When America gets back to the palace, everyone is in a tizzy.  She goes to the Misogyny Room and sees that all of the Selection girls are back, because Maxon has announced that he’s ready to make his final decision.  He’s ‘send home’ Celeste and Elise, so it’s between Kriss and America, tho of course we all know there’s no real competition because this entire book has been about how Maxon already wants to marry her.

America, ever the dullest tool in the shed, wonders if it means he’s gonna pick Kriss.  Excuse me, I need to go bang my head against something for a while.

She does pay attention long enough to realize that Kriss has been wearing a star necklace this whole time, and that means she’s a rebel.  When she says as much, Kriss’s reaction confirms it as true.  This…makes America mad?  She accuses Kriss of only being there for rebel machinations, which seems pretty rich, considering all the ‘rebellious’ stuff she’s done while there.  And even ignoring that, why the anger?  If someone dedicated to making life better wants to be on the throne…um, good?

Sigh.  The book shows off its priorities again as Kriss assures her that her ‘priorities’ for staying in the competition are ‘completely different’ now that she’s totally really in love with Maxon.  Because, you know, that’s really the important thing here.  Not the thousands or possibly millions of people starving every day and having any power to change that, nope.  Just being in love with one silly milksop of a prince.

Only after Kriss tells her to STFU does America go “yeah, well, I did sort of come here for the money, so I guess it’s okay…”  God, this girl is so messed up.

She goes up to her room to mope about things that don’t matter, and then Maxon shows up with a present for her.  The present is a framed photo of a house, and then Maxon tells her, no, the house is actually hers.  She doesn’t understand, until he tells her that he’s picked her, and the house is for her family to live in so that they’ll be nearby instead of on the other side of the country.  For some reason, America is actually surprised he’s picking her, because she has the memory span of a fucking goldfish.

They make out in celebration and almost even have sex, but Maxon stops them, saying it’s not ‘proper.’  So instead they talk mushy for a while and say I-love-yous and then just got to sleep.

The next morning they wake up and are all giggly in bed and make too much noise, so Aspen bursts in to see what’s the what.  Maxon brushes it off with a laugh and teases and leaves, and after he’s done, America goes out in the hall to make her apologies to Aspen.  Not that she really needs to, and he says as much, but never underestimate this book’s willingness to create contrived drama!  Because, you guessed it, Maxon comes walking around the corner right as she’s really close to Aspen and saying sorry in an intimate manner.

Maxon says that he’d always suspected, but now it’s confirmed, especially after the two out-and-out say as much.  Maxon then and there breaks the quasi-engagement and says it’s all over without offering even a chance of explanation. 

Because, yeah, that’s totally the kind of man you should have for a romantic interest.  This isn’t even the first time he’s flipped the romance table at the drop of a hat.  Obviously they’re going to get married at the end of this book anyway, but how long is it going to take before one thing sets him off he banishes his new wife to Canada?  He’s shown a propensity for being ridiculously selfish and acting in extreme ways out of personal hurt and spite, even though he couches everything in pretty words.  But smiling as you freak out isn’t any less emotionally abusive.