ROMAN POV:

''I can't even look in your eyes right now'' I said, cowardly holding my head down in shame ''I'm a monster for what I just did to you! And I have no excuse....but I do have an explanation'' I said slowly looking into her eyes ''however before we talk, if you let me...I'd...I'd like to make sure you're ok baby'' I said softly, and carefully reached my hand out to touch her, being pleasantly surprised when she stood there calmly and let me examine her. I could see that I'd left her with some bruising round her face and hips, and it killed me to the core that I could ever hurt my baby that way.

She stepped back from me now and folded her arms across her chest, looking up at me with a stern expression on her face as she said ''my body may be sore Roman, but...but my feelings are what hurts the most right now''

The moment her voice broke, I immediately had to look away from her. The guilt was just too much to bear right now! And I know it may selfish of me to say this, but in a way I was hurting more than she was, for the fact that I could ever do such a shameful act to the person I loved. It was absolutely killing me what I'd done, but at the same time I needed her to know there was a reason this was all happening. And so with my head still hung in shame, I went over and took one of the robes from behind the door, and wrapped it around her gently, before taking Faith by the hand and leading her over to the marble bench on the far side of the room.

''Sit down baby'' I said softly.

She sat down and looked at me with a troubled frown on her face, and I took a long deep breath and sat down opposite her on the bench...come on Roman, man up! I willed myself, looking again at her pretty face, which was now staring at mine with much anticipation.

Here goes....

''Okay so I've told you the story of how I was a professional football player for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and how after my injury, I decided to appease my father by perusing a career in pro wrestling?''

She nodded, still giving me a hurt look... I don't blame you for looking at me that way baby, but soon you'll understand...I promise.

''Well, that's not the entire story...you see, the injury that I sustained in that second year, was actually more serious than I could ever have imagined it to be'' I told her, taking another deep breath.

''Well, it all took place on the football field one day, and not just any day, but the last day in our teams division. We had made it to the semi-finals that year, and all we had to do now was beat our biggest opponents, the Minnesota Vikings. They had the lead on us on the score board, but if we could just beat them and get the win that day, then it would put us in that year's season finale, giving us a chance at winning the gold! If not, we would unfortunately be faced with elimination. So a lot of pressure you know. Anyway, it was about 45 minutes into the game, and we were all playing real good! I could see the pressure on the Vikings faces as we knocked them down, and continued to build scores. It was coming close to the end of the game, in fact there was about 3 minutes before the final whistle blew. We were only one point away from tying with them, and if we could achieve that at least, it meat they would have no choice but to put us into overtime. If that happened, we really would have a strong chance at winning this thing! As if by some miracle, my teammate Symmonds, who was only one of the best linebackers you could ever imagine, managed to score the tying point! I couldn't believe it! And we cheered and hugged each other, as the ref called for overtime. This was it now, the break we needed!

In an effort to better our chances at winning that day, our coach moved Symmonds closer to my field section, because he believed he could score the shot for us again. Now in overtime, everything began to get tense...the whistle blew again, and Symmonds dove straight for the ball, dodging about four Vikings on the way. As he got close though, another four Vikings came charging at him all at once! I quickly called for him to go long, as I knew right there and then I had no choice but to take the shot myself. Symmonds accurately followed my lead and kicked the ball out to me. I remember it all like it was yesterday...'' I said, staring off in the distant ''anyway, I stood positioned, and watched as the ball flew high in the air, and for a second or two, it felt like everything was moving in slow motion...this was it now, the chance we needed...so when the ball neared me, I leaped up high without hesitation, and with all my might I head-butted it in the direction of the goal for the win! Unfortunately though, Leroy Quinn-the Vikings best linebacker man-had the same idea'' I looked down again and took another deep breath, closing my eyes for a second as the memory of what happened played over in my mind.

''We impacted hard! Real hard!'' I told her ''Quinn for some reason escaped only with a minor bump to the head, while I however laid flat out on the grass in a bloody mess! Quinn went on to score the winning goal for the packers that day, and just like that...we were out.

