♘ Be Brave ♘

LX

I stand up so fast that I knock my chair over. "What?" Matthew reaches for me, but I shake my head. "Don't. What do you mean, you're my father?" Matthew closes his eyes. "It's a long story, son." I want to punch him. "Don't call me that. My father's name is-" He nods.

"Marcus. I know." He winces like the mere mention of his name makes him sick. I should know. He used to have the same effect on me. "Sit down." I glare at him. "No. You have no right to tell me what to do." Matthew stares at me, and for the first time since I met him, he looks tired.

"Tobias, please-" I freeze. How dare he remind me of the past I've been trying so hard to get rid of? "Don't call me that. My name is Matthew," I snarl. "Though now that I think about it, I hate that name even more than Tobias. From now on, my name is Four."

Matthew holds up his hands. "Okay. Okay, whatever you say. But please, give me a chance to explain." I shouldn't, not after he left me in the hands of Marcus, but the truth of the matter is that I need answers, and it seems like he's the only one who can give them to me. I cross my arms and he takes this as a good sign.

"I was born into Abnegation, and Marcus was my older brother. He always had to be better than me. If I did something, he had to make it his goal to beat me at it. If I helped two people, he had to help four. And so on." He clears his throat, and I wait for him to continue.

"Your mother and I fell in love when we were about your age. But of course, we couldn't let on that we liked each other, being... Stiffs and all." He smiles as if remembering my mother. "We kept our relationship a secret, until I worked up enough courage to propose to her. She said yes. It was the happiest day of my life."

He looks away. "We had everything planned out. We'd marry the minute we completed the Choosing Ceremony. We were going to tell our parents that day, but we never got the chance. We found out hours later that her parents had arranged a marriage for her."

I gasp as it dawns on me. "A marriage to Marcus." Matthew nods. "It was just my luck, you know? I'm a lowlife and this just proves it. We avoided each other in the weeks leading up to her wedding, but she pressed a scrap of paper to my hand as she walked down the aisle, days before our Choosing Ceremony. I got one last look at her through her veil, and I could tell that she'd been crying."

He looks at me, and I stare him down. "I glanced at the paper she gave me, and..." He stops, unable to speak. He shows me a worn piece of paper and my eyes widen. He's kept it all these years? I take it from him, curious to see what it says. I can feel Matt's gaze focus on me, but I refuse to look at him. I unfold the paper and immediately recognize my mom's neat handwriting.

Matthew...There's something I wanted to tell you... but there's no time to think about it anymore. I'm pregnant. I... I wish you could take custody of this baby, but our parents would kill us both if they found out. It's best for all of us to let Marcus think this baby is his. I'm so sorry.

EVELYN