I brought Ashley back to our hotel room the following night. She felt anxious to leave my arms; and with good reason. Seth kidnapped her and none of us knew his true intentions, let alone what he could've done to her if Ambrose and I didn't find her quick enough.

I remember Vince saying that I had a meeting tomorrow with him regarding Raw. I felt like the both of us needed to take the day off to clear our minds after what transpired. I didn't want Ashley to be alone. I didn't know if Ambrose and Renee could keep her company until I came back. I had no other choice but to call and check-in with them.

"Hello?"

"What's up, Rome?"

"Nothing much. I need to ask you something."

"Anything."

"Do you remember the situation from earlier?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, Vince called me earlier this morning before we went to the gym and wanted me to come into his office tomorrow. I don't want Ashley to be alone after everything that happened. She won't talk to me or anything; and I don't know what to do, Ambrose. Are you and Renee free to take her out tomorrow and make her forget about what happened?"

"Sure, Renee adores her like a sister and I see Ashley like a little sister as well. I'll take the girls out tomorrow and hopefully it'll get her mind off of the situation."

"Thanks man, I appreciate it. I'm going to go see if I can talk to Ashley."

I hung up the phone and I cautiously approached her. She still looked mortified, and it was understandable. Upon approaching her, she slowly started to back away like she was terrified of me.

"Ashley?" I looked down at her.

"Roman, not right now please."

"What's wrong? I'm here for you."

"It's the way I seen you attack Seth in front of me. I know I hate him with a passion and all, but the way you busted him open and the way you shouted so violently. I've never seen that side of you, not even before we met when I would see you on the television."

"Baby, I was just protecting you." I paused, feeling defeated, "Did I scare you?"

Ashley looked at me and nodded in silence.

"Listen babe, I wouldn't hurt you if that's what you're thinking. I'm sorry that I scared you. That wasn't my intention at all."

"I understand you were protecting me; because who knows what he would've done if it wasn't for you and Dean tonight."

I sat down on the bed next to her. I felt guilty and covered my face with my hands, allowing a small sigh to escape from my mouth.

"What's wrong?" Ashley asked.

"I just feel like I've done a terrible job as your boyfriend by not standing outside of the bathroom to wait for you to come out after doing your makeup. Seth literally waited for you to walk out and I wasn't there to stop it, thinking that you would've been alright without me. I'm so sorry, Ashley."

"Look, we didn't know what was going to happen." She said, "All that matters to me was that you and Dean saved me before things worsened. I'm just scared because so much happened within one day, and I just don't know how to process it."

"You're right. I'm glad I acted quick. I don't know what's going through his head enough to kidnap you. Seth has never done that before with anyone, and he used to be our best friend back in The Shield. This whole authority thing has turned him into someone different. More like a monster."

"Roman, I need to talk to you about something." She says.

"Anything baby. I'm listening."

"This'll come off as a shock, but I need you to bare with me."

"I don't mind, tell me. Talk to me."

She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose in attempt to hold back her tears, "I haven't told anyone about this, but I used to be very close to him before The Shield ever became a huge deal in the WWE."

She looked down in disappointment.

"Before The Shield? You knew him before Ambrose and I did?" I asked.

She nodded.

"The thing is, we went to school together when we were younger. In school and when we made it to Ring of Honor, he used to be one of my best friends. He would always make me feel good about myself when the people in my school would bully me about my weight, my appearance, and how I wanted to wrestle. Seth would always defend me when I would be bullied by everyone else because I was different than the other girls. I wasn't popular, I didn't go out to party and have sex with every guy in the school." She sighs, "There was a time where he asked me to become his girlfriend in high school, but I couldn't. I only seen him more as my best friend, and I never wanted to risk the friendship we both had together. The reason I hate him more importantly is because he betrayed me one day after Ring of Honor by telling me I wasn't going to achieve anything with the way I looked. He allowed his friends to laugh at me from the moment he won the Ring of Honor championship. He started to act like a different person. Somebody that I couldn't recognize anymore. He wasn't the Seth Rollins that I once knew growing up. That's why I despise him, Roman. I tried to play it cool when I found out he was friends with you guys at first. I didn't know he betrayed you both as well for the authority this whole time. I felt like he was going to hurt me when he kidnapped me earlier today. I still didn't know how to react when I would see him walking around the locker-room; because that was someone I used to be close to, who I used to trust with my entire life, and he betrayed all of us. It's like him becoming widely famous made him believe that he didn't need anyone or anything. I didn't know how to tell you. I don't know if I should even tell Dean at this point."

Listening to her vent about her past regarding her Seth had me in absolute shock. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He betrayed her for fame, just like he did with Ambrose and I, to join the authority so he could get whatever he wanted.

"Are you serious? You and Seth used to be close?" I asked.

"Yes. I met him in kindergarten. He told people to stop bullying me when I said I wanted to be a wrestler like The Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage. Seth used to always be supportive towards me when I had nobody at the time. He made me feel like I was an important person in his life. All of a sudden, things changed and he started bullying me and acting like he never knew me. He completely changed into another person, let alone a stranger."

"I'm so sorry baby." I frowned, "I promise you that I'll never be like Seth. I will never betray you or make you feel terrible about yourself. In my Samoan culture, we take care of our women and love them with everything we have. You're one of the most beautiful girls that I've ever laid eyes on and I'll never become that scumbag. I love you so much, Ashley."

I looked deep into her gaze, full of sadness after remembering the memories that she had with Seth and how he betrayed her for fame. I watched as she sat down on my lap and all she could do was hug me in silence. I lifted up her chin and leaned in closely, pressing my lips against hers and rubbing her back, doing my best to reassure her that everything would be okay in the end.