A/N: Fair warning this is the second to last chapter of this story. The final chapter is already written and will be posted hopefully by the end of the week.
Never Say Never
Chapter 32
Lorelei knew she had to confront Paul today. It was now or she wouldn't have the nerve to do it for a while.
She knew the arena, in this case their place of business, wasn't ideal, but this was the only neutral territory they could both get to.
"You know you don't have to go this alone," Dave said.
"Dave, I can't always have your or Randy protect me. Some things you just have to do on your own. You understand," Lorelei told him.
"What's up with you and Randy anyway?" Dave asked. He hadn't got an answer from the man in question.
"We're good friends," Lorelei said in a tone Dave knew to mean there was room for the relationship to grow.
"Be careful," Dave advised both on the impending meeting with Paul and whatever future she and Randy might have.
"Will do," Lorelei said. "I'm gonna find Paul. This might take a while so don't worry about me."
She set off in search of her hopefully soon to be ex-husband. She felt bad their relationship deteriorated to this point, but she also knew there was nothing she could do about it.
Paul knew the only thing Lorelei asked from him was that this go through without a hitch on his part, but he couldn't. If she still loved him he had to keep fighting for the currently failing relationship.
He knew it wouldn't be to long before Lorelei came to find him and ask why he hadn't just signed the papers and been done with it.
It didn't surprise him when it didn't take her long to find him.
"Why can't you just sign the papers?" she demanded the moment she saw him.
"Lorelei, lets take this somewhere more private," Paul suggested. He didn't want everyone to hear the argument that he was sure would ensue.
Lorelei followed him to his locker room. He was sure it was reluctant on her part.
"I haven't signed the papers because I still love you and you still love me," Paul said.
"There is a difference between being in love with someone and loving someone," Lorelei pointed out. "I will always love you, but right now I want to throttle you every time I see you."
"What if the feeling is different in a few months when things calm down and we reach whatever the new normal is?" Paul asked.
"Then we can start over and have a normal, or closer to it anyway, relationship," Lorelei said. "Right now the relationship we have isn't healthy for either of us."
"But relationships evolve and ours could grow out of this phase," Paul said.
"How is our relationship going to evolve when I can't even look at you without fighting the urge to strangle you," Lorelei demanded. She hated telling him this, but it was time.
"Don't you think divorce is a little extreme?" Paul asked knowing she would practically lash out at him for saying that.
"Paul, we're not the same people we were when we got married. You just what to make yourself look good by trying to salvage some sort of relationship. Let me tell you something: your heart isn't the one on the line right now; mine is," Lorelei said trying to contain her temper. She wanted to prove that she could calmly and rationally talk about this like an adult.
"Oh and your telling me your gallivanting with Irvine and Orton was completely innocent?" Paul demanded.
"I didn't do any thing compared to what you did to me. You slept with Stephanie just because you were pissed at me for taking care of one of my best friends," Lorelei said.
"And you didn't date Chris because you wanted to make me jealous?" Paul asked.
"I dated Chris because he made me feel good about myself. He didn't treat me differently because the relationship you and I used to have.
"What about Orton?" Paul demanded.
"He saved me from myself the way you should have. If you would have listened or been more compassionate and listened to my view on things I wouldn't have left to begin with. I was prepared to be with you through the long haul until you decided to not find me," Lorelei said unsure of why she was telling him this when she only came to see what was preventing him from signing the papers.
"What if I'm not ready to sign those papers yet?" Paul asked.
"Why are you being a selfish bastard? The only thing I've ever asked of you was to sign those papers," Lorelei told him. "Is that to much to ask for?"
"I'm not ready to give up on us," Paul simply stated. He knew she wasn't going to like it but he had to tell her.
"Relationships are give and take, Paul. All you have done so far is take, and now you have only proved that you are physically incapable of giving anyone anything," Lorelei told him. "You can either sign the papers or we can go to court. I don't want to do that, Paul, but I need to spread my wings and fly solo for a while."
"Which is exactly why your staying with Orton," Paul said smugly.
"Whatever, Paul, I'm done," Lorelei said. She couldn't talk to him right now without hitting him.
Lorelei returned to Randy and Dave's dressing room to let them know she was alright.
"I take it things aren't going well?" Randy commented when the woman hit a locker door.
"Paul pretty much refused to sign the papers no matter what," Lorelei told him hitting the locker again. "If I don't get the papers soon I'm going to go through with a contested divorce."
"Hold up. Paul wanted to see how serious you were about this. He knows your as serious as a heart attack so he'll sign," Randy said.
"Everyone says that, but what if he doesn't?" Lorelei demanded emotionally.
"Then you can begin the expensive lengthy process for a contested divorce," Randy said not wanting the woman in front of him to get carried away like she tended to do.
"His exact words were 'I'm not ready to give up on us'. Doesn't that sound like a problem in getting an uncontested divorce?"
"How do you know he wasn't lying?" Randy asked.
"The same way you knew he wasn't lying when he promised to take the title away from you," Lorelei said. "There are two things he's willing to sell his soul to the devil for: our marriage, and that damned piece of gold."
Randy knew he had a point. Paul cared about very few things, but the few he did he would literally die for. With Paul everything was all or nothing.
Paul couldn't help but to think what Lorelei had said was right. If he had been more level headed he would have seen right through Stephanie's attempt to seduce him and at some point it would have been Lorelei carrying his baby.
