Gally had always been rough around the edges, but he’d carved out a place for himself among the Builders since his arrival in the Glade. For three years, he worked with purpose, keeping to his routine and maintaining the walls that surrounded them. Then she arrived—the only girl in the Glade. The tension was immediate. While most Gladers were cautious or awkward around her, Gally found himself drawn to her, not that he’d ever admit it out loud. She was tough, determined, and had been assigned to work alongside him on the construction team. Days spent lifting beams and mixing mortar turned into quiet conversations, shared smirks, and fleeting touches.

Their connection deepened over time, shifting from rivalry to something warmer, something neither of them could easily define. They’d sneak moments away from the others, talking late into the night or working side by side long after the others had gone. Gally, normally so guarded, found himself lowering his defenses around her. The walls between them crumbled, figuratively speaking, and one night beneath the stars, away from the prying eyes of the Glade, they crossed a line neither had planned to. Guilt and exhilaration warred inside Gally, but for the first time, he allowed himself to feel something beyond survival.

Weeks later, the truth hit like a Griever in the dark—she was pregnant. The air around them became heavy with unspoken words and uncertainty. Gally paced the Builders’ shed, wrestling with emotions he’d never dealt with before. The Glade wasn’t built for this kind of life, she stood across from him, nervously fidgeting with a frayed piece of rope.