Woah. I was not expecting this chapter to be so difficult to polish and update. Hope you all enjoy! Things are about to pick up after this one :)
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WrestleMania 20
"A New McMahon"
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Helmsley,
I apologize if even seeing my name on the letterhead has brought you any anxiety or discomfort. I am not writing this letter to cause either of those things. It occurred to me just recently that the strain I put on your son during the final days of our marriage, most definitely, affected you and the rest of your family as well.
Before signing the divorce papers, I did apologize to Hunter for my actions. It was not a formal apology and I didn't fully elaborate on how sorry I was or why I did what I did. It was clear that he did not wish to hear my reasoning at the time. I don't think he'd be interested in hearing them now either. That being said, should he ever change his mind, I would not deny him his right to understand. I don't intend on denying him anything ever again. I know this includes staying completely out of his life, and I have done that. I will continue to do that.
Aside from Hunter, I know that I must have hurt you both very much. Please know that, despite my actions, it killed me to lie to you. The excitement and affection you showed me when thinking I was starting a family with your son was overwhelming. I have never felt more supported and loved in my entire life. I should have felt ashamed right then and there. I'm sorry that I did not. Finally having your acceptance, and Hunter's sole attention, further fueled my delusion that I was doing the right thing. Again, I'm very sorry. I have done my best to grow and become a different person, someone better than who I was back then.
I know neither of you truly cared for me while I carried your surname. I deserved this. I'm sorry to have put that strain on your relationship with your son. I didn't understand how to share someone whom I loved so fully. He was the only important person in my life. I had no experience in how to manage my emotions towards him. I'm sorry for all of the times he chose to remain in Connecticut with me instead of attending various family occasions. For the times we did join your welcoming family, I'm sorry that my insecurities often resulted in horrid behavior.
Please do not feel the need to respond to this letter. My word should mean nothing to you; however, I truly mean you no harm. I just wanted to give an apology where one was long overdue. You obviously have the power to share this correspondence with Hunter though I humbly ask that you don't. He has made it clear to me (and rightfully so) that I am to leave him alone. It's not my intention to cause him any discomfort ever again, and thus, hopefully, the two of you as well.
With regret and sincerity,
Stephanie McMahon
Patricia Helmsley left her son's dressing room at the start of WrestleMania XX. He never wanted his parents with him before a match. This had hurt her at the very beginning of his career. However, though her love for her son was unconditional, Patricia was no fool. She knew her baby boy could be, and often was, ruthless. She understood why he wouldn't want his mother and father present while he got himself into that headspace.
That evening, she could tell by his demeanor that this was particularly true. So she excused herself. Her husband would stay just a few minutes longer to offer advice, but she saw no reason to dilly-dally. Patricia wished Hunter good luck before kissing his cheek and leaving the room.
Out in the hallway, she rehearsed a quick, silent prayer that her son would finish his match uninjured. It mattered little to her if he were the WWE Champion.
Why she then chose to wander down the corridor was unknown even to her. She had just felt the urge to walk. A baby caught her attention. Though she wasn't often present at the arenas, she had been enough times to know that an infant was a rare sight. Looking upward at the man holding the child was bittersweet. She was simultaneously not surprised that it was a McMahon who was allowed to bring their baby into the locker room area and saddened by the presence of Shane. She had always liked him. They made eye contact from across the hall.
"Mrs. Helmsley," he greeted cheerfully.
"My, my," she replied while walking towards him. "Who is this precious bundle?"
"My son," Shane said. The smile on his face was radiant. "He's just a month old. This is his first adventure out of the house."
"And what an adventure it is. Not everyone can claim their first party was WrestleMania."
"Yeah well," he laughed. "He's not much of a party animal yet."
They both smiled at the sleeping baby in his arms.
"He's beautiful, Shane. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
There was a pause that Patricia wondered was only tense for her. Seeing babies anywhere near Hunter always set her on edge.
"Do you know if my former daughter-in-law is here tonight?"
Shane looked surprised at her quiet question.
"Uh," he started, unsure.
