Chapter 28

"I can't believe this is happening…"

Maura stood in front of the long aisle of different pregnancy tests, trying to pick one out to purchase. She was a week late on her period and had a sinking feeling she knew why. Ever since agreeing to have a baby, Joe had been relentless with the sex. Maura tried convincing him to let her go home so he could focus on work, but he somehow turned the tables and made her stay on the road with him. Every night was hours upon hours of making love, even after a show. The sex was amazing and Maura should've been on cloud 9 with how much attention her husband gave her. She wasn't though. Every time his seed spilled inside of her was a chance of her conceiving a baby and it terrified Maura to no end.

What killed her the most about this entire situation was Maura fell in love with Joe, despite how they met each other or the fact she was planted for him by Stephanie and Paul. She could remember going to the venue with her nephew to see WWE Live and then taking him to the autograph signing the next day to meet Joe. What Thomas and her sister didn't realize was everything was planned from surprising her nephew with the tickets to going to the autograph signing. Paul and Stephanie paid for everything, making sure to plant her at the right place at the right time. Joe warming her hands up was a sweet gesture and the moment their eyes met, Maura knew she would love him for the rest of her life.

Even if she was a Mail-Order Bride planted for him by his bosses.

Now she was possibly pregnant with a baby she didn't want by the man she was in love with. Pregnancy scared her for several reasons – ones she couldn't divulge to Joe because then he would find out the truth. He wanted children, Maura didn't. It didn't matter what she wanted, however, as long as Joe remained happy and continued doing his job for the WWE. That was the whole point of the Mail-Order Bride scheme – to keep the top talent in the company happy. Sex, marriage, having babies – it was all a master plan to ensure the longevity of the business, at least in Paul and Stephanie's eyes. It was an iron-clad, bulletproof master plan that had worked in their favor all these years and Maura was part of it, unable to escape.

"Fuck it. I'll just take one of each." Maura mumbled, tossing countless pregnancy tests in the basket dangling from her arm and headed toward the register to pay for them.

The cashier smiled warmly at her while ringing up the pregnancy tests. "Aww good luck, babies are so adorable, aren't they?"

"Sure." Maura wanted to slap the chipper woman and cracked a small smile of her own that didn't reach her jade eyes.

A few minutes later, Maura was on her way out of the store and headed back toward the hotel, not realizing her world was about to completely unravel.


"Look at this shit, bro! Just look at it! You've been fucking scammed!"

Joe just sat and listened to his best friend and brother, not believing what was being said. None of it made sense, but at the same time, it did. All of it. The proof was in black and white in front of him, none of it needing an explanation. When Jon first paid him a visit, Joe figured he wanted to talk about the event tonight. The Royal Rumble – The Road to WrestleMania began tonight for everyone in the company. Tensions were high; everyone wanted to do well, but there were only so many spots to fill that were top level. What he didn't expect was Jon storming in his room, slapping down a manila envelope with Maura's name on it and going on a rant, calling her every name in the book.

He started thinking back to the autograph signing on that chilly day in Tampa with Maura and her sweet nephew, Thomas. Joe called him Tommy for short, loving the little guy, but his Aunt is who he wanted to meet more. Warming her hands up and feeling the raw deep connection just from a simple touch…It couldn't be faked. Had Maura lied to him this whole time about her feelings because she'd been planted for him by Stephanie and Paul? Did she not love him? Thinking back to the discussions they had regarding babies, it all started making perfect sense on why Maura tried convincing him to wait. She didn't want a baby with him, never did, and now he knew why.

"You need to get rid of her and divorce her ass, man! She's been using you this whole time! You deserve better than a piece of shit like her!"

Normally, Joe would've socked Jon in the mouth right now for how he spoke about Maura, but he couldn't bring himself to defend her. How could he when the truth stared him in the face, slapping him repeatedly demanding him to wake up? He understood why Jon was livid and felt the hard hot ball form in the pit of his stomach, threatening to burst. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration because he was a possible contender to win the Royal Rumble. Nobody knew who would win yet; Stephanie and Paul wanted it to be a surprise. All they said was Jon and Joe would end up in the top 4 and nothing more. The hard work and dedication they put forth in their careers was about to pay off, at least for one of them that night. Now, all Joe wanted to do was get as far away from Philadelphia as possible, including his wife.

"I already broke things off with Kinsley." Jon admitted, feeling the rage flowing through every vein in his 6'4 body. "I can't believe what a vindictive bitch she is to keep this from me and you! Being hired as a spy by Vince to uncover what the fuck's been going on in the company – exposing all the dirty secrets. I want nothing to do with her ever again, THE LYING CUNT!"

Joe didn't flinch when a chair flew across the room, smashing into pieces against the wall and kept his eyes fixated on the folder in front of him. It was open, but he wasn't looking at what was inside, not anymore. For the past hour, he looked and read bits and pieces from the folder, unable to do it all at once. His marriage was in shambles and the woman he gave his everything to didn't love him or want children. It was all built on lies and deception from the very beginning. How could he be this stupid not to realize something wasn't right with Maura? Did love really blind him from the harsh reality surrounding him? Sickened and disgusted with himself, Joe tossed the folder on the table, snapping his head up when the door to the room opened.

"Hey babe, I got your-" The words died on Maura's lips at the sight of Jon pacing and Joe sitting stoic at the table across the room. "What's going on here?"

"Why don't you tell us, you little-?!"

"Jon, leave us. Go to the arena and cool off. I'll meet you there." Joe's voice was a deep low baritone, so much pain pulsating through it.

"You sure, bro?" Jon didn't want to leave Joe alone with Maura, not in the mood to watch his best friend go to prison for murder.

