Epilogue

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

The sound of his heavy boots hitting the fire escape reverberated through his ears. Eric stared sightlessly at his fists, spinning on his heel to continue pacing the other way. The light from the fading sun stained his hands crimson. He flexed them.

There was so much blood on his hands. So many people died because of him. A scowl twisted on his mouth, flashing gunmetal eyes fierce. It had been necessary but deep down inside he hated himself for it. Faction before Blood...even if he was spilling the blood of his faction in order to save it. The rules were simple in his mind. There was no changing it.

He hadn't killed or been responsible for the death of anyone in months...his last kill had been Josh.

Eric hadn't wanted to do it but the kid was dangerous. He was a chameleon, he blended in too well, hid what he was too easily. He was the type of Divergent that was a true danger...so he had to go. Eric clenched his jaw. The only thing he hadn't predicted...could never have predicted was just how much his death would affect his initiate class. He hadn't predicted how much it would affect her.

She had woken up from nightmares so many times, clinging to him, gasping and trembling his name over and over. Death affected her deeply, remnants of fear from when her mother had died, leaving her at such a young age.

Eric hadn't predicted how much her pain would affect him.

She was- dangerous. She climbed past his defenses like they weren't even there, eyes spitting cobalt fire, full mouth cooing soft words. She hypnotized him, sometimes clumsy but every movement somehow deliberate. Her long, inky black locks draped across his chest while she slept was one of his safest memories.

She would come.

She had to.

Everything they had gone through together, everything they shared...she wouldn't leave that behind. She wouldn't leave him behind. They matched, they were the same side of the same coin. They were both head-strong and stubborn but cared deeply. She had the wit of an Erudite and the ruthless intensity of Dauntless. She was one of the only people in Dauntless that could stand toe-to-toe with him and not flinch, not back down, hell, still fight.

He didn't scare her and he loved that. She could stare him down, never mind the fact that he was twice her size. She wasn't going to back down. She was full of Dauntless fire and had been born to lead their faction.

It had been killing him to keep all these secrets from her. Countless times he had almost told her, almost revealed it all but he couldn't. The only thing stopping him was her reaction. He didn't know if she could accept it...accept him when she found out all he had done and would continue to do. He wasn't going to stop now. He was in too deep.

Jeanine had too much on him for him to back out now and she had made it clear she would use anything she could to get back at him. She hadn't said Paz's name but it was clear who she meant. The stubborn woman was the only weakness he had.

Jeanine was far too smart to not realize that.

Eric spun to keep pacing when he heard something. It sounded like metallic ping. His head shot up and he turned to the window, his heart freezing in his chest when he saw her slender figure walking...away. She...she hadn't chosen him. She was leaving...

No...

How could she-fuck!

Feeling rage flood through him, Eric swung his large body gracefully through the window, striding with determination for the door. If she was going to leave, it wasn't going to be without an explanation. Eric quickened his stride, glancing into the trash can when he passed. He stopped and turned, distracted by the metallic object in the can. He reached in and pulled out a disk. It was blank.

There was no date, nothing on it.

He hesitated. Should he go after her? It seemed like whatever was on the disk, it had something to do with why she had left. With why she had walked away from him- from them.

Eric turned to his computer and slid the disk in, settling into his chair. He wanted to pace, to do something but he needed to see what was on it before he did anything else. He pulled up the file and settled back. At first, confusion twisted through him.

Why a video of the Chasm?

They had some memories out there. He grinned but that grin quickly faded, the blood draining out of his face when he saw the first figure walk into view. It...fuck. Oh god. A sick feeling sunk into his stomach, ice sliding through his veins and his heart racing in his chest. Heat flashed through him and sweat pooled in his palms.

This wasn't-

Jeanine had promised all evidence was erased!

This wasn't. It couldn't be!

He couldn't focus, there was a ringing in his ears as he watched himself taunt and lure the young initiate into a fight before ultimately ending it by shoving him over the railing. She had to know it was him. She knew him too well to not recognize him even though he was clothed from head to toe. She...

He had lost her forever.

No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

...she was never going to forgive this.

...she was never going to love him again.

He had finally lost her- forever.

AN: ...so this is it. This is the final ending to Battle Scars. We end with 141 reviews, 172 followers, 147 favorites and 38,423 views which is incredible. Thank you all so much for your following, reviews, favoriting and viewings! I really, truly appreciate it. This story has spanned over about four years and it's the first really big story I've ever completed. I'm so proud of this story and all the love it's received. While I am thinking about a sequel and planning it out, it probably won't gather much traction for a little while because I am trying to finish off other stories as well. That said, thank you all so much!