"I actually still have something of hers at my home. I was hoping to grab her address to return it."
She watched Shane internally decide whether or not to believe the lie. After a moment, he decided Patricia was harmless enough.
"She may or not be sharing my mother's office down by the catering hall."
"I may or may not just run into her then."
Her answer was smooth and appreciated by Shane immediately. They smiled and exchanged pleasantries before she continued down the hallway.
When Patricia entered the office labeled 'L. McMahon' she found herself in a room full of women.
Linda sat at her desk, chatting formally to someone on the phone. Stephanie and Marissa sat together on a black leather couch, conversing quietly as to not disturb the matriarch's business call.
All three McMahons went wide-eyed at the sight of her.
"Hello," offered Patricia, a bit firmly.
Linda shot Marissa a wide-eyed look, the phone still against her ear.
Stephanie slowly stood from the couch.
"Hi, Pat."
A letter was conjured from Patricia's purse. She waved the piece of paper between herself and her former daughter-in-law for just a second.
"What's this," spat Patricia looking straight at Stephanie.
"An apology," she started.
"Too fucking late."
"I know," tried Stephanie again. "I'm sorry. My therapist said I shouldn't -"
SMACK!
Stephanie's face jerked to the right from the force of Patricia's hand. The sound resonated off of the walls of the small office and kick started a commotion.
"Oh my god," cried Marissa, jumping up from her seat on the couch.
"How dare you! I never," went on Linda, hanging up the phone and joining Marissa by Stephanie's side.
Neither Patricia or Stephanie heard her rant. A sharp ringing pierced Stephanie's thoughts as she shook her head to try and clear it. Her cheek was stinging and hot, no doubt already turning a deep shade of red. Patricia cradled her dominant hand to her chest. It throbbed from the force she'd used to slap Stephanie. She'd never hit someone before. The pain was ridiculous. How do these people do it?
She was horrified. Embarrassed. She'd come here to give Stephanie a piece of her mind, not a slap.
"What do you think you're doing?! Your son will never work another match! Do you hear me? This is absolutely unacceptable!"
Linda was losing it. Marissa's wide-eyes jumped between the two older women in distress. She was rubbing Stephanie's back and trying to convince the youngest McMahon to let her see her face. Stephanie had hissed a quiet fuck before covering her burning cheek with her hand.
"Security," screeched Linda as Patricia continued to simply stand in a trance before them all. "Security! At least we'll be done with this. I'll tell Hunter myself."
At her son's name, Patricia finally snapped out of it. Horror contorted her features. She'd just ruined everything. Everything her son had ever worked for…
"No," she squeaked. "Please."
"Who do you think you are?! We ought to -"
"Mom," shot Stephanie. "Enough."
The women snapped their attention to Stephanie. She was cringing, her hand still flat against her cheek.
"Steph," whispered Marissa.
"I'm fine," she responded quickly. "Give us a minute."
"Absolutely not," interjected Linda. "You did nothing to deserve -"
"Seriously?!"
Stephanie's sarcastic expression towards her mother lasted for an instant. Opening her mouth like that had made her cheek burn even worse. Patricia looked away.
"It's been years," continued Linda.
"You don't have to do this," agreed Marissa.
It was like Patricia had left the room. None but Stephanie paid her any mind.
"I'm fine," repeated Stephanie. "Please let us have the room."
"Fine," snapped Linda again. "I'll go let your father know that there's been a change of plans for the main event."
Patricia cringed. Her eyes stung. Her hand was on fire.
I'm so sorry, my baby boy.
"Mom, stop," said Stephanie with finality.
"We're not ignoring this, Stephanie."
"Stop," she repeated. "Wait outside and leave dad out of this."
The mother-daughter duo faced each other opposingly. It took a moment, but Linda eventually calmed down. She shot Patrica a stern look and pointed at her.
"We'll be right outside that door. Keep your hands to yourself."
Linda moved to leave the room but stopped when her daughter-in-law failed to follow.
"Steph," said Marissa again.
"I'm alright. Just give us a minute."
