Chapter 27
"The cops asked me about where you were that night."
This was not exactly something Jon was ready to do, he had known it was coming after that story had been spun, but still. It made sense they were going to corroborate it with the other Superstar who had been near the scene. His life kind of sucked.
Jon sighed, looking at his friend. "Yeah?"
"Man, is it true, about you…fucking a bar rat?" Drake didn't want to believe it, not when Jon had Vallea, but Jon hadn't exactly been picky on his conquests prior to Vallea either.
Jon had to saddle up and he knew it; he had to deal with the lie and keep to the story. At least Vallea wasn't anywhere around to hear this. "Yeah, I did." He set his jaw defensively, eyes narrowing at the look he was being given. "Drake, things with Val were tense, okay? She was dead half the time or having panic attacks in the shower. I couldn't exactly go to her for…things."
On one hand, Drake got it. On the other… "If she finds out…fuck dude, that's wrong."
They weren't alone during this conversation. The 'harpies' as Ambrose liked to call them had listened in and both twins gaped at each other. Since everyone in WWE was being questioned and interrogated over Ryan Arrow and another Indie wrestler's death, they could all paint a picture of what happened. Besides that, word spread around very quickly because NOTHING stayed secret in WWE. If it was spoken about between two people, chances were, others would overhear. The twins continued listening and waited for the men to part before scurrying off without either noticing, or contemplating what to do with this newfound information.
"What are we gonna do?" Brie asked her sister, seeing the wheels turning in her sister's head. "Poor Vallea, she's such a nice girl too…"
"Yeah, she really is and she deserves better than that cheating asshole."
Nikki was feeling particularly vindictive since her relationship with John Cena had crashed and burned after 6 long years. They had even been engaged to be married; he asked her at WrestleMania, which was coming up, in front of millions of people on the Network and pay-per-view. Her heart was broken and why should she be the only one to be in pain? Spreading the misery helped.
"We're telling her."
Brie wasn't sure this was a smart idea because if Ambrose found out it was them… "God help us if he finds out…"
"He won't."
It had to be done right.
They just couldn't burst in on Vallea and tell her, that would be like playground tattling and nobody liked that. So Nikki bided her time and it came. Vallea was walking down the hallway, her nose buried in her smart phone, and Nikki felt spite warming her up.
"That's what he said, he, you know, did her in the bar parking lot."
"He did not! Ambrose is a pig!" Brie wasn't really on board with this, but that didn't mean she wouldn't play devil's advocate for her twin. They halted when they realized Vallea was now stopped and staring at them. "Oh honey, we're so sorry."
"At least he had the balls to tell you, though."
It'd been a week, a very long week, since the interrogation went down and so far, Vallea hadn't heard anything more from the police. Jon hadn't been questioned again either. They hadn't talked about their interrogation because neither wanted to upset the other, at least…that's what Vallea assumed. She felt her chest tighten at what the twins were saying, knowing she shouldn't believe a word they said, but…at the same time, Jon hadn't been very forthcoming about his time that night at Madonna's Bar. She still hadn't gotten a chance to do her own investigation there, deciding to do it the next time WWE was in Cincinnati for a show, which wouldn't be for at least another month or so.
"What are you two talking about?" She demanded, trying to keep the tension out of her voice and narrowed her eyes at the twins, especially Brie Bella, who looked very uncomfortable suddenly. "What have you heard?"
This was a really, REALLY bad idea. "We assumed you knew already…" Of course, that was a lie and Brie congratulated herself for keeping her voice even.
"Knew what?"
Nikki smiled sardonically, shrugging her shoulders. "Your man admitted what his alibi was the night your old boss was killed…and he was with another woman."
"A blonde."
"Don't know her name though."
"The referee, Drake, was talking to him about it."
"And your man didn't deny any of it. In fact, he told Drake things between you were…tense and he couldn't go to you for certain things. So he got them elsewhere."
