- CHAPTER FOUR -
"SOMETIMES SORRY ISN'T ENOUGH."
The WWE medical staff encouraged Kalani to continue icing her black eye before RAW that night. Though they ruled out any fractures or concussions, the doctors worried about her new addition of green and yellow colors mixing with the normal purple. She tried to convince the officials that it was healing, as it had been changing colors the past week since the Royal Rumble, but they still fret at the idea that their newest celebrity addition could be injured under their watch.
Kalani only sighed before grabbing the ice pack and placing it on the tender spot. It wasn't her first black eye and certainly wouldn't be her last.
Her first black eye came from her father. After Kaden had passed, Kalani's dad began to drink in excess to cope. During the grieving process, he became stuck on anger. He blamed Kalani for Kaden's death because she was the reason he had picked her up that night. Though Kalani has yet to move on, her father was in an even worse position.
It had been ironic that Kalani let her father beat her when she was going to the Olympics for judo. In fact, Kalani was abused during her time at the Olympics and afterwards, when Ronda had decided to train for a second time. Kalani didn't have such liberties because the only choice she had was to get out of her father's house before he killed her.
Kalani Hanifan was mentally wrecked after escaping her drunk father. Any time someone as much as grazed her arm, her body would flinch as she could recall the flashbacks from her late teen years. For a long time, she lived out of her car and worked at a grocery store just to stay alive.
Ronda had continued on to win a bronze medal at her second Olympics. Kalani was proud of her friend, though Ronda couldn't stand the idea that she hadn't gotten the gold. The Rowdy one had been so consumed in her training that she hadn't known about Kalani's living situation or mental health as she had to cope with her twin brother dying. After the Olympics, however, Ronda was left with few options for the rest of her life.
That had been when Ronda got the idea of MMA fighting.
The two had nothing to lose, but Kalani questioned how good she could be at fighting when she never defended herself when her father hit her. However, her past became her greatest asset because she could endure more pain than the other women.
The UFC was Kalani's saving grace as she overcame her fear of her father. No longer would she allow anyone to treat her the way he had.
Kalani owed Ronda for giving her the idea to go to the UFC because it transformed her life for the better. She had gotten sponsorship deals, movie opportunities, and met the love of her life. Ronda never found out from her best friend that Kalani was on the verge of death due to her father's rage, but she helped her all the same.
That is the exact reason why Kalani felt so much guilt for wanting what she wanted: Drew.
Her time in WWE was still beginning, yet Kalani already fell into a love triangle between Conor and the Scotsman. It's why she became so confused with her emotions for the Irishman when she saw him for the first time since the break up at the arena, all while holding an ice pack to her face.
Deja vu.
Conor had put on even more muscle since the last time Kalani had saw him as he was preparing for a fight in a higher weight division. His beard was longer and the wrinkles he held on his forehead were a bit more prominent than they used to be.
Perhaps she had caused him that.
The blonde fighter locked eyes with his beautiful ex-girlfriend and felt as if time stopped. He had watched her at the Royal Rumble, so he knew the extent of her injuries from Nia Jax. However, though all the bruises and cuts he saw her happier than she had been in a long time.
In the moment, he wanted to hug her and shower her with all of the apologies he could. When he was around her, Conor McGregor was no longer the obnoxious Irishman with nothing but insults to say, but a loving guy who wanted to do anything to fix what he had lost.
Little did he know, Kalani Hanifan was already out of his grasp.
So, Conor stood and waited, testing how far Kalani was willing to go now that he had come back. He was pleased to find her arms around his neck, so he hugged her back gently.
During their relationship, Conor would inspect all of Kalani's injuries after her fights. He knew how tough Kalani was and how much she could handle, but being a fighter himself he wanted nothing more than to protect her from it. He had the urge to look closer at her black eye, rubbing a thumb over the bruise only for Kalani to pull away. He sighed in response, knowing he had made Kalani this way once again.
The irony of the situation is that Kalani could only think about what Drew had told her last week when he saw her eye for himself.
"You're wearing a suit," Kalani spoke, unsure of what else she could say. He filled it out well. It used to be her favorite look on him before the breakup.
He chuckled at her rambling, knowing it was how she functioned and he loved her for it. He still loved her. The Irishman took a deep breath as the two shared a moment of pure devotion and adoration.
It was interrupted by Ronda.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she asks, pulling Conor into her own hug and disregarding his time with Kalani. Conor faked a smile but sighed seeing his girl shrink into the background.
Kalani crossed her arms and looked away, trying to calm herself. She was beginning to panic with her overflow of emotions and Travis standing behind her didn't make her feel much better.
Drew was right, Travis Browne made Kalani Hanifan very uncomfortable.
"Ronda and I have to get ready," Kalani croaked. The group looked her way as she continued. "I, uh—you and Travis could join us."
She wanted to throw up just mentioning Travis' name, however she was trying to be friendly and really didn't want to be alone right now. Ronda always was the more outgoing of the two and made social situations better for Kalani. She was Kalani's greatest excuse.
