ROMAN POV:

The footsteps started up again as soon as I began walking...this time I wasn't going to ignore them. I quickly spun around and was met face to face with that razor sharp smile, the one I was so used to seeing in the past...

''I wondered how long it would be before you showed up again'' I said, looking directly into his eyes.

I was mirrored back with an ice cold gaze...

''Wonderings over'' Seth smiled.

TWO MONTHS ONE WEEK EARLIER...

SETH POV:

I had been out about a week now, and even though I had my freedom back, nothing felt real anymore. Not the people around me, not the cars that drove past me, not of the sound of the street noise, not even the ground beneath my feet. I guess anyone who has ever been incarcerated will tell you: your view of the world changes dramatically after something like that, and maybe you do too.

The only thing keeping me grounded now was my book.

I let my mind travel back to day one, when I finally stepped foot outside of prison and breathed in that fresh Davenport air. It was priceless!

I remember feeling an over whelming sense of freedom as I walked away from the building, and turned the corner. The second I started seeing civilization though, my natural instincts kicked in, and I found myself quickly ducking out of view to avoid being mobbed by a bunch of wrestle crazy fans. I immediately began chuckling the second I caught myself, followed by shaking my head in stupidity as a wave of sadness crept over me.

I wasn't the big star anymore. I was a failure, an embarrassment, a criminal. I had no more wrestling fans, no friends to care for me, and no family I could call my own. I never felt more alone.

I felt a strange stinging in my eyes, but I quickly ignored it, and turned into the first door I saw and began looking around. I was in a book shop, and right there in front of me on the display stand, was Faiths autobiography book ''Just have a little Faith''

I couldn't believe it.

I just stood and stared at it, not knowing quite what to do. I remembered hearing rumors during the trial that Faith was writing a 'tell all' book, but I never knew anything more about it until now.

I quickly looked around, then took a copy off the stand and stuffed it inside my jacket pocket.

''Uh...sir, you can't take that...'' the assistant said.

I immediately made a dash for the door!

''Hey! Stop!''

I never stopped running until I was out of sight.

I found myself a quiet little road to rest on, and a comfy looking doorway where no one would find me. I then sat down and opened up my book, where I began reading it cover to cover.

I never put it down until I was done.

She told everything! Even down to the part about the 'Hounds Of Justice' tattoos. When I finished reading it, I held it close to my heart. I knew I had hurt a lot of people, I really did, but the pain I felt over what I did to Faith got me more than anything. Every time she expressed her own pain and hurt in the book, I felt myself feeling the same pain and hurt along with her. I wasn't used to having lingering feelings like that over a girl, and I still wasn't sure what those feelings even were exactly. But whatever they were they had lingered for the last two years, and found a place in my heart like no other. The second Stephanie introduced us all at headquarters that day, I knew I was being given a second chance at seeing her for who she really was, and without knowing it, she somehow gripped my heart and never let it go. Paige was right, I had tortured myself with the notion that Faith was mine all along, but sadly her heart belonged to Roman...and my jealous ass belonged in jail.

I desperately wanted to tell her just how sorry I was for everything I did, but I knew had no way of reaching out to her now.

After that night, her book was what kept me company, and kept me going. I treasured it like I would my most prized possession...maybe one day Faith I will have the chance to make it up to you...

*****

That's it! I can't do this anymore! I fucking hated sleeping rough like this, but right now I had absolutely nowhere else too go. I mean, last night an actual rat run over my face! My god damn face, Urgh! I now had a new found respect for the homeless, because living like this absolutely sucked!

Now I know what some of you, okay most of you are thinking right now...burn in hell asshole right? You deserve every last bit of the suffering you're going through.

Maybe I do...

But I also know what the other half of you are thinking...your Seth Freakin' Rollins! You're rich! You had enough money to pay Faiths fine as if it were just loose change or something. And you'd be right...once upon a time. But all I wanted now was loose change, or anything just to buy myself a warm coffee at least. My life was over, I had become the bum my parents and teachers predicted I would be, and right now...I would happily be employee of the month at MacDonald's.