Marissa looked to Patricia finally and upon seeing the older woman's remorseful expression, decided to respect Stephanie's wish.
"We'll be right outside," she said to Stephanie.
Stephanie nodded and waited for her relatives to leave the room before turning to Patricia, her hand still cradling her cheek.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I had hoped my letter would bring you some comfort. Clearly, that was a mistake."
Patricia made note of the fact that Stephanie was staring just above her head, avoiding eye contact. Her throat constricted and she fought to swallow.
"Why now?"
Stephanie shrugged.
"I've wanted to for a long time. I found the guts just recently."
Patricia wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. Looking around the office, she fought the tears trying to escape her eyes.
"We're all so angry at you. You hurt him so badly."
Her peripheral vision saw Stephanie hang her head. Patricia used the opportunity to look over her former daughter-in-law.
She was dressed business-like, but more casual. Her hair was in natural curls. Little make-up powdered her skin. Her nails were short and painted a blush pink. She hardly resembled the spoiled brat her son had married. It was unnerving. Patricia's memories of Stephanie were vivid and haunting. Just hearing the young woman's name set her on edge. But now, seeing her, put together and looking prettier than ever, it both shocked and infuriated Patricia.
Her son had never been the same. And here she was thriving.
"I'm not showing him this," she said coldly, waving the letter once more. "And I haven't shown Paul either. This is the last thing any of us need."
Stephanie's blue eyes raised to Patricia's finally, and the older woman's heart lurched.
Sure, the heiress was tall and beautiful. She looked to be doing better than ever.
But her eyes were so sad.
And defeated.
Stephanie put on a brave face and gulped.
"I understand," she said.
"And I had best not hear of you contacting him either."
"I won't. I haven't."
"Things are better off this way. You're both better."
Liar.
Stephanie nodded.
"What you did… You'll never understand. What we went through. All of us," stammered Patricia.
"I'm sorry."
"And you're here. And your family runs all of this. And he can never get away. Always having to interact with you all. Monsters, the whole clan. How do you all do it? Just use people and then throw them away?"
Patricia's eyes had begun to bounce around the room again. She wasn't a confrontational woman. And she didn't speak this way to people. But she was just so angry. Even after all this time. And the recent memories of her broken son were too much to bare. Maybe things would be better if they did fire him. Then he could get away, be normal.
She looked again to Stephanie. The latter was watching her pace with the same pitiful expression. Her mouth opened. Patricia assumed it was to refute her.
"You know I told him that you were a mistake? That the whole wedding was ridiculous. That the two of you were the most incompatible couple I had ever seen. Over and over. That whole first year, I begged him to leave you. But nooooo. He loved you. And you were terrible. Terrible to him. Terrible to me. Terrible to the whole family."
Stephanie's mouth had not yet closed. She'd opened it to adjust her aching jaw. After rubbing the side of her face with her palm, she finally allowed her hand to fall. Then she kept quiet and continued to look towards Patrica.
At the realization that Stephanie was not going to fight back, however, Patricia fell silent. Bile rose in her throat. This wasn't her. She didn't act this way. She didn't say hurtful things like that. Her chest tightened. These fucking McMahons.
After a moment, Stephanie spoke quietly.
"I'm sorry. I meant everything I wrote in that letter. I won't contact you again. I haven't contacted -"
Her sentence halted with a weird squeak. She cleared her throat.
"I haven't spoken to Hunter in over a year."
Patricia stared at Stephanie's exposed cheek. It was bright red. Her chest tightened further.
"Good," she managed to spit out.
Stephanie took a short breath.
"My parents won't retaliate. I'll make sure of it. Hunter will still have his job, and his title, tomorrow."
Patrica gulped. The tears she'd stifled, slipped down her cheeks. She hastily brushed them away. Stephanie looked to her feet.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?"