Brie frowned, seeing the heartbreak in Vallea's eyes and reached out to her. "We're really sorry, sweetie. We wanted to tell you, but haven't found the right time due to how crazy everything's been."
Jon was with a blonde at Madonna's Bar the night Ryan and Nick were killed? He cheated on her while she was dead to the world, sleeping at the hotel? "I have to go." Vallea couldn't hear another word from these bitches and took off, heading right back to her office, trying to regulate her suddenly harsh breathing. Upon arrival, Seth Rollins was waiting for her and she mentally cursed, needing to push all of this Jon drama in the back of her mind until she was out of work, remembering Stephanie's warning.
"Hello, Mr. Rollins, please come in and I'll get your new designs out for you to look over." She had been on her way from catering and felt like vomiting everything she just consumed, pushing it down for the moment.
Even Colby could see something was wrong. Vallea was damn quick to cover it up and slap on her professional face, but he had seen that second of anguish and there was something off with her eyes. Something painful. "Is everything okay?" He asked hesitantly. He knew she had been questioned first by the cops, but since she hadn't been hauled off in cuffs, he assumed it had gone as well as it could.
The smile on her face was phony and did not touch her anguish-filled eyes as she nodded, lying through her teeth. "Yeah, never better."
Vallea turned her back, closed her eyes briefly, and continued pushing the pain down, ignoring it. She had NO idea what she was going to say to Jon when she saw him later that night and couldn't think about it right now. Slapping him across his face or kicking him in his junk was a great possibility, however.
"Okay, here we go…" She set the new designs on the table in front of him, making sure each one was visible, and had to admit, they were MUCH better than the first round. "I hope these are to your satisfaction, Mr. Rollins."
Colby studied them, dropping down into the chair, and nodded. The quality was definitely a lot better. The other ones hadn't been that bad, but obviously, someone had been having an off day or something because the quality in these new ones showed serious improvement. "I like them all." He admitted with a groan, knowing he couldn't pick them all. "What do you think?"
That was great to hear...or would've been, had she not just discovered her boyfriend's infidelity only minutes prior. "I'm with you. They are all fantastic. But if I HAD to choose one, I'd go with the third. The fire is brilliant and really stands out. Your character is all about 'burning it down', after all." That got a smile out of him and she reciprocated it. "That's just me though. They are all fantastic and you can't go wrong with whichever one you choose. My advice is to go with your gut instinct. Which one stood out to you the second you saw it?"
"The third, but it's a close call." He nodded, staring at them. "Yeah, the third. If there needs to be a second option, then this one." He tapped the design he was talking about, chuckling. "If that's all you need." He pushed himself up and away from the chair, staring down intently at her. She seemed a little more animated, but it was obviously forced. "You sure you're okay?"
Seth was the last person she should talk to about this, especially since he and Jon couldn't stand each other. The men had to go through counseling to be reminded how to act in the workplace. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you sure the third is the design you want faxed over?" When Seth looked at them again and nodded in affirmation, Vallea took it over to the machine to set it on the pile of others she had to fax over. "That's all I need from you then. Glad we finally got this taken care of and you're happy with the design."
"Well, if I hadn't been a total dick the first time we met…" Colby trailed off awkwardly and then managed a stiff smile. "Well, actually, we wouldn't have these awesome designs now, still doesn't excuse the behavior." Yeah, he wasn't making this any better, was he? "Sorry, I'll go." Clearing his throat, he headed out, shaking his head at what an asshat he was.
She was too distracted to go after him and let him know she didn't have an issue with him, her mind reverting back to what the Bella's said. Did Jon really cheat on her? If they overheard it from both Drake and Jon…Vallea shut her eyes, willing the tears back. She couldn't cry at work; it wasn't an option. She refused to be unprofessional and began faxing over the designs from the Superstars, including Seth's, feeling a headache coming on.
