Chapter 35

As it turned out, the repercussions for slapping Stephanie were pretty minor. Mel was suspended for a period of three days without pay, but she got to keep her title and her storyline with Mike was going to proceed like normal. It had surprised her that she hadn't gotten in more trouble, but then again, she was the Divas' Champion and they needed her around. Since they had stripped Mike of his Intercontinental title without providing any reason, the fans had been asking a lot of questions, so they had probably realized that taking another wrestler's title away would cause the fans to explode.

Since Mel had gotten suspended and Mike had a storyline with her, he couldn't wrestle for three days. Mel had felt really bad about that, but Mike had assured her that it was no big deal. "Besides," he had said with a crooked grin. "That means I get to spend three whole days with you." That had made her feel a lot better.

Mel was up early the next morning, lacing up her tennis shoes. She was wearing a pair of yoga pants and a fitted tank top, and her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. She hadn't gone for a run in quite awhile, and she had woken up with the urge.

A quick glance over at the bed let her know that Mike was still asleep, sprawled on his stomach. A flood of warmth washed over her, and for a moment she considered ditching the running and crawling back into bed. It was still pretty early, after all. But if she did that, she would feel guilty for not going.

Mel made her decision, and she grabbed the card key by the door and left the room, heading to the elevator. She stepped in and hit the button for the lobby, fiddling around with her iPod, which was strapped to her arm. She was untangling her earbuds when the elevator doors slid open, and she looked up, surprised because the elevator couldn't have arrived at the lobby so quickly. Her eyes landed on the last person that she wanted to see, and she froze up, a sick feeling settling in her stomach.

"Hey, Melly," Roman greeted her, looking just as awkward as she was feeling. He stepped into the elevator and hit the lobby button as well, then stepped back so he was leaning up against the wall of the elevator.

Mel looked down at the ugly carpet below her feet, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. She hadn't seen or spoken to Roman since she had caught him in bed with Sasha, and this was not the way she had envisioned meeting him again. She wanted to scream at him and break down crying all at once.

They stood in silence as the red numbers ticked down, Roman staring at the doors and Mel playing with her earbuds. She had untangled them already, but she had tied them together again just so she could preoccupy herself with untangling them.

The lobby was only a few floors away when Roman suddenly hit the stop button on the elevator, causing it to halt abruptly. Mel grabbed the rail to steady herself, and then she stared at Roman with wide eyes. What the hell was he doing?

"We need to talk," he said, turning to face her. His tone was very serious, as were his eyes. She had only ever seen this side of him when he was in character; the Roman she had known was playful and always full of laughter.

A sharp stab of pain pierced her heart when her thoughts started to turn to the good times she and Roman had had, and she looked away from him. "I don't want to talk to you. Let me out, please."

"We need to talk about what happened," Roman insisted, not moving an inch. "If we don't talk about it, then you're going to end up hating me forever, and that would kill me."

Mel eyed his hand, which was covering the button on the panel that started the elevator again. There was no way she could push him out of the way; he was 6'4" of solid muscle, and she was only 5'2". She didn't stand a chance against him. "I told you that I don't want to talk," she repeated, getting angrier. "Besides, don't you think it killed me to see you in bed with some other chick?"

Roman ran his free hand through his thick black hair, his eyes full of despair and shame. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I really am. I never in a million years wanted to hurt you. I'm not excusing what I did, but I was so lonely. You always had to go into the arena late, and all I wanted was some love. I see now that I was so stupid. I put myself in that position, and I had no right to blame you for that. All you were doing was your job. I loved you, I still do love you. Sasha means nothing to me, it was just a fling. I'm so, so, so sorry. Please believe me, Melly. I want you back. I need you back. Please."

Mel looked away from him, tears filling her eyes. There was a huge lump in her throat that she couldn't swallow past, and the tears started to trickle down her cheeks. She didn't know what to say. Roman had hurt her so bad, but just being near him made her miss him so much. It felt like there was a big hole in her chest where her heart was supposed to be, and it had gotten even bigger as soon as she had heard his voice. All that she wanted was her loving, playful, laughing husband back. The one who loved her so much he told her every day and every night. She missed him so much.

Roman was still looking at her, his eyes full of hope and love. He hoped to God that she believed him. He wanted her back so badly. These past couple of days had been hell without her. Every night when he went to bed alone, he was reminded of the fact that he had hurt the one person who he loved more than anyone else, and it killed him inside. Not to mention the rumors going around that she and Mike were a thing now. If that turned out to be true, he didn't know what he would do.

Mel made a choking noise in the back of her throat, the tears falling faster now. "I...I'm sorry, I can't do this," she whimpered, pushing his hand away and hitting the button to start the elevator again. It lurched back into motion, and in a few seconds the doors slid open to reveal the lobby.

"Mel," Roman said, his voice full of desperation. "Melly. Baby girl. Please don't run away...not from me...not from us…"

Her mind was spinning and she couldn't think straight. It suddenly felt like the elevator walls were closing in on her, and her breathing started getting shallow and rapid. She stumbled forward, practically falling out of the elevator. If she stayed in there any longer, she was going to pass out.

She could hear Roman calling after her, but she just took off running, heading for the front doors. She needed to get some air before she collapsed. She half expected to hear Roman running after her, but she didn't hear his heavy footsteps at all, which only made her feel worse. It felt like she had just blown her last chance at getting back together with him, but how could she when he had hurt her so bad?

The cool morning air felt good on her skin, and she sucked it into her lungs, trying to calm herself. She sat down on the sidewalk outside the hotel, leaning up against the side of the building. She was sweating pretty bad, even though she had only sprinted from the elevator to the front doors, and her heart was jack-hammering against her rib cage. She wasn't sure what the symptoms of a panic attack were, but she was pretty sure she had one.

Mel brought her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on them, closing her eyes so she wouldn't see the people on the street staring at her. She knew she probably looked odd, but she really didn't care. She needed to take a minute to seriously think about what had just happened, and to consider all of her options. This was going to be one of, if not the, hardest choice she had ever made.

On one hand, there was Mike, the guy who had essentially put her back together. He was so sweet, and kind, and caring, and he treated her with a tenderness that Roman never had. The only downside was that he was still technically married to Maryse, even if they were currently separated. Stephanie was right, it didn't make her any better than Sasha.

On the other hand, there was Roman, the guy who she had fallen madly in love with and married. He had been her first, and she thought he would be her last, until he cheated on her. He was so playful and funny and full of life, though. He brought out the best in her, and she felt like she could be herself around him. He was the love of her life, and he probably always would be.

Mel sighed heavily. They both meant a lot to her, but she could only choose one. The problem was, whoever she didn't pick was going to be crushed.

Why did life have to be so hard?