I was both homeless and destitute, because all my money, and I mean every last penny, was all used to pay for the best attorneys in the country that money could buy, when the rape case went to trial. I even had to liquefy the money from all my properties to keep them in pocket. But what killed me the most was having to sell off, and pawn absolutely everything I'd worked my entire life towards. All my wrestling trophies, all the merchandise, certificates, awards, memorabilia, all of it...gone just like that. All so those money grabbing wolf street hungry lawyers, who in the end couldn't even do their jobs, because I still got slapped with a seven year sentence, where I could maybe be out in five for good behavior, could sit in their fancy penthouse apartments, and have a jolly good time at my expense!

So how am I out now just after two and a half years? Simple, I had to once again become The Architect. And by that I mean appealing my case a dozen times over, along with holding up my gooder than good behavior. When my time came to be heard, I was very lucky to be blessed with a judge and jury that sympathized towards my case.

Now here I am.

I was trying to be strong for myself now that I was out, but it was proving more and more difficult because I had absolutely nothing now. And even though I deserved it, I had no idea how to deal with it. Coming from the lifestyle I had, with my fame, fortune and women, to a life of prison was bad enough. But to have your freedom back, and suddenly be ghost was the worst! I had nowhere to go, and no one to turn to. My parents had disowned me halfway during the trial when the video Dean had recorded of me, was aired in the courtroom. I had no friends either, all my buddies from the WWE, even the ones I knew from developmental days, all wanted nothing to do with me. I watched as all my money ran through the drain, and my friends ran even faster.

I never blamed anyone for anything though, because I completely understood. I know I shocked a lot of people with what I had done, none more so than myself though. But I had to live with myself every day, and so I couldn't hold a grudge forever.

In the end all I was left with were the clothes on my back, and the shoes on my feet, and even they had holes in it.

Tonight was going to be the third night that I would try and get something to eat. I was starving every second of every day now, and I looked AWFUL! My hair had grown into a long shaggy mess, and I kinda looked like Jesus with this long beard too. I smelt bad, and had lost a ton of weight, and even though still had some muscles, I wasn't the defined farce of nature I was back in the WWE.

I began imagining, even hoping for some fan girl to maybe recognize me one day, that she'd maybe still have me on posters on her wall as her idol, and maybe take me in and look after me without a care in the world of what I had done in my past. She wouldn't judge, she would just be so happy to have the opportunity to look after her favorite WWE Superstar, Seth Freakin' Rollins. But this is reality, and the reality of it was that I was a hobo now, and just like I myself had done so many times in the past, people would cross the street the second they saw me.

*****

It was getting late into the evening now, but I had nothing and nowhere to go to, so I just walked around. The one good thing the lawyers did manage to do for me, was to get the judge to honor my request, of having me incarcerated in my hometown of Davenport Iowa.

So as I walked around that night, past so many buildings and bars I was used to seeing all my life growing up as a kid, I felt at ease, because at least I was home. It felt strange how a familiar building brought me so much comfort now. I wasn't one to cry, hell I don't think I have ever shed a tear in my life, but at that very moment, I felt my eyes well up.

Just then, I saw something that would send those lonely tears right back where they came from!

I glanced around to see if anyone was looking, and when I was sure the coast was clear, I quickly snuck over to where I could see a bunch of abandoned bags sitting on the floor, under some stools at an open bar. I could feel my mind racing with excitement, but I had to be careful not to get caught. I quickly scanned the joint to see what kind of establishment it was, that had people leaving their stuff unattended like that, noticing now a sea of cowboy hats, and people swaying to the music in some honky tonk looking bar, so I stopped to listen.

I remembered Faith loved country music, and for the first time I understood why. I felt the words of the song speak out to me, and it was right there and then that I knew what I was going to do.

By the time that person realized their bag was missing...I'd be long gone.

I had made it back to my doorway and like a child on Christmas day, and began excitedly sifting through the bag and all of its contents...