What happened now? Did she get her own hotel room? Did she leave Jon? Why wouldn't he just come to her and tell her how he felt if it was that bad? She told him from the beginning, if he got bored with her or wanted out of this, all he had to do was say so. THERE WAS NO REASON TO CHEAT! Maybe he didn't love her as much as he claimed…or he said those words because she had...because he felt obligated.
Once the final design was faxed over, Vallea packed up her things and headed out of the arena for the night, not bothering to wait for Jon. She needed time to think and process everything; lashing out at him wouldn't solve anything and, honestly, she needed to have a good, decent cry by herself. Hopefully, there was a vacancy at the hotel the WWE was staying at since her and Jon's motel was on the outskirts of town.
Jon was a little miffed when he was done working and there was no sign of Vallea. Frowning, he headed to her office, which was empty. Maybe she had gone to the parking lot, it had been a hell of a night for everyone. "What. The. Fuck?" Their rental car was gone. She had left. Without him. Confused, Jon began walking towards the street, figuring he'd just have to catch a cab or something. He pulled his cell out of his pocket, calling her. Somehow, it wasn't surprising that it instantly went to voicemail.
He called again.
And again.
Unfortunately, there was no vacancy for Vallea and since she wasn't required to be at house shows unless she had leftover meetings to do, which she didn't, she hopped a redeye flight to Vegas. Stephanie assured her it was fine since she wasn't on the roster to perform in the ring. The entire flight, Vallea cried while staring out the window silently, already missing Jon fiercely. She hadn't been without him in months; they traveled everywhere together and maybe that was the problem. Maybe they spent too much time together and Jon was bored of her, which was why he cheated.
She hadn't been in a good place while Ryan was alive, even she would admit that, but all Jon had to do was speak up. Tell her he was tired of being neglected and Vallea would've done something to change it. Sniffling, she exited the plane with red-rimmed eyes and a broken heart, feeling as if her soul had been ripped out of her body, feeling lifeless. It was a little after 4 AM when she finally collapsed on her bed in her condo and sobbed herself to sleep.
Jon had to wait for his next days off to go to Vegas, which is where he was assuming Vallea had fled. He was furious. She hadn't returned any calls, any texts, nothing. It had crossed his mind that perhaps she had somehow found out about his little white lie that was actually kind of a big deal, to her and their relationship, but he was fairly certain that Drake wasn't about to spill that information. Which meant someone had probably been snooping and had a goddamn death wish.
When Jon showed up at her condo, with key in hand, the locks had been changed and he couldn't get in. She had made her decision to end things with him, it was just a matter of telling him to his lying, cheating face. Vallea wasn't home at the moment, she was out having a coffee date with Monique and talking about what happened. Monique stayed quiet, letting her vent, which she appreciated, and simply hugged her, trying to comfort her the best she could. Doing what best friends did best. Vallea left not feeling any better and had black shades on to hide her swollen, red-rimmed eyes since she couldn't stop crying.
Even throughout the coffee date, she cried, and could tell it broke Monique's heart. Upon arrival at the condo, Vallea spotted Jon sitting on the porch steps and parked her car, knowing he would show up sooner or later. It was Thursday and she knew he had to work another house show on Wednesday, so he only had one day off this week instead of two. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she stepped out of the vehicle and wasn't surprised to find him right there in her space, invading it.
"What the hell do you want, Jon?" She demanded in a monotone voice, not bothering to remove her shades because she didn't want him to see how much pain she was in.
"An explanation, doll, would be awesome." He said quietly, already resigned. He was guessing that whoever had been lurking and listening in had gone straight to her and spilled the beans about his alibi lie. The house key that no longer worked dangled from his fingertip. "Anything in particular you want to talk about, Vallea?" His bloodshot eyes finally raised, studying her face intently. She looked like death warmed over.