The older woman puffed out her cheeks and looked towards the ceiling. Everything she'd said and done seemed stupid and pointless now. An emotional outburst with nothing to gain, but everything to lose. If her son knew she'd just gambled with his career…
She looked to Stephanie's hung head and fought the urge to scream. Instead, she walked forward and took hold of the younger woman's chin. Stephanie cautiously titled her head backward, alert to any possible sign of violence. But Patricia had turned calm. She studied Stephanie's face with imploring, teary eyes.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have slapped you."
They stared at one another.
"How are you?"
Stephanie's brows knitted with confusion.
"What?"
Patricia shook her head and blinked, clearing her eyes of tears.
"Hunter," she started, but the truth died on her lips. Stephanie shouldn't know. "Hunter is well," she said.
Stephanie looked to her former mother-in-law like she'd just grown a set of horns.
"That's good," she said quietly.
"Are you well," asked Patricia.
Stephanie gave a faint nod, but her eyes seemed to stir. She was lying. Patricia could tell. The older woman's hand left her chin and cupped the cheek she'd smacked.
"I'm sorry," she repeated.
"It's alright."
"No, it's not," she stroked the inflamed skin gently.
"I'm sorry," said Stephanie. "For everything that happened."
"Are you really?"
"Yes. It was the biggest mistake of my life."
The two fell silent. The tense atmosphere seemed to loosen. Where there had been resentful heat, there was now cool steam. Patricia took a step back, dropping her hand from Stephanie's face.
"I don't know if I should be happy or upset that that's how you see it."
Stephanie shrugged, "I don't think it matters."
Patricia gave a mournful smirk.
"I guess not. But you do look well."
Stephanie looked to her feet.
"Thank you."
The awkwardness returned. Patricia looked towards the door and then back at Stephanie.
"I should get going. Paul will be looking for me soon."
The younger woman nodded, but said nothing. Patricia ran a hesitant hand through her short hair.
"I'm so embarrassed," she admitted. "I'm sorry, Stephanie. My behavior just now -"
"It's fine, Pat. It was long overdue."
"Don't say that. No one should ever -"
"It happens."
"It doesn't," insisted Patricia. "It does here and that's why I've never wanted Hunter around all this."
Stephanie simply shrugged. They argued about this before. Years ago. Money, power, and fame meant so little to the Helmsley's. Their prodigal son's drive for material success was foreign to them.
When Patricia reached the door, she looked back at Stephanie one more time. She wanted to say something else, but she didn't know what. Anger and regret mixed with a strange feeling of remorse. In the end, she chose to leave without another word. She avoided both Linda and Marissa outside the door, suddenly desperate to reunite with her husband and find their front row seats.
Later that evening, Patricia's son would lose his championship. On the grandest stage, he was outmatched and humiliated. Hunter had trained and prepared his hardest for the Triple Threat. But he was running on empty. His destructive behavior had finally caught up.
Afterwards, away from Madison Square Garden, away from the Helmsley's, in a top-floor hotel suite, Stephanie lay naked in bed staring up at the dark ceiling. A single, silent tear left the corner of her eye and slipped down the side of her face. Beside her, a man slept peacefully.
It was her first sexual encounter since the disastrous one-night-stand at the end of her marriage. A two-year drought ended due to her interaction with Patricia Helmsley. She just couldn't do it anymore. She couldn't keep waiting, pining. Two years. It felt like an eternity.
Her guest was an accountant for a corporate office just across the street from Titan Towers. He had taken her to dinner seven times in the past two months. He was intelligent, charming, and very handsome. He had been patient, allowing her to initiate anything intimate. When she called him, minutes after Patricia had left Linda's office, he hurried into the city from Stamford. A last minute invitation to Wrestlemania was better than none.
Stephanie turned onto her side, away from Greg. She recalled Mrs. Helmsley's sympathetic face, and wished she'd hugged the woman. Despite having been assaulted by her. She glanced at the nightstand where her cellphone sat. But she'd made a promise. Not just to her former in-laws, but to herself. She was better now. She was moving on. She'd slept with someone.
He had slept with everyone. And she was sure he had never laid awake afterwards. So she did her best to sleep, closing her eyes and thinking of how relaxed her body felt.
It's okay. You're okay. It's okay. You're okay. It's time.