It was New Year's Eve and everyone knew that South Beach was the place to be. Miami was notorious for its partying all year round so the biggest night of the year would be no exception. Joey El had spent a relaxing Christmas vacation with her older sister. The two women had time to catch up and restablish their bond. The awful truth about Stu had set them free and now it was a new beginning. The WWE Superstars had been given five days off for the holiday then it was back to the usual grind before another short vacation to celebrate the new year. Ever since the night of the company Christmas party, Joey had not been able to get Heath or their two kisses out of her mind. Their friendly flirting had continued but the pair had yet to have a serious talk about the direction in which their relationship was heading. She had hoped they would get to ring in 2011 together but Heath had already made plans with the boys. Not one to sit around, Joey had decided to live it up with Layla and some of their friends. It was after 10:30 p.m. when Joey emerged from the shower. Layla had taken off a couple hours before to have dinner with a girlfriend. The plan was for Joey to join them at a nearby club before midnight. Smiling, she had chosen a sexy strapless little black number with heels. She had taken extra time flat ironing her hair and her make up had to be just right as well. Humming a tune to herself, she sat in front of the large vanity mirror in her bedroom to finish getting ready. Her cell phone rang and she answered immediately. It was Layla.

"Joe, where are you?" Layla asked, over the loud crowd in the background.

"Almost ready," she told a little white lie, not wanting her sister to freak out at the late time. "How is it?"

"Amazing. The deejay is hot, the drinks are flowing. All that's missing is you so hurry up."

"I'm on my way," she grinned. "Hang tight and don't have so much fun without me."

"We're waiting. Love you."

Joey hung up the phone and finished getting ready. Ten minutes later, it rang again.

"Lay, I'm coming, babe, but if you don't let me get my face on, I'm never gonna get there," she spoke into the phone, not bothering to check the incoming number.

"Big plans tonight, I see."

Joey cringed. It wasn't Layla on the other end of the line.

"Stu…"

"You seem surprised to hear from me."

She cleared her throat.

"I, I guess. What's going on? What do you want?"

"That's no way to greet an old friend."

She rolled her eyes.

"I really don't have time to fight with you."

"I didn't call for a fight, Johana. I called to talk."

"Why?" she asked softly.

"Because we haven't talked in a while. You have been avoiding me at work."

"I have not."

"Don't lie to me."

She bit her lip. Joey had been avoiding him like the plague. It somehow made it easier. A part of her still loved him. A part of her was still hurting from how things had ended. It was still too fresh and too hard and Stu was impossible to talk to sometimes.

"I don't know what there is to talk about."

"There's plenty."

"Like?"

He paused for a second.

"Like what you're doing tonight."

"It's New Year's Eve. What do you expect me to do? Sit on the couch and watch Ryan Seacrest?"

"With your lover Heath?"

"Don't start. First of all, Heath and I are not nor have we ever been lovers. And I am going out with my sister and friends tonight, thank you very much. Heath is partying with the guys and if you weren't such a bad friend, maybe you would know that. Maybe they even would have invited you to come along but I guess that would have been pointless considering you're probably going to be celebrating with your wife tonight," she spat.

"Leave Jacqueline out of this."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"This is so stupid, Stu. I don't have time to deal with this."

"What is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem, we're just over. I can't be with you anymore. Our relationship was a mistake, Stu, one huge mistake. I was lost in my life and you came along with your good looks and charm and swag and it totally swept me off my feet. I really needed that attention at the time. But we were wrong. You were married and we never should have started hooking up. We got caught and it could have cost both of us our careers. How stupid is that to risk something we've both worked for years to accomplish? At the time I wasn't thinking, I didn't care. Now I realize how dumb that was. I put everything on the line for sex, for love. The whole time we were only fooling ourselves. If you haven't left Jackie by now, you won't. I get that. And maybe that's for the best. I don't know. What I do know is that I can't be in this situation anymore. It's toxic. It hurts too much. I hate myself for loving you and being with you. I am ashamed of what I, of what we've done. And I know that I've worked too hard to make a name for myself in the WWE. Wrestling is my life. I can't think of anything else I want to do. I don't want to get fired. And I don't want to be talked about and known as the girl that lost it all because she couldn't stop sleeping with that married guy. My priorities were all mixed up before and now they're not. I'm sorry."

"So it's really over?"

"Yes. It's over because you're married, it's over because you've lied to me so many times, it's over because I want to keep my job and oh yeah, it's over because you can't keep your hands to yourself."

He laughed an evil laugh on the other end of the phone.