That impact cost us the game, the season, and the beginning of the end of my professional football career. I was immediately taken to the hospital because I was bleeding continuously from the side of my head, to the point where if couldn't even see to stand because I had so much blood in my eye, but worse than that I sustained a pretty bad concussion, and eventually passed out.

I woke one week later in some downtown hospital, and when I opened my eyes, I saw I was surrounded by all my family and friends, and a few of my closest teammate buddies. The guys were all real supportive, and never once held anything against me for our loss that day. My family and friends had all brought me get well cards and gifts, and all in all the support they were giving me was simly amazing!

The doctors had informed my family and me that I was making a pretty speedy recovery, considering the nature of my injury. They still kept me in for a further two weeks observation, wanting to actively monitor my brain activity, along with my vital signs, eyesight, physical movement, the works! When they were happy that everything was ok with me, my family and I got the go ahead that I could finally be released.

I gave up my little one bedroom apartment that I was renting at the time, to move back in with my family. I guess I felt better being close to them, given the severity of what had happened. My Mum, Dad and younger brother were all over the moon with excitement at having their boy live at home with them again'' I smiled ''I remember my dad telling me that I could request anything I wanted to eat that first night when I was home. Naturally I requested my mum's famous baked lasagna and Caesar salad, she's such a great cook'' I smiled warmly ''we were having an awesome time round the dinner table that night, just the four of us as family all catching up together. The food was just as delicious as I remembered it to be, and the dinner talk hadn't changed one bit'' I smiled at the memories ''I remember my brother always complaining about wanting to be WWE Superstar like dad, knowing that mum would naturally start worrying, which she did, before complaining that he was too young, and how worried she would be if he ever got injured. My dad would then always use the opportunity to take out his WWF photo album, and show my brother and me old pictures of him and my uncle Affa in their wild Samoan days. I just remember sitting there in the dining room smiling to myself, enjoying the comfortable feeling of being surrounded by family...that's when I experienced my first blackout.''

Faiths eyes immediately widened!

''I just remember feeling real dizzy all of a sudden, and having to try and steady myself as the room around me started spinning, until eventually...everything turned black!

The next thing I remember, I was waking up with my dad and brother holding me down on the ground, as if they were restraining me or something! And I remembered seeing the both of them with the most horrified looks on their faces that I had ever seen in my life!''

I paused for a moment to recollect myself, as I could feel tears of emotion building behind my eyes over all the painful memories.

''I immediately asked them what had happened, and they both told me the same thing: that after I had blacked out, they had all rushed over to me in a panic, worried that maybe there were some complications regarding my concussion. My dad told me he was in the middle of calling the ambulance, with my brother watching over me, when I all of a sudden woke up, and outta nowhere, I had apparently grabbed my brother by the throat, and slung him across the dining room table! Then, I apparently proceeded to attack any and everything around me like a mad man! They also told me that I began saying very derogatory and hurtful things to each of them, and that I was trying to attack them all with everything at my disposal! My dad had said that for him, the most horrible thing was the expression on my face, and the look in my eye as if I was a completely different person. They had to hold me down, and that's when I apparently blacked out again. And when I woke, I didn't remember a thing''

Faith was staring at me with eyes as wide as saucers!

''My natural reaction was to laugh when they first told me, because it had to be a joke...right? I looked at my dad and brother with a huge grin on my face, waiting for the punch line that unfortunately never came. Even then, I still believed they were joking around with me, that is until I looked over at my mother...she had the most horrified ghost white expression on her face I had ever seen. That's when I knew it was no joke. I remember reaching out to her, but she backed away from me so fast like I was the devil himself! She never came anywhere near me after that night, and I never forget that frightened look in her eyes'' my voice suddenly broke, and I bent forward, holding my head in my hands.

