The Womanizer

Chapter 35: I wish

**play I Wish by Carl Thomas when you see (*) for a better read

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Bel Air- Los Angeles

Their baby had been home for a grand total of six hours, and in Lauren's opinion, she'd already begun wreaking havoc.

The nursery was softly lit by a night-light, gently illuminating Sydney as she cradled their newborn daughter. Lauren sat quietly in a corner, silently watching the tender scene—a scene that both warmed her heart, yet caused a surge of guilt in her body. She saw Sydney's loving gaze and their daughter's tiny fingers curling around Sydney's, and felt a pang of unease. The tranquility of the moment seemed fragile, as if it could break at any second, revealing the underlying tensions and secrets threatening their new family.

Their daughter, a tiny bundle of innocence, suckled peacefully at Sydney's breast, her tiny fingers curled around Sydney's reassuring touch. It was a moment Lauren had dreamed of, but now it felt tainted by recent events. The memory of her infidelity and affairs with Camila and the other women haunted her, casting a dark shadow over her. As she sat in the quiet corner, Lauren's heart ached with both joy and foreboding, knowing the beautiful moment was fragile and on the brink of being overwhelmed by darkness.

Sydney had known. The truth had come out in the chaotic hours before her labor started, and Sydney had confronted her again in a heated exchange of accusations and apologies after they'd come home from the hospital that morning. This left their relationship strained and fragile, the both of them exhausted. "I knew, Lauren," Sydney's voice had trembled with hurt, her eyes full of anguish and disbelief. "I knew before our daughter was born. How could you betray us like this?" They had argued for hours, their loud screams eventually waking their daughter.

"It was an accident, Syd!"

"Oh, so you fucked someone else by accident?!"

"For fuck sake! I didn't mean to!"

"You didn't mean to?? You're seriously telling me you didn't mean to stick your dick in some other bitch while I was sat at home, waiting for you? Carrying your child?!"

As of right now though, the silence in the nursery was thick, the soft glow of the night-light unable to dispel the darkness of betrayal that hung over them. Their daughter's gentle suckling was the only sound, a heartbreaking reminder to Lauren of the innocence caught in the web of their fractured relationship.

Sydney's words echoed in Lauren's mind as she watched her tenderly care for their child. The accusation cut deep, sharper than any she had anticipated. It wasn't just the anger—it was the quiet resignation in Sydney's demeanor, the shattered trust that Lauren had never imagined could break. As their daughter suckled peacefully, oblivious to the turmoil surrounding her, Lauren felt the weight of her betrayal press down on her, suffocating and inescapable.

Unable to bear the weight of Sydney's gaze, Lauren's eyes drifted to their daughter. Each tiny movement, each soft sound, reminded her of what was at stake—the fragile thread of their family, hanging by a thread she had unraveled.

In the dim light, Sydney's features softened at the sight of their daughter, yet beneath the surface, Lauren sensed a storm of emotions brewing—a storm she had triggered with her own recklessness.

Their daughter's contented coos filled the room, a bittersweet melody against the backdrop of their strained silence. Lauren yearned to bridge the chasm that had opened between them, to find the words that could mend what she had broken. But guilt choked her, a relentless reminder of the pain she had inflicted on the woman she had grown to love more than anything. 'But you love the drugs and sex more,' Lauren's mind bitterly reminded her.