As they got ready, Kalani only felt Conor's gaze on her but rarely spoke more than her short replies before Ronda would once again take over. It allowed her to sneak out onto the show before her anxiety became too much.
Kalani had a quick match in the ring against Sarah Logan with Ronda sitting in ringside commentary. Within a minute, Sarah Logan was tapping to the triangle choke submission. As the bell rang to signal the end of the match, the two other members of the Riott Squad stormed the ring to attack the fighter. Easily, Kalani took the two out.
Kalani swept her legs under Ruby and quickly stood to pull Liv into a hip toss. Ruby had recovered in the corner as the brunette threw rights and lefts, with Ruby hastily trying to cover up. The crazed blonde jumped onto Kalani from behind to protect her teammate, only for 'Queen Karma' to throw the girl over her shoulder and into the girl she had tried to protect.
Ronda had watched her best friend from the outside, debating on helping her before deciding against it. The storyline had instructed her to look conflicted, knowing that Kalani was her friend but also her opponent; an opponent who had beat her and ended her reign.
Though Kalani hadn't realized it, the scenario was all too similar to what they were facing in real life, behind the camera.
Conor would greet Kalani in the back, not knowing that Drew had been standing behind awaiting his segment next. The Scot had felt an ounce of excitement knowing he would be able to see Kalani Hanifan for even a second at work without it seeming suspicious. Though he pretended not to have one, his heart dropped at the sight of Conor.
He and Kalani hadn't been anything, but he felt the same strange connection Kalani had towards him. After the divorce of his wife he knew exactly the situation Kalani was going through with Conor, and he knew the fighter was never going to fix his mistake.
Conor would fight so hard to get the girl back, only to throw it away once again by finding another. That is how humans worked, they wanted what they could not have, and once they get it, they don't want it anymore.
He wanted to protect her from him, but he did not possess that right.
Conor had watched his ex-girlfriend enter the gorilla once again, looking in pure admiration at how much she drew in the crowd. He hadn't watched the WWE as it was 'fake' and the women were merely sex-grabs, but seeing her out there changed his perspective.
"You're amazing," he spoke, her eyes meeting his as her stomach erupted in butterflies. It had been like the good old days in the UFC, where Conor would greet her after a fight. It made her blush, reliving a time which made her so happy because he had loved her so hard.
Until he didn't anymore.
Conor wanted to hug her as a form of congratulations and pride, but Kalani's memories left a sour taste in her mouth that she could no longer suppress as she felt the need to leave, at least for a little while, to calm her nerves.
Seeing Drew behind him made her want to become invisible, leaving her mind so confused and her heart yearning for happiness.
"I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well," Kalani spoke, excusing herself and leaving her guest in the gorilla with a few workers and the wrestler he had been told was his new competition. Ronda had warned her friend of the Scottish man because she hated the idea of him and her best friend together.
So, after seeing Kalani flash her bright blue orbs at him before leaving, he knew he had to stop the man from getting what is rightfully his.
"Drew McIntyre," Conor spoke, knowing their height difference was quite alarming though not caring as he had been one of the most obnoxious men there was. Besides, he was a true fighter in his mind.
The taller man almost chuckled at the blonde, hearing his cartoon-character voice. It was a clear cliché in his mind for Conor to try to stand-off with him as he had been no threat to Kalani. She had never shown an interest in him, though he longed for something to be there. "Conor McGregor," he raised his eyebrows, both accents clashing with one another.
"I was just talking to a friend that said you went through a divorce. I'm sorry to hear that," Conor spoke, not filtering his words as he wanted to beat the man while he was down.
Drew knew he was trying to be superior, a tactic that worked on many men but would not work on the one in front of him. "Thank you," he began, not stepping down as it was not in his nature. "It was inevitable, after she cheated on me. I couldn't take her back. I'm sure you know a thing or two about that."
His wife had been suffering from her depression and hated the idea of being lonely. With Drew gone for work and trying to make a life for the two of them, she couldn't take the quiet house for much longer.
Drew had come home one night to another man in his bed with his wife. It was by far the worst day of his life.
Conor felt a pierce through his chest at the remark, but kept his straight face. He respected Drew for standing up to him, but not enough to befriend him.
Kalani was his.
The Irishman almost missed the bagpipes playing in the background that alerted Drew of his entrance. "It was a pleasure meeting you," his opponent spoke, sarcasm evident in his voice. He left afterwards, only to be seen on the screen with hair covering his face and a dark persona taking over.
Conor scoffed at the screen, finding it humorous that he played such a character. Yet, he also knew that Kalani would share a connection with him knowing that he had been cheated on like he had done to her.
At that moment, a part of him knew that he was losing her.
Conor McGregor was losing the only thing he loved and for that, he was finally scared of something. He was starting to learn the hard way that his actions would have consequences and for him, he would lose his one true love.
He was a fighter for a reason, and so he could not let that happen. He would not let that happen.
Conor McGregor would begin to fight back for something that was no longer his.
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