His Amity | Eric Coulter x Original FMC |

Chapter Twenty Four

ERIC

Eric sat stiffly at the table, eyes on the holoscreen in front of him as Jeanine droned on about the "threat" that Four and Lia posed to their system. The word Divergent kept surfacing—over and over—as if it was poison in her mouth. Every time Jeanine said Lia's name, a spark flared in Eric's chest, and he had to fight to maintain control. He kept his face impassive, appearing focused on the mission, but inside, his thoughts were spiraling.

Lia. Always Lia.

He was so close to snapping every time her name was uttered. Her image flashed in his mind—those fierce eyes, the way she moved, the fire in her that matched his. And he—Four—was with her. His girl. Eric clenched his jaw, biting back the rage that had been gnawing at him for days. The idea of Four anywhere near Lia sent waves of jealousy and anger crashing through him.

Jeanine wouldn't stop talking, she outlined the danger of the Divergents, emphasizing how they threatened the entire faction system. As if you could ever understand Lia, he thought bitterly. Lia wasn't just Divergent; she was everything. And yet here they were, plotting to take her down like some common enemy. Jeanine's cold, clinical logic made his skin crawl, but he couldn't let his true feelings show.

Eric masked his emotions well—he had to. Jeanine and Max both watched him closely these days, testing him, as if they sensed the crack in his loyalty. They couldn't know the truth. He couldn't let them. The truth was, all Eric wanted was to find Lia. It wasn't just the mission driving him; it was her. She consumed him, every waking thought plagued by the memory of what he had done. The look in her eyes when the serum had taken over... the betrayal.

If I could see her again... The thought haunted him. But more than that, he needed to be sure. He needed to know that if they crossed paths, he wouldn't hurt her again. The serum. It was still a risk. Every day he spent in Erudite, he searched for answers, digging into the serum's research. Was there a way to fight it, to stop it from taking control? Could it be reversed? He would rather die than let it control him again—especially around Lia.

"Eric."

Jeanine's voice snapped him back to the room. He blinked, realizing she'd been watching him closely. Her lips curled slightly, a smile that never quite reached her eyes.

"Who was Lia close to in Dauntless?" she asked, her voice deceptively casual.

Eric's heart raced. She was testing him. He could feel it. Jeanine already had this information—he could see it in her expression. He forced himself to appear indifferent, leaning back in his chair, giving a nonchalant shrug.

"Two other initiates," he said, his voice steady. "Marlene and Christina."

The names came out slowly, like pulling something from a fog. He hadn't thought about them in a while, but he remembered their faces. Marlene—the one who was always too damn nice. Christina—loud, always getting in trouble. Jeanine's smile widened.

"Good," she said, as if confirming something in her mind. "We're trying something different."

Eric tensed. He wanted to ask more but knew better than to press her. He had to act like he didn't care. But when she pulled up the next screen on the holoscreen, his entire body locked in place.

There, in grainy footage, was Lia. His Lia.

She was walking next to Four in some sort of tunnel, her expression as fierce as ever but... different. Hollow. There was something missing in her eyes, and it tore at him. His fingers twitched as he resisted the urge to reach out and touch the screen, to remind himself she was real. Strapped to her thigh were her usual knives. Of course. She always preferred them over guns. His lips quirked into a brief, involuntary smile at the thought—that's my girl. But the smile faded quickly as the footage continued.

"That's one of the last feeds from before the war," Jeanine said, her voice almost casual. "Its in an old maintenance tunnel. We thought the camera was destroyed, but someone managed to recover it. It seems they've aligned themselves with the factionless. Interesting, isn't it?"

Eric could barely think straight. His chest was tight. Lia, with the factionless? She was leading some kind of rebellion. His pride in her strength surged, even as fear twisted his insides. She was a target now, bigger than ever.

Jeanine continued to speak, outlining her plan. They'd try to draw Lia out through her friends—use Marlene, use Christina. Eric nodded, keeping his expression neutral, but inside, his mind was screaming. Her friends meant nothing to him, but he knew that Lia would do everything she could to protect those she cared about. He can't let her put herself in danger for them. I can't let them take her. 

"It's a good idea," he said, forcing his voice to sound detached. He couldn't let them see the panic he felt.

As the meeting ended, he moved to leave, but Jeanine's voice stopped him. "Eric."

He froze. She was still watching him, testing him. He turned back slowly, schooling his face into one of indifference.

"You did well today," she said, her tone almost affectionate.

Eric nodded curtly, giving a tight-lipped smile before quickly making his way out of the room. The moment the door closed behind him, he exhaled sharply, his mask of control cracking as his thoughts raced.

Lia... I'll find you before they do. I swear it.

He needed to find a way to reverse the serum, to go to her. Warn her. But first, he needed to kill whatever useless soldier had found that footage. Whoever had put her in Jeanine's crosshairs again.

They wouldn't see the end of the day.