the direction of my mothers room.

"I didn't expect it to."

Four trains his dark eyes on me, and I know him well enough to know that he's struggling with what to say next. "I'm worried about you."

"It's going to get better man. They finished the repairs of our apartment, I even got them to go ahead and assemble the kids beds. I may eventually need to double Tucker and Spencer since there's one on the way. To think we thought a four bedroom would be plenty big. Or maybe I put the baby in with Spencer… fuck I don't even know how far along she is. Will I have two in cribs? I'll have to get Harper's crib out of storage..."

"Eric, what about Tris?" He asks.

"Do you think I should try to give her the apartment? She removed her name from the lease. I don't know how custody will play out with the kids. I mean, I won't lose them, will I?" I ramble.

"Eric, do you want your marriage to be over?" He asks as we finally find an empty waiting room, completely unfamiliar to either of us. I don't answer, and he continues. "Why on earth did you file for divorce?" He asks.

My phone rings and I see Goran's face on the screen. "What's going on?" I ask after punching the speaker button.

"Eric, I wanted to let you know that David is in recovery. The surgery was successful. He will remain here until he is well enough for transport, under Jack's custody. I already have Snake, Mallory and Adahla set to start guarding. I'll continue to oversee the guard details on both prisoners. Jack will conduct the video interrogation of Millicent tomorrow morning, and will conduct the in person interrogation of Emily in Candor tomorrow afternoon."

We continue to speak with Goran for several more minutes before disconnecting. We spend the next hour briefing Stella and Jasper, who plan on remaining onsite with the two prisoners, along with speaking with all of the onsite guards.

Four and I decide to take the train home, and he spends the ride on the phone with Rayne to give her and Will an update while I do the same via phone with Peter and Uriah. The walk to our offices is quiet, and I am thankful when Four goes into his own office instead of accompanying me to mine as I need a moment to clear my head.

I run my fingers along the many framed pictures on my desk. Candid moments, like the first picture Dana took of me holding Tucker the day he was born, or another picture of the twins covered in cake on their first birthday. Another of Spencer, who is absolutely my little clone, smiling his toothless grin at Tris. My eyes land on another picture, what is actually a screen grab that Four found from a surveillance camera of Tris and me. It's a picture of us during her leadership training, it captured the true spirit of our relationship back then, the shy smiles we share after a sparring session, the early stages of love. There are others, a professional family shot taken just a few weeks after Spencer's birth, another of Max, Dana, Andrew and Natalie with the kids. All of these happy moments of my life that have been reduced to nothing more than silence and betrayal.

I feel the tears falling down my cheeks before I even realize I am crying, and I quickly scrub them away. I have no idea what went through Tris' mind to make her reach out to Millicent after losing Gunnar, nor do I know if she even initiated it. I don't know what caused her to hide it all from me, or why she refuses to speak to me now.

How could my parents and sister conspire to kill me, and possibly kill my family?

How do I manage to ruin everything I touch?

A soft knock on my door interrupts my thoughts, and I steel my features before rising to answer the door. I am greeted by Randall, holding an envelope.

"I tried to get her to stay. She left this with me… I'm sorry sir." He says.

"Its ok Randall, I know you've been trying. I appreciate you." I clap him on the shoulder before he walks back down the hall to the reception desk.

I open the envelope and pull out the familiar looking legal paperwork that my lawyer drew up for our divorce. The strongly worded document was a lot of legalese that I didn't quite understand, but I had asked for a bit of a harsher approach in an attempt to force my wife to speak to me. Tris is entirely too fiery to accept things as they are.

Or so I thought.

I flip back to the last page of the documents, with all of the colored stick on arrows indicating where initials and signatures are required, to find my wife's neat signature on the last page, with no comments or questions to contest the terms of our divorce.