I was immediately comforted by Faith who gently reached out to me, and placed her delicate hands round my shoulders. I could feel my eyes stinging painfully with tears, as I bravely looked at her. She looked at me with sad eyes too, although trying to muster a brave smile for me. Nothing could ever take that pain away, but with Faith close to me again, I was able to put it on pause and continue with my story.

''The next day, we went straight back to the hospital, where I had to listen once again to my dad and brother, telling the hospital doctor the horror story of my black out the night before...even then it still didn't sound real, I mean, it just wasn't me!

That same day the doctor ran some more tests on me, but told us once again that all looked absolutely fine. He informed us that in his medical opinion, it was completely normal for a concussion of my magnitude to come with some lingering side effects. He then rambled on that the brain is a very powerful tool, and when impacted with such force, it can cause thoughts, emotions and behavior to become slightly jogged out of sync. He said though that the tests have all come back with no abnormalities, and that last night was probably just a freak occurrence, or some lingering upset the brain was trying to deal with as a result of the impact. He assured us that we needn't worry, and that it shouldn't happen again. We were satisfied with that, and all went home together. After that day, everything was absolutely fine, just like the doctor said.

About two months later, my brother wanted to go shopping at our local mall, and asked me if I'd come along. He had finally gotten a date with this girl at his high school he'd been eyeing for some time now, so I decided to tag along, figuring I could give him the older brother advice thing'' I smiled '' So there we were, shopping away and having a great time together. I was actually scolding myself, because I ended up spending way too much money on silly things that I didn't need. I didn't really care though, because I was out with my little bro, and having the time of my life with him. We ended up eating in one of our favorite sports bars in the upstairs section of the mall, and when we were done, we decided to quickly use the gents, then do a little more shopping before heading home.

And it was right there in gent's bathroom on the second floor of the mall....that I experienced my second blackout.

This time I woke up with two large mall security guards, holding me up against the wall by the scruff of my neck! I remember looking at them bewildered, as again, I had absolutely no recollection of what had happened. It was only when I looked over and saw my younger brother lying on the floor, shirt ripped, and blood gushing from his nose, that I realized what had actually happened.

I turned my face from him in horror, and could also see that the mirror next to me was smashed to smithereens! I immediately took my little brother to the emergency room, and called my father to come along for support. As you can imagine, he was just as horrified as I was. I remember hunging my head in shame as I sat next to my brother's bed. When he woke and saw me, the first thing he said was ''I forgive you''

Faith quickly came and sat on my lap, embracing me with a warm gentle hug as I began to cry ''Thank you baby'' as she softly dabbed my face with some tissue.

''My brother had told me that when I blacked out, he quickly managed to get to his camera phone and record me. Apparently that's when I woke and picked him up by his shirt, flinging him head first into the mirror!'' I said with an emotional heavy sigh ''I didn't want to see the recording, but after not being able to sleep, I snuck into my brothers room and carefully took his phone from the side. I sat out in the hallway with my back leant against the wall, and watched in sickening horror as I suddenly attacked my poor defenseless brother like he was some kind of animal!

I didn't recognize the man in the video...but I knew it was me. After I'd watched it, I remember running to the bathroom and being sick everywhere. The shock of it all was just too much! And I ended up crying myself to sleep that night.

The next day, I booked myself in to see a specialist. After telling him my story, and showing him the video, he told me that I wouldn't be able to go home for the safety of my family, not until I'd undergone detailed observation. I was there for about a week, and by the end of it, the doctor had professionally diagnosed me with 'Dissociative Identity Disorder' or DID if you prefer''

''What's that?'' Faith asked curiously.

''To put it simply...it means I have split personality disorder'' I told her looking down at the ground.

Gasp!

''Believe me baby, I was, and still am, more shocked than you could ever be. I remember sitting there staring blankly at the doctor, just trying to process everything he just said. He informed me that there's medication available that can be prescribed to keep one's mind in sync, and coupled with therapy, and in some extreme cases, intricate brain surgery, one could possibly be rid of this disorder without the risk of it returning again. He went on to say that with me, and the severity of the concussion received, it unfortunately caused a severe internal injury in my brain that is pretty much irreversible. Surgery would also be out of the question, as any complication from it could possibly result in my death. So what does that all that mean? I remembered asking him, and he said that it means I will pretty much be on medication every day for the rest of my life'' I sighed miserably.