It always amazed me the kinda crap people carried round with them these days. I was a simple guy myself, I only ever needed my phone, my wallet and headphones to get me through the day. As I dug through the bag I found a kids toy, some pocket tissue, a half-eaten Twinkie bar which I immediately dived into! A wallet! Although it only had about $40 dollars in cash in it, but it meant that I could at least eat for the next week and a half. I found some headache pills, a tampon-eew! ''I definitely didn't need that'' I muttered, screwing my face at it. I continued to dig a little further, until I found the bags most prized possession...an IPhone.

''YESS!!!''

I quickly chucked the rest of stuff aside, and began examining the phone carefully. Luck must have been shining down on me that day, because after swiping the screen, I was thrilled to discover that there was no pass code lock.

I did the only thing I knew I could...I started googling all things wrestling!

I immediately went to my twitter account, only to find it had been suspended, along with all my other account too: Facebook, Instagram, Twitch. Hell, they even closed my WWE Network account. I really was a ghost!

I decided to read all the gossip about myself, and none of it wasn't pretty, believe me! I saw that Deans tape had been leaked on social media too, leading to the WWE being involved in a number of court ordeals as to the wellbeing of the female roster, and how they were being treated by other male superstars in the company, and what personnel were doing to keep a close control of things. As a result, the WWE now had something in place called 'A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY'

I had really fucked up a lot of things for them, and I felt bad for everything. I really and truly did.

Man, so much had happened in those last two years...I thought, continuing to scan with wide eyes at all the top articles that were coming up...

Eva never did get fired in the end for failing the Wellness Policy. And if I know Eva, she probably used the excuse of me abusing her, as a way to keep her job in the WWE. I see that they compromised and put her back in NXT though. I could see Summer was still in the WWE, and currently the Divas tag team champion along with Emma...tag team champs huh? That's new, well good for them, I always said the Divas division should have more title belts. There were also a lot more wrestlers on the roster now, some I knew already who must have gotten the call up from NXT, like Nia Jax, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. Oh wow, they even signed The Phenomenal one AJ Styles, I bet that got a lot of attention.

Oh no, oh my goodness...I thought, feeling my body go completely numb with shock after reading that both Dean and Paige left shortly after my sentencing. They were both now currently signed to TNA Impact...wow, Dean always said he would never go there, that he hated that six sided ring crap...I guess what I did forced him to leave the WWE he loved so much, and Paige alongside with him. Man I didn't think I could feel any worse. But as it turns out...I could. I felt my eyes suddenly narrow, and my lips purse together after reading another main headline: ''Roman Reigns wins first ever WWE Championship match at Summerslam''.

So he finally did it, he went on to become the face of the company...and Vince McMahon's little bitch!

Oh come on, you don't expect me to like everything I read do you?

Then there was Faith. She was currently the Divas Champion, which she won at Wrestlemania the following year after nearly killing Summer Rae in the ring...that still made me chuckle.

Oh get over it. I know I'm still a little bit of an asshole, but you guys would have stopped reading a long time ago if you didn't like me, so let's carry on...

She deserved that Divas title though, god knows she earned it! And it looked great around her waist too. I immediately went to Google images to look at pictures of Faith, where I was once again graced with just how beautiful she was, and how much she had grown as a wrestler in these last few years. She was just as stunning as ever, and she looked so happy now.

My mind suddenly went back a particular extract of her book...

''All I wanted was to be his friend...I trusted him, and all along he betrayed that trust''

It was one of my favorite extracts from her book too, because it was her being honest and true to herself, just how I always remembered her to be. At the same time however, it was also the part of her book if hated the most, because I was the monster she was talking about who'd betrayed that trust. I didn't know when or how, but one day...one day, I would find a way to make it up to her, if it's the last thing I ever do.

Much to my dismay, I saw that she was also still with Roman, and apparently they were living together now at his home in Pensacola.

Urgh!

I decided to eat my Twinkie and continue reading, that's when I saw the best news of all...