Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Kidnapping, Threats, Non-Con, Murder, Self-Harm, Suicide, etc.

A/N: I honestly cannot convey how surprised and excited I was to see fourteen new reviews for Letters of Hate waiting in my inbox this morning. Thank you all so much for your support with this story, and I am glad that I've been able to create a story that has entertained you for forty-four chapters and counting. Thank you again to all of my dedicated fans!

Seth's hand was trembling as he raised the phone to his ear, and he had to forcefully remind himself to remain calm. It didn't take a rocket scientist to be able to tell that something was very, very wrong, and the last thing he wanted to do was make the situation any worse. With that in mind, he offered a curt, "Hello?"

"Seth," the relief in the Samoan's tone was palpable. "Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. You just... caught me at a bad time, is all." Clearly unwilling to share anything more, he quickly moved to the matter at hand. "I need you to do me a huge favor."

But Seth didn't want to hear it. He had already steeled himself to weather the war, but now, he had to instigate it. "Where are you?"

"It doesn't matter where I am." Came the immediate response. There was bite behind his words, and it cut Seth like a knife. "I need you to -,"

Never one to take 'no' for an answer, Seth pushed harder. "Your reluctance to answer my question makes me think that the answer actually does matter." The two-toned man bit back, his words equally as caustic. "Where's Dean?"

Again, the response was virtually automatic. "I don't want to talk about Dean."

"Well, guess what? You have no choice." The sarcasm in his tone was practically palpable. "I don't think you understand the fact that there are police officers crawling around my hospital bed, trying to get me to pin Dean for murder!" Here, his volume dropped significantly. "Please... just come back, and we'll sort all this out."

"You haven't said anything to them, have you?" Roman actually sounded worried, and that deepened the wound of betrayal in Seth's heart.

"How could you accuse me of something like that?" Seth shot back, feeling hot tears begin to form in his eyes.

A sigh, followed by a pregnant pause. This conversation had taken a sudden, vicious downturn. Suddenly, Roman returned with, "Look, I didn't mean it like that, okay? I just have a lot on my mind, that's all." Another pause, this one significantly shorter. "I'm in Orlando, okay? Please, don't cry."

Seth sniffled, wiping at his eyes with his good hand. "Why would you... be in... Orlando?" Even as the question fell from his lips, he realized, "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with that nurse asking me 'where', would it?" The silence told him everything that he needed to know. "Oh my God... where's Dean?"

"Seth, please don't start this right now." It was clear that Roman was fighting pure instinct to simply break, but Seth would not relent.

"Where is Dean?!" Seth asked, louder and more forceful this time.

"Seth -,"

"Where?!"

And Roman, who simply couldn't take anymore of the back-and-forth bickering, screamed, "He left us, okay?! He ran off at the first sign of trouble." Seth's end of the line went unbearably silent. "He took your ring, his stuff, the car... everything. He left us, Seth." Another pause, "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

But Seth wasn't listening anymore. After the first declaration, the phone had fallen from his hand, flopping lifelessly upon the bed. His body was painfully rigid, and his eyes, which were open wide, were fixed sightlessly upon the opposite wall. It just didn't make sense. It was almost as if the words that Roman had spoken were from a different language and foreign to Seth's ears. He left. That was impossible. The bond that they shared... it was deeper than mere love or lust... what they had was real. They were a family. And you don't just walk out on family like it means nothing.

Roman was still speaking - Seth could tell, as he was just barely able to identify the jumbled, static-like noises coming from the phone as words. Perhaps he was attempting to regain Seth's attention, or maybe he was continuing to denounce Dean. Seth couldn't know for sure and, quite frankly, didn't care. This betrayal cut him on an unfathomable level... so much deeper than the scars left behind by Ryback's abuse, so much more prevalent than the emotional scars left by the letters. And he didn't know what to believe. Would Dean really abandon him so cruelly, or was Roman a liar?

It wasn't long after that that Roman ended the call, probably convinced it was a bad connection. Seth paid little notice. Instead, he grabbed hold of his phone and shuffled through the many voicemails that he had been left over the last couple of days. Most were from friends and fellow superstars (though those that crossed into both categories were few and far between) wishing him a speedy recovery with the broken wrist. He listened to all of them, taking little notice of their content. It wasn't until he reached the last message that he paused. It was the voicemail from Dean, which he had been so hesitant to listen to earlier. He pressed play.

There was a short beep, followed by, "Hey Seth... it's Dean. I really... I don't know how to say this, so I'll just come right out and say it. I'm gonna leave, honey. It's time for me to move on, and I think it's time for you to do so too.'

"I want you to know that I will always love you. This isn't about falling out of love with you, or not wanting you anymore, or anything that happened regarding the monster. No - this is me realizing that I love you, and in order to truly show you that, I have to let you go.'

"Roman's gonna take good care of you, baby. I have no doubt that you'll be in good hands. This is the end, Sethie. I love you, so I'm willing to let you go. And if you love me... you'll let me go to."

A mechanical voice came over the line, informing him that it was the, "End of message. To erase, press seven. To save, press nine -,"

Before the message could even complete, he'd already tapped the nine. The tears, which he had fought so hard to contain earlier, were now flowing freely down his cheeks. Roman hadn't lied... Dean had really left. He'd thought that leaving would be some dramatic show of love, but at that moment, Seth felt anything but. He felt neglected, left behind... useless, even. Why had Dean left him? If he loved him so much, why couldn't he just stay with their family? Hurriedly, Seth dialed Roman's number again, hoping to catch him and apologize... but then, he stopped. Placing the phone down onto the tray, he curled up on his bed and cried instead.