I watched as Faith opened her mouth to speak, but I guess with the state of shock she was in, no words came out. Instead only a single tear rolled down her cheek with emotion, and I smiled softly as she held me closer in her arms.

''He also warned me that by not taking my medication at the correct time per day, could also lead to severe ramifications, as the brain is a constant ticking clock, and is being used to control the rest of the body at all times, so it needs to maintain regular balance, or I could suffer another sudden spell, endangering myself and those around me'' I was so grateful for the warmth I felt when Faith let me kiss her lips, as it appeared she was slowly understanding my story, and rather than being afraid of what I was telling her, she seemed to love me still.

''I was very curious as to why the character that split from me when I blacked out was so aggressive? The doctor informed me that studies have shown that someone suffering with DID, can have up to 100 personalities...maybe more! Thing is, they are all your personalities, every single one of them'' when Faith looked at me a little confused, I proceeded to explain it to her in detail ''everyone has a multitude of emotional personality traits, it could be love, hate, happiness, sadness, shyness etc, it's what makes us human right. Only with DID sufferers, the brain doesn't allow you to keep those emotions in check anymore, thus breaking away each emotional character, and manifesting them into its own identity. He also informed me that some identities can be more dominant than others, and that I may not even remember, or worse yet, know anything about them''

''But you know about your other self'' Faith said, trying to piece it all together in her mind.

''Only because of the video I watched on my brothers phone, and what my family told me about him'' I said, and she nodded ''...the doctor also warned, that If the dominant character of a split personality disorder patient is in play too long, then that character could take over, resulting in the weaker character being gone for good! So even though I take my pills each morning, an unexpected split can still occur if I'm not careful'' I told her ''I've learnt to recognise a trigger when its coming, usually if I start to suddenly feel dizzy, or if the room around me begins spinning out of control. If that happens, I make sure to quickly take my medication to prevent a blackout or a complete takeover!''

''Oh!'' she suddenly gasped ''so that's why you said that time I don't want her to see you isn't it?!! You were talking about, or even to, your other self....'' she said suddenly putting the pieces together.

''Exactly. When I got out the shower that day, I felt the room around me start spinning like crazy, causing me to suddenly lose my balance in the shower! I was scared as hell baby, because I never ever wanted you to see me like that, or find out anything about the other me'' I said looking down again ''That's why it is imperative that I take my medication'' I told her ''by forgetting to take it just once could cause me to suddenly split, and the split can be triggered by anything from an emotional worry or upset, to a sudden rush of blood flow to my head''

''Emotional stress.....like when you thought you hurt me like my attacker did, or this morning over Seth and the title opportunity match'' she said, and I nodded.

I then gently took Faith from my lap, and lead her over to the bathroom cabinet by the mirror, taking the key out from under the sink, and opening up the cabinet to show her where I had cases upon cases full of my medication. I took out one of the blue bottles from the nearest case and showed it to her ''I've been taking these every day now for the last four years baby. My dad orders them back home for me, then has them sent here so I can take what I need with me when I'm on the road, without anyone being the wiser. I also make sure and take an extra set before each match, just to make sure I don't have an episode in the middle of the ring, because lord knows that would be the absolute worst thing to happen!''

She took the bottle from my hand and examined it carefully, before looking up at me with apologetic eyes as she realised the difficult situation I had to live with. I leant my face down to hers, and kissed her lips again then looked softly into her eyes...

