The Womanizer

Chapter 33: Down Low (Nobody Has To Know)

A/N: can I ask yall to comment your thoughts on the story so far? Do any of you guys have any suggestions as to what you want to see? (No, I will not kill off the baby 😒) Let me know!

** play Down Low (Nobody Has To Know) by R. Kelly when you see (*) for a better read

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Bel Air- Los Angeles

The days after Lauren's return were a nightmare Sydney couldn't wake up from. Her sanity was hanging by a thread, tangled up in a web of unanswered questions and fears she couldn't voice. She felt like the walls were closing in, the grief from Lauren's return from New York suffocating her. Evening light seeped through the windows, casting eerie shadows across the room. The only sound was the distant hum of the city, a stark contrast to the silence that enveloped her. Lauren's bedroom, once a sanctuary of comfort, now felt like an icy tomb.

Sydney sat on their bed, the dim light adding to the melancholic mood. She clutched a framed photo of them, her fingers tracing its edges as tears filled her eyes. The past weeks had been a whirlwind of fear and uncertainty ever since Lauren came back. She stared at the empty space beside her, desperately wishing for Lauren's comforting touch to be there again.

Sydney wandered through their quiet condo, Lauren's presence now a hollow echo of the vibrant person she once was. Lauren moved through the rooms with a distant gaze, her lively eyes now clouded and vacant. Her footsteps were hesitant, as if she were navigating a world she no longer recognized. Sydney's heart clenched with every fleeting moment of recognition that flickered in Lauren's eyes, only to be swallowed again by the void. She longed to reach out, to pull Lauren back from the depths of whatever darkness held her captive, but felt helpless against the chasm that had grown between them.

Lauren's current situation was a grim reflection of the internal war she waged daily. Their once-cozy living room was now a battlefield, cluttered with the remnants of her addiction—empty bottles, discarded needles, and the stale scent of despair clinging to every surface. Her vibrant eyes were now shadowed with exhaustion, haunted by the ghosts of her past choices.

Every day was a struggle to maintain even a semblance of normalcy. Lauren moved through the motions, her actions mechanical and devoid of the spirit that once defined her. The moments of clarity, when the haze of drugs momentarily lifted, were the hardest to bear. They brought a crushing awareness of her reality, a piercing understanding of how far she had fallen. Ian's presence loomed over her like a dark specter, his manipulative control tightening around her like a vice. In those brief moments of lucidity, she would clutch at the fragments of her former self, desperately trying to piece together a way out, only to be pulled back into the abyss by the unrelenting grip of her addiction.

"Lauren," Sydney whispered, walking into the living room, cradling her belly as if to shield their child from the cruelty of its mother. When Lauren had come home, she'd brought back her nasty temper, a side of her Sydney hadn't seen in a long time. "Are you hungry? I can make you something if you want?"

With her lip curled in disgust, Lauren lifted her chin from her chest and turned her head towards Sydney, glowering at her with a harsh glare. "Why do you keep asking me that?" She snapped, her voice a sharp edge cutting through the heavy silence.

Sydney flinched at the sudden outburst, her eyes wide with hurt and confusion. "I was just trying to help," She murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lauren's eyes flashed with anger, and she threw her hands up in frustration. "I don't need your help!" She shouted, her words echoing off the walls. "I don't need anything from you." The venom in her voice stung, leaving Sydney feeling more helpless and heartbroken than ever.