Chapter 3 is here! A lot happened in this chapter and I was getting feels reading it as I saw what my friend had edited. SO WARNING: YOU MAY GET A LOT OF FEELS FROM THIS CHAPTER BECAUSE THE MAXERICA MOMENTS ARE ADORABLE. At least in my opinion.

I put this at the end note of my first chapter but I just want to say a major thank you to ForeverEverdeen who has been editing this and making it sound amazing. If you like The Hunger Games, you should go check out her story.

DISCLAIMER: I only own the storyline for this fan fiction. All rights belong to Kiera Cass.

"Have you seen Maxon today?" I asked Carter at lunch. I hadn't seen Maxon anywhere and he wasn't here now. It was already halfway through lunch and having known Maxon for so long, it was unlike him to miss a meal unless it was an emergency. TO say the least, I was starting to get worried.

"No, he wasn't in any of his classes today," Carter replied. I felt my phone vibrate. My hope skyrocketed…Maxon.

"Max, where are you?" I asked the second I pressed the phone to my ear.

"Is there any chance you could skip this afternoon's classes?" he mumbled weakly into the phone. It was rare that I heard Maxon sound so…broken.

"Why?" I questioned worriedly.

"I'm at the hospital," he said. My heart sunk to the pit of my chest and a lump formed in my throat. It took all my efforts not to cry. "Just, if you can come, I'm in room 121. Please. I need to talk to you."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," I said, hanging up. I turned to my right without hesitation. "Carter, can you drive me to the hospital?"

"What, now? Is Maxon okay?" he asked.

"I don't know. Please. I need to see him. He said he needs to talk to me. Carter, do this for Maxon," I begged.

He gave in, saying, "Fine."

"Can I come?" Marlee pleaded. I nodded. If Maxon needed someone to be strong for him, I would be that person. But I need someone to be strong for me too. We packed the remainder of our lunches and headed out. "I can't believe we're ditching. This is so exhilarating. Do you know why Maxon is in the hospital?"

"I might, but I hope I'm wrong," I replied. The entire car ride, Marlee tried to get me to tell what I thought it might be. I had sworn to Maxon that I would never tell anyone about his father so I refused to answer. I felt guilty for hiding out on my best friend, but what else could I do? There were more important things than not telling someone a secret that has nothing to do with them. If I was his father, what would I do to put my son in the hospital? He's never told anyone but me. Did his mother find out? Did something else happen? Was it worse than his father? Everything that could have happened was running through my head.

When we got to the hospital, I bolted to the stairs and started climbing. I've been here before, multiple times. It's pretty sad that I know my way around the building. When I walked in, he was lying on his stomach, his back covered in bandages. "Max," I whispered walking over to him. He tried to look at me, but cried out in pain when he made the slightest movement. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I was in pain just seeing his pain. I grabbed his hand and felt him squeeze it lightly, letting me know that he knew I was here.

"What happened, man?" Carter asked. I could tell Maxon wanted to tell them, but didn't know how.

"Please tell us, Maxon. I can see it in Ames's face that she knows. Can't you tell us?" Marlee urged. Maxon looked at me.

"Max, you might as well. You know we can trust them," I said. With one last glance into my eyes, he told them everything. His abusive father, his loving mother. Me. His father's hatred of our relationship.

"How long has it been going on?" Carter asked.

"Seven years," he replied. Too long.

"So that's why you never came to my pool parties." Maxon just nodded.

"What happened this time, Max," I asked as a sob escaped my mouth. Maxon squeezed my hand before explaining.

"I came home from dropping you off and my father was waiting for me. He pulled me down to the basement. He said he had found the paper with the address of the apartment building on the floor by my room. I must have dropped it on my way out. God, I should've been more careful. I guess he recognized my mother's handwriting and knew I was getting her help. He said that was against our agreement so I deserved to be punished. In all his rage, he must have forgotten to lock the basement door and gag me because my mother heard me screaming and came down to see what was going on," he responded weakly, tears welling up in his eyes. "She told him to stop and called the ambulance. He must have been too shocked to do anything because he just froze."

"Maxon, I'm so sorry," I cried.

"Don't be. The cops took my father and he won't ever do it again. He has to stand trial in a month. The police were in here earlier. I told them about yours too. I'm sorry. They asked if I knew whether he had done it to anyone else," he said.

"He did it to you?" Marlee asked. I turned around and lifted my shirt slightly. Carter gasped and Marlee let out a sob. "Does it hurt?"

"Yeah, a little. The first time is the worst. It stung more after it happened," I replied, re-adjusting my shirt and grabbing Maxon's hand again. "Max, how long are you going to be here?"

"A week, and I'm stuck in bed for a week after that. It was a lot of stitches to fix these. Probably his worst yet," he replied, attempting to chuckle as his last comment, but it came out more pained than intended.

"Does that mean that us moving in is going to take a little longer?" I asked with sadness in my voice. My gaze traveled down to my feet.