"No, not really. I know what this is, okay? I know what happened and you can deny it all you want, but I know the truth. I know what you did that night at Madonna's Bar." Vallea leaned against the car, not having the energy to stand for a long period of time, and could already feel the hot tears building in her eyes. "I told you, if you wanted out of this, all you had to do was say the fucking word. I'm not the type to pine for a man. I'm not the type to beg a man to stay with me. You don't want me anymore, fine I get it. It was a fun ride while it lasted. You can leave now and go fuck whoever the hell you want. You're not tied to me anymore, you're free. Now go and leave me alone."
"I don't want you anymore? You know that's not true." Jon stood up from the steps, shaking his head, and stuffed his hands into his pockets so he didn't grab her. He couldn't tell her the truth, he couldn't tell her he had murdered not one but two people that night. "I fucked up, Val, that doesn't mean I don't want you. I don't deserve you," That was true as hell, and for reasons she'd never understand. "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry for what? For getting caught or for fucking that blonde in the back of that bar? Which is it, Jon? What are you REALLY sorry for?" Vallea demanded, feeling the anger cresting inside of her, and clenched her fists tightly at her sides, afraid if he came any closer, she would belt him one. "The words came out of your mouth – there was tension between us and you couldn't ask me for certain things, so you got it elsewhere. That doesn't sound like a man who is sorry for screwing a blonde behind his girlfriend's back. That doesn't sound like you're sorry for cheating on me. No, that sounds like a man who is sorry he got fucking caught!" Tearing the shades from her bruised eyes, Vallea tucked them in her t-shirt and blinked as huge tears slid down her cheeks, scorching them all over again. "That also sounds like a man who doesn't want to be tied down in a relationship. You may say you want me, but your actions speak far louder than words. And don't give me that 'I don't deserve you, I fucked up' bullshit. For once, be honest with yourself instead of saying shit you think I want to hear."
"You were fucking dead, Val, you were hiding in the shower every night bawling because you didn't want me to hear! You were barely eating, your hair was turning gray!" He remembered that vividly because Jon had plucked some out while she slept, unsure if she had ever even noticed them. "Every time the phone rang, you flinched. I was out drinking, figuring I'd blow off some steam of my own because coming to you seemed like adding more pressure you didn't need! I didn't PLAN on her." What the fuck was this fake woman's name? "I didn't plan on any of it and I AM sorry."
"Then you should've told me. Instead of fucking someone else behind my back, you should've told me how you felt. You should've left me the RIGHT way instead of being a lying, cheating dick!" Vallea's voice rose with every word that came out of her mouth, the anger boiling in her bruised hazel eyes. "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I ever met you and fell in love with you. I'm sorry I gave you my heart, only for you to take it and stomp it into the ground. I'm sorry I couldn't be the perfect woman for you because it's obvious I'm not and I wasn't. I'm sorry when things got a LITTLE stressful, a little hairy, you stuck your dick in the first cunt that paid any amount of attention to you! And I'm sorry for being on that mountain the day you saved me; I kinda wish, looking back, I would've fallen to my death because I wouldn't be in the excruciating pain I'm in now over a scumbag like YOU. Now leave, and don't ever come back again."
"Fine."
This was the price he was going to have to pay for what he had done. Jon was going to have to own the lie of being a cheater instead of spending life in prison for the truth. Hell, if it was known what he had done, she'd wind up under investigation because fingers would point, wondering if she had egged him into doing something. Of course not, when she wasn't having meltdowns about perceived slights against her person, Vallea had a heart of gold.
"Goodbye, Jon."
Vallea walked past him and didn't look back, going straight into her condo to close and lock the door. She slid down it, burying her face in her hands, and sobbed violently, her entire body trembling from head to toe. Was it possible to die from heartbreak? Vallea wouldn't doubt it and felt as though she was having a heart attack, her chest tightened to the point where she could barely breathe. Curling up in a tight ball didn't help matters either, but it was all she could do to alleviate some of the pressure. After several hours, she finally managed to peel herself off the floor by the door and trudged to the bedroom, once again collapsing in bed.