"Yes. Go."

Against better judgment, Jon obeyed Joe's command and left the room, shooting a seething glare at Maura on his way out. Maura blinked, setting the bag down on the nearby table with Joe's cream in it he asked her to grab at the store. The pregnancy tests were hidden in the car; she would take them at the arena while Joe was out in the ring during the Royal Rumble. The last thing she wanted to do was distract him from one of the biggest nights of his life, in his wrestling career, but apparently something already did. Her jade eyes moved to the manila envelope lying on the table in front of her husband, confusion registering her face.

"Joe, what's going on?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Joe shot back, not able to look up at her and clasped his hands tightly in front of him with his elbows resting on his knees.

Maura had never heard her husband sound like this and it made her insides tighten viciously, tears already building in her eyes. "I-I don't understand…"

"You don't? Allow me to refresh your memory then." Standing, Joe took the envelope and whipped it as hard as he could, sending the contents within flying all over the room at her.

Maura looked down when one of the pages landed at her feet, a hand slapping over her mouth at the sight staring back at her. It was the ad she'd put in the Mail-Order Bride catalog Paul and Stephanie found her in. Oh no, how did he find out?! How did Jon find out?! She shakily stepped away from it, feeling violated at the mere touch of the paper and felt hot tears course down her cheeks. Her secret was out, Joe knew everything and now Maura would lose him.

"It's all true, isn't it? Every fucking word Jon just told me is true." There was no point in even questioning Maura because the guilty expression her face spoke volumes. "You lied to me, didn't you?"

She didn't respond, too shaken and shocked to speak, refusing to meet his eyes.

"LOOK AT ME!" Joe's Samoan temper flared and he stalked over to where she stood, grabbing her upper arms roughly in his hands to shake her a little. "YOU FUCKING LIED TO ME!"

Maura cried out when he pushed her back none too gently, making her land on her backside. Thankfully, it was carpeted, but putting his hands on her still scared Maura to death. Joe towered over her and Maura scrambled away from him until her back hit the door, breathing heavily. Her vocal cords picked the worst time to stop working because all she wanted to do right now was scream at him to get away from her. Joe had NEVER laid his hands on a woman violently, but he was tempted to make an exception for the deceitful lying bitch currently cowering in front of him.

"Why?" He had to know, lowering his voice again and squatted to be eyelevel with her, gritting his teeth when she still refused to look at him. "Why did you lie to me? Why would you whore yourself out like that? Are you fucking proud of yourself, Maura?"

No matter how hard she tried, Maura could only cry and didn't know how to answer any of his questions. What was she supposed to say? He knew the truth and was right in everything he said. Maura had whored herself out as a Mail-Order Bride for personal reasons. It didn't matter if she sat there and sobbed out her story; the fact of the matter was she lied to him. He married a liar, a whore and nothing could or would change it. Her upper arms flamed with pain from his harsh grip; no doubt Maura would have heavy bruises by morning or sooner.

Her silence pissed him off more and Joe shook his head, rising to his full height again to tower over her. "Get the fuck out of here. You make me sick and you're pathetic for selling yourself like a common whore. I'm filing for divorce as soon as I go home Wednesday and you better not be there. The locks will be changed immediately. If you're smart, you'll stay as far away from me as you can. And you won't see a PENNY of my money either, so don't even try going for alimony. If I were you, I wouldn't go to the arena tonight either. Just pack your shit up and go find another sugar daddy to take care of you. I'm done."

Maura managed to crawl to her feet using the door for leverage, knowing better than to take a step toward her soon-to-be ex-husband and felt incredibly nauseous. She was pale in the face, heartbroken and now currently homeless. Granted, the money Paul and Stephanie paid her was in a secret account, but it wouldn't be enough to support her for the rest of her life. Maura didn't bother wiping her tears away, deserving everything she received and more, opening the door to leave when Joe stopped her with his voice.

"I shouldn't tell you this, but I will anyway. Kinsley is the one who found out your secret. She lied to Jon about why she was really hired into the WWE. The way I see it, lying bitches need to stick together, so go track your buddy down. I'm sure you two can find some common ground." Joe shoved Maura the rest of the way out the door and slammed it in her face, leaving her standing there shaking like a leaf.

What did he mean Kinsley lied to Jon about why she was hired into the WWE? That made no sense. Kinsley was a commentator, right? Maura stumbled away from the door and headed toward the elevator, having her purse in hand with the rental keys. Jon would give Joe a ride to the arena, so at least she had wheels to get her to the airport and money to book a flight. Where she was going, she had no idea and would figure it out one step at a time. While driving, Maura thought back to the night they saved Kinsley from a disastrous date with Seth Rollins and what she said. The words had haunted her for 2 months, especially her nightmares. And now one of them had come true in Joe finding out the truth and losing him.

I suggest you worry about your own life issues and stay out of others.

Kinsley knew the truth back then, so why wait 2 months to expose her now? Something wasn't right; the pieces to the puzzle didn't fit. She knew Jon got the file on her from Kinsley, but why would Kinsley have her secret in a manila envelope? Then all the pieces suddenly came together when Maura received a text message, whipping her phone out and blinked more tears away to clear her already blurred vision.

Don't trust Kinsley Moore. She's a spy that was hired from my Dad and she will expose you along with everyone else.

A spy?! Maura suddenly screeched the tires in the middle of the road, thankful nobody was behind her and barely opened the door before emptying the contents of her stomach. She vomited for a solid 5 minutes, crying and sobbing, not caring who saw her at this point.

Her world was in shambles and it was all thanks to Kinsley Moore.