"Nope," he said popping the p. My head snapped up and I met his eyes with my shocked ones. "My mom came up with an idea. She can send us a video of the apartment and then we can decide if we want it. She really is the best."

"Perfect," I said. I kissed his cheek.

"So, Dean Schreave got arrested? Who's going to take over?" Marlee questioned.

"My mom. She'll be in charge of the school," Maxon replied. We stayed to keep Maxon company for a little longer until we realized that there were some important classes we were missing. "My mom says she can do the apartment tour on Saturday and she'll send me the video. We can watch it together and decide."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, Max. I love you," I said.

"I love you too," he replied. I gave him a small kiss before we left. On our way out, we bumped into Amberly who gave us a stern look and crossed her arms.

"Shouldn't you three be getting out of your last classes right now?" she asked. We exchanged worried glances. Her face softened and she let out a small laugh. "Don't worry. I was there when Maxon called you. I knew you would be here. I guess you asked these two to come for support?" I nodded. If I were to be anyone's daughter-in-law, I would want to be Amberly's. She has always been like a mom to me.

"I'm sorry you had to find out what was going on like that. I always told him to trust you," I apologized. "And I'm really sorry I couldn't tell you. I promised Max and I couldn't go against him like that."

"It's okay. I'm glad I found out now so I could stop it before it went too far. And I'm glad Maxon has someone like you who he can trust. He needs that. How's your back doing?"

"Max told you?" I asked. She nodded solemnly. "Better, but it still hurts. Your son has had some practice patching up the cuts, so he did a good job." It was not something to be proud of, nut it was morbidly true.

"Oh," she said, with a hint of regret. It was obvious what the regret was for, but I wish she didn't have to feel that way. "Just so you are aware, the police are going to have Maxon show his back for evidence and they might ask you to do so as well. They will probably just take some pictures, nothing too in-depth, but definitely necessary for the case. And I haven't told Maxon this, but I'm filing for a divorce."

"Okay, We should go." I gave Amberly a hug before we said goodbye and headed for Carter's car. I could still feel her gaze as I walked away.

-Maxon's POV-

"Divorce?" I asked not as surprised as you would think. I was actually kind of happy to be honest. Their marriage was always rocky at best, the two of them staying together mostly for my sake.

"Yes," she confirmed.

"I'm sorry you had to find out that way. I wish you had known from the beginning, but dad said if I had told you, he would do a lot worse to me or even you," I said.

"I know. I just wish you felt like you could come to me. I would have stopped him sooner. I'm always on your side, Max," she said. "When did it start getting worse?"

"When I started dating America," I told her. "He hated when I spent time with her. He hated her, I guess. He actually almost did it to her a few times, but I told him to do it to me. He still did it to her though. I couldn't stop him when he did it during class. I felt so helpless. I couldn't even defend my girlfriend from my own father."

"Why did you put up with that? Why did you take all those hits for her? I know you didn't want her to get hurt, but why didn't you just tell someone to stop him?" she asked. Why didn't I?

"Because I love her," I said. "And I needed to protect her. And I didn't want to hurt you by telling you. All I wanted to do was protect the most important people in my life and I feel like I failed. America still got beaten and you still found out because of my stupid actions. I thought I could handle it on my own, and now I know that I can't…I just want him to feel the pain that I felt everytime I saw the marks on her back, all the times I failed to protect her."

"Maxon, stop it. You did what you thought was best," she said. "America loves you and so do I. Nothing changed. America still wants to live with you. She still wants to spend every day with you in a place that is for the two of you. You did not fail either of us. It shows how strong you are and how far you would go to protect America and prove how much you love her."

"Thanks, mom," I said.

The next day, I woke up to America sitting in the chair near my bed, crying silently. "Ames, why are you crying?" I asked squeezing her hand.

"I just hate seeing you in pain and knowing it's my fault," she explained, hastily wiping the tears dripping down her cheeks.

"It is not your fault. I should have made sure I had the paper. Don't worry about me," I said.

"Max, I'm not going to stop worrying about the man I love just because he tells me to. You know how stubborn I am," she stated with a sly grin on her face. I laughed lightly.

"God, I hate not being able to hold you," I said. "I miss having you in my arms. I feel like that's the only place I can keep you safe."

"Imagine how I feel," she cried. "I'm upset because I feel like this is my fault, but the one person who could actually comfort me, can't even sit up!"

"I love you too," I said smiling. She kissed my forehead.

"I have homework, I should go," she mumbled. I could tell she didn't want to but she knew she had to. It sucks being on bedrest when your girlfriend has Business and Finance homework to do. She squeezed my hand.

"I love you," I said. She leaned down and kissed me lightly.

"I love you more," she said. She ran her hand through my hair.

-America's POV-

I walked into the waiting room, where Marlee and Carter were waiting. They had stepped out to give Maxon and me some time alone. We walked to the car to head back to the university in relative silence until Carter decided to break it. "So, how's Maxon?"

