I'm back! Was on vacation last week and had a blast! As always, I'm putting this AN here as a placeholder for this chapter. There will be drama coming up. I've been thinking of different scenarios and I've decided that I won't have Evelyn try and break up Four and Tris (So, don't worry Charms22). I still wanna somehow incorporate the "I am permanent and you are temporary" quote from Insurgent BUT that's it.

A few chapters back I briefly had Christina mention a double date so that'll still happen and there will be drama for that. It won't be in this chapter though.

Tobias POV

The next day Tris and I find ourselves at the outdoor cafe near the park waiting for Evelyn. While I'm trying to be as optimistic as I can, I am still skeptical and guarded when it comes to a potential relationship with my mother. There was and still is a reason why I've been keeping my distance from her ever since I contacted her to let her know I was back in Chicago almost two years ago. I certainly didn't want her harassing me if she happened to find out from someone else that I was home and hadn't let her know myself. As much as I try, I can't forget what she did to me. I can't trust her. If she ever betrays me again I don't know what I'd do. Is it worth it to try and salvage this relationship now that Marcus is gone? I don't have an answer to that yet.

"Are you ready for this?" Tris asks me.

"I don't know. To be honest, I don't want to have any expectations. If I did I would've done this two years ago. There are not exactly instructions on how to deal with this."

"No, there aren't. I know you want to protect yourself, but try to be honest without getting angry. Tell her how you feel. The truth hurts but she obviously needs to hear it. Maybe she already knows what she did was wrong but keep reminding her even if she hates it at first. Make her put herself in your shoes. That may be the only way she'll understand."

"I hope you're right."

Just then we hear footsteps approaching. I look up to see Evelyn. Her facial expression doesn't give much away but I can sense she wasn't expecting Tris to come with me. We stand up to greet her.

"Hello again, Tobias. I didn't think Tris would be joining as well." I knew it!

"She's here because I asked her to be here. If you have a problem with that then this conversation is over. If you want to be in my life you will respect my choices. Do I make myself clear?"

Tris squeezes my hand and I know she's telling me to calm down.

"Very well. Forgive me for my rudeness. Hello Tris."

"It's nice to see you again, Evelyn."

Evelyn nods. "So, Tobias. You didn't answer my question yesterday. Why haven't you contacted me more often since you've been home?"

Here we go...

I keep my composure and give her a straight answer. "I told you before that I needed time. I wasn't going to be thinking about that conversation that we had before I left while I was gone. I can't forgive you from one day to the next. I spent 12 years of my life thinking you were dead. One or two face to face conversations and a letter won't fix the damage you inflicted upon me."

"Did you already forgive your father? You seemed genuinely upset yesterday."

"I was genuinely upset but that doesn't mean I forgive him just yet. If you really wanna know how I feel, I'll tell you to your face that your abandonment hurt me more than the sting of a belt. How could you do that to me? Did you even love me or was I just a burden for you?"

She flinches. "You were never a burden, Tobias. You were still young and it would've been unfair of me to force you to live the way I did for those first few years. Your father left me no choice."

"I guess I can understand that, but how could you underestimate Marcus? Why did you just assume he wouldn't hurt me too?"

"You're right I did underestimate him. I guess I believed him every time he said I was a bad mother. I assumed he would take care of you but when I read that article, I realized how wrong I was. You were brave to stand up to him, Tobias."

"I wasn't brave. I could never fight back before that moment. The only reason I was able to finally do something was because he was passed out drunk when I regained consciousness. He was always sober every other time, always telling me that it was for my own good and that it would make me a better man."

"But it's evident that you are not like him. That makes you brave. You are the man he never was."

"I agree wholeheartedly," Tris says.

I smile a little. Maybe reconciling with my mother won't be such a bad thing after all. She's showing me that she's not the same woman I saw 10 years ago.

I take a deep breath before I open my mouth to speak. "Look, I'm going to be honest with you. While I can't guarantee I'll ever forgive you, I want to try to have a relationship with you. However, I will not allow you to think that you can come in and dictate my life and my relationship with Tris. Whatever happens between Tris and I is our business. Whatever I decide for myself is my business. Those are my conditions."

"Okay, Tobias. I promise I will not interfere with your decisions. I trust that you are a grown, responsible man now. I know that you aren't that little boy that I left behind and that even if I had been in your life all this time, you don't need me to take care of you anymore. I promise I won't let you down again."

"I'm glad we got to talk about this, Evelyn. If you'd like maybe we can plan to have dinner at my place soon."

"I'd like that."

I don't easily forgive and forget. My parents unfortunately instilled that in me, but today and these last few weeks have shown me that there is no point in holding a grudge. I have finally found some inner peace.