"I was angry and I admit my actions, though well provoked, were out of control. But I am not a batterer, Johana and I refuse to let you paint me as one."

"Whatever, Stu. Paint it anyway you want. We're done."

"And Heath?"

"What about him?"

"Are you sleeping with him?"

"No! For the millionth time and I really wish you would stop asking."

He wouldn't let it go.

"Something isn't right. I am very suspicious of the situation. Heath is a rat."

"Heath is my friend."

"There you go defending him."

"Because you keep badmouthing him for no good reason."

"Do you know what I think?"

"I'm sure you're gonna tell me…"

"I think that the two of you took our little game of pretend too far. I think that you two slept together in West Virginia over Thanksgiving break. And I also think that you are a dirty, lying whore!"

Joey cringed at his verbal assault.

"I am not going to listen to this…"

"Why? Truth hurt?"

"You hurt. God, Stu, you have hurt me so much in so many ways and I just can't take it anymore."

"You disgust me. You selfish little bitch, to sit here and act like you're the only person that ever sacrificed in this relationship. I put my career on the line, too. I was preparing to leave my wife. Everything you went through, I went through it too and for you to say I didn't is nothing but fuckery."

"Stu…"

"You've said what you had to say now shut up and let me have my turn! You disgust me, Johana. You want to play Little Miss Innocent? What a joke! You're a joke. You have some nerve to talk about your regrets. What about my regrets? You are my regret. I had so much love for you but now I only feel contempt and disgust and hate. Do you hear that, Princess? I hate you! And I regret ever meeting you, falling for you, and for sure ever having sex with you. I only hope Heath and whoever else in the Nexus who is next in line for a piece, enjoys my sloppy seconds. I can't wait to ask that red headed waste of space what I taste like."

With her hands shaking and tears filling her eyes, Joey ended the phone call. Her heart pounded inside her chest. Stu Bennett's words hurt just as much as his fists. Getting up, she flipped open the lid of the toilet and spilled her insides into the bowl. She was a disgusted bundle of raw, rattled nerves. In a few minutes, everything had changed. She had been so happy, carefree and excited and now he had managed to ruin it all. He had hurt her to the core and his sinister words rang in her head over and over again. The last thing she felt like was going out and partying and being around people. Mascara streaked tears fell down her cheeks. Grabbing a warm cloth, Joey scrubbed the make up from her face. She hastily typed Layla a text saying she wouldn't be joining them after all. Joey felt awful and getting all dolled up was no longer an option either. She wanted to look as bad as she felt. Pulling her hair up into a loose and messy bun, she changed into a pair of faded and worn sweats and a tee shirt that was about three sizes too big. Wallowing in her own misery, Joey grabbed a spoon and a pint of ice cream from the freezer. She plopped down on the couch. It looked like she was going to have a date with Ryan Seacrest after all.

Stuffing her face, Joey sadly thought about how she had been so cavalier as to let her life spiral out of control the last year. The old saying went that the way a person rang in the New Year set the tone and mood for how they would spend the rest of the year. Joey could only groan and pray the next 12 months wouldn't be as awful. Hindsight was 20/20 and if she had it to do all over again, how things would be done differently. But now there was nothing she could do except for hope she wouldn't get caught. It was bad enough getting over Stu and putting the pieces to her life back together but there was the issue of work as well. Even though she had officially ended their torrid relationship, Joey knew that if Stephanie ever caught wind of what had gone down, they would all be in hot water…poor Heath included. Her phone rang and she saw that it was Layla. She didn't want to talk. She wasn't ready. What was there to say? Joey felt terrible and knew it was unfair to spoil everyone else's good time. She just wanted to be alone even though the noise of her racing thoughts was at times too much to bear. People made mistakes all the time and she had made some big ones. Could they be forgiven? If she was really sorry, could she, they somehow escape the trap of consequences that would surely await them? Sighing loudly, Joey put the phone on airplane mode and sank back into the sofa, letting her tears of shame, confusion, anger and sadness fall. At that moment, she truly hated herself. Hugging her knees to her chest, she sobbed until she couldn't cry anymore. Finally she wiped her eyes and stared blankly at the television set. It was less than a minute until midnight. A loud knock at the door disturbed her growing depression. Joey cursed to herself. It was just like Layla to worry and come check on her. Maybe she had forgotten her key. Standing up, Joey walked to the door as the seconds ticked away on the TV. Letting out a deep breath, she opened the front door, speech already prepared. But to her shock, it was not her sister.

5…4…3…2…1…

"Happy New Year, babe."

It was Heath. And before she could open her mouth, he had silenced her with a kiss.