"You saw him," I pointed out. I knew he was trying to make small talk but that was not the right time. The rest of the car ride was filled with a tension that nobody dared to break. When we pulled up to our dorm building, we noticed a car packed with stuff at the building next door. Marlee and I walked in and headed for our dorm.

"Who's moving into the next building?" she wondered entering our room.

"I have no idea. Maxon mentioned that somebody a couple years older than us was joining the university, but he didn't mention any names," I responded.

"I just hope it's not Aspen," she commented. Aspen was my ex. We had dated for two years before I started going out with Maxon. We broke up because he was moving and didn't want to "go through the hassle of doing the long-distance thing." At least that was what he said. My theory was that he was too broken-hearted with everything he was losing, that he didn't want to lose me too, so he let me go. His father had passed away and his mother couldn't afford their house anymore. They had to move to another part of the country where she had managed to get a fair-paying job.

"I hope not," I said looking out the window. I caught a glimpse of the guy. He was tall and had a muscular build. The same build as Aspen. It can't be, America. You're just freaking yourself out about this. Don't worry. And anyway, you're with Maxon. Nothing will happen. You love Maxon too much to let anything happen between the two of you.

I was walking to the campus coffee shop before I headed for the hospital to watch the apartment tour with Maxon. I walked up to the counter and ordered my usual, a hot chocolate and a strawberry tart. While I was waiting, the new person walked in. His hood was covering his face so I couldn't get a good glimpse of who it was, but I recognized his build. I pulled out my phone and texted Maxon: I'll be there in about twenty minutes. Just getting some coffee

He replied immediately: Ok. Can't wait to see you. I texted Marlee and told her to meet me outside the coffee shop with Carter. Immediately.

I heard the cashier asked for the new guy's name. "Aspen," the guy stated, his voice the same as it was when I last saw him. He pulled his hood off. Oh no.

"America," the cashier said. I noticed Aspen begin looking around out of the corner of my eye. I grabbed my coffee, hoping Aspen wouldn't see me and started to rush to the door when…

"Mer?" I turned around to look at Aspen standing right behind me, just as I remembered him.

"Hi, Aspen," I muttered.

"I didn't know you went here," he said. "My mom got a job around here and we moved back."

"Cool," I said awkwardly, looking for Marlee or Carter or anyone who could give me an out.

"We need to catch up sometime, Mer. It's been too long," he suggested coming closer to me, almost as if to give me a hug.

"Sure," I agreed questionably, taking a step back, making my intentions as clear as day. "Well, I have to go meet my boyfriend. Bye, Aspen." I hurried out before he could react or say anything else. Marlee and Carter were standing outside waiting for me when I rushed out of the coffee shop.

"America, are you okay?" Marlee asked walking up to me and placing her hands on my shoulders. I frantically looked around. When I met her gaze, she looked worried and panicked, mirroring my own expression.

"Aspen's here."

- Maxon's POV-

America, Marlee, and Carter walked in. "Hey, Maxon. How you doing?" Carter greeted.

"Fine," I replied. I noticed America seemed quiet and reserved. She took a sip of her coffee. "Ames, are you okay?" She looked at her feet. "Ames, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

"Do you remember me telling you about my ex-boyfriend Aspen?" she asked.

"The one who broke up with you before we started going out? Yeah," I said nervously.

"He's the new student at the university," she said cautiously. "And he wants to catch up with me." My entire body froze and my mind went blank. I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Did you tell him you have a boyfriend?" I asked quickly.

"My exact words were, 'I have to go meet my boyfriend,' so I think I covered the whole taken part. I left right after I said that because I didn't want to know his reaction," she answered. "Don't worry, Max. I won't let him come between us."

"I know you won't," I said. Just then, my phone started ringing. I looked at the screen that showed my mother's caller ID. "It's my mom. Are you ready?" America nodded. She walked over to my bed and sat beside me. I clicked answer and my mom's face appeared.

"Hi, you two. I'm in the apartment with Ashley. We're going to take you through the apartment and then she'll answer any questions you have," she told us. We went through the apartment and once the tour was over, my mom hung up so we could decide.

"I love it, Max," America said simply.

"I do too," I agreed. "So you definitely want it?"

"Yes, it's perfect," she praised. I looked at her to see she was smiling ear to ear. I couldn't wait to spend every single day with the woman I love.

"I think so too," I agreed. "We have an apartment. We're going to live together."

"I can't wait," she said, leaning down and kissing me on the lips. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Marlee and Carter walked back in, each holding a coffee.

"Did you guys decide?" Marlee asked.

"Yep, we're going to take it," I said. Marlee and America hugged. Things were finally falling into place.

So I ended it at a happier place because my other two cut-offs have been a little morbid and suspenseful. I'm now on summer vacation but my editor does get busy so I will try to update as much as possible during the summer. I am not promising a chapter every week, but I will do my best to give you as many chapters as possible over the next couple of months.

If you are going through finals, I just want to say good luck and I know you'll do amazing

Review, Follow, Favorite please. I love you!