''I...I owe you a big apology baby'' I said softly ''...the doubt you've been feeling for so long is all my fault, and I wish I'd told you sooner, but I was sacred'' I told her sadly ''I must also apologise because I've been completely reckless of late. But it's because I've been so taken with you baby, and enjoying all the amazing times we've been having together. And with us making love for the first time, my minds been solely focused on our happy relationship. I have no one else to blame but myself I know, but I've been having such a good time with you baby, that I stupidly forgot to take my medication on time, and that's why what happened, happened'' I said, letting out a huge sigh of disappointment, and a little relief that I'd finally told her everything ''I guess...well I guess because I switched during us making love, that that was the reason he was so aggressive with you. I never meant at all for that to happen baby, and I am truly so sorry'' I told her honestly ''I never wanted to hurt you like that Faith, not ever! And I never wanted you to find out that way either. I care for you too much to ruin things between us baby, you're the love of my life, and I intend to keep it that way'' I said, hugging her close in my arms. Her eyes watered as she hugged me back, and I felt the trust between us slowly solidify again ''I love you too Roman, and I thank you for being so open with me about your secret'' she smiled softly ''I of course wasn't expecting anything like what you told me, but now that you have, I humbly extend my own apology to you for ever doubting your love for me'' she said sweetly.

''You don't ever have to apologise beautiful'' I said gently kissing her cheek ''you weren't to, so your emotions were complexly understandable'' I said softly.

''Thank you Roman'' she smiled, then her eyes grew concerned again ''I just can't believe you have been living with this horror for so long! It's truly shocking what you told me, but at least I understand now'' she said, gently leaning her head on my shoulder.

''You...you don't hate me?'' I asked surprised.

''Hate you?? Roman I love you! I always have done, and I always will do'' she said throwing her arms around me and kissing me hard.

''Oh god, thank you baby'' I said hugging her back ''you are such a sweet angel you know that? And It means the world that your still here with me'' I said gratefully ''I um...I half expected you to run away when you discovered the monster I am'' I said looking down.

''Monster? Don't you ever say that Roman! You are not a monster, understood?!'' and I nodded quietly, wanting nothing more than to believe that ''...what happened earlier is all forgiven baby, because I understand now. I know that wasn't you back there, and I know you would never hurt me like that, not intentionally. And when I said I loved you, baby I really meant it'' she smiled sweetly.

''I know, and I'm sorry for hurting you, or ever putting any doubt in your mind that I was cheating on you. You're the only girl in this entire world for me Faith, and I love you with all my heart baby'' I smiled, and leaned down to kiss her once more, feeling so happy and contented when she kissed me back, like a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Just then I quickly pulled back from her...

''Um, there's something else too baby....the WWE does not know about this. I'm pretty sure I would never have become a WWE Superstar if they were aware of my condition, regardless of my family legacy, or who my father was. I have no doubt I would lose my job if they ever found out, which is why they never can. I've managed to get this far in my career without anyone knowing, and I plan on keeping it that way too. I'm lucky, because of my father being in the business before and knowing how things work in the WWE, he's helped me carefully hide my secret from the McMahon's. If they ever found out Faith, I already know I would be in BIG trouble, and I would lose my career because of it''

''Well that's not going to happen baby...'' she smiled softly.

''The man I watched in the video Faith, I never ever want to see again. He's malicious and very dangerous! And I hate that he was around you for even a second!'' I said, clenching my jaw in anger ''I'll never be rid of him because he's a part of me, but at the same time I don't want to associate myself with him either, which is why I refer to him by my birth name Joseph, or Joe'' I told her ''...and it's because of Joe, why I decided to pursue a career in Pro Wrestling. I decided then that I wanted, or preferably needed to completely change everything about me. I lost weight, I began exercising and bulking up, I grew my hair long, got contact lenses, and finally, had our Samoan family heritage symbol tattooed on my right arm. I even legally changed my name to Roman Reigns at the start of my career. So you see baby, no one can ever find out about this'' I said, looking at her seriously ''you are the only one now apart from my Mum, Dad and Brother that know about this. I told you because I really do love you so much baby, and I trust you with everything in my life, especially my heart. I want no more secrets between us, and I ask that you please keep mine''

''I cross my heart baby, your secret's safe with me''