Chapter 23 – After the Break
666 Words
The house stayed quiet long after they left.
Too quiet.
Nia didn’t come back right away.
When she did—
It was hours later.
The wreckage was still there.
Broken glass catching faint light.
Shattered pieces of what used to be controlled.
She stepped over it slowly.
Like it didn’t matter.
Because right now—
Only one thing did.
She searched again.
More focused this time.
More desperate.
Drawers. Cabinets. Shelves.
Then—
She found it.
Her white friend.
Cocaine.
Hidden.
But not well enough.
Her hands moved quickly, almost instinctively.
For a moment, she just stared at it.
Breathing uneven.
Then—
She used it.
She sniffed it in and then...
The effect came fast.
Faster than anything before.
Stronger.
Sharper.
Her body reacted instantly.
The tension—gone.
The noise—drowned out.
Her shoulders dropped.
Her breathing slowed.
And for the first time in what felt like forever—
Everything felt… light.
She let out a quiet laugh.
“Finally…”
It didn’t last.
But she didn’t notice that yet.
Because she kept going.
Chasing it.
Again.
And again.
Until there was nothing left.
The next morning—
Nia still went to work.
Because routine was the only thing she hadn’t completely lost.
The office felt different.
Or maybe—
She did.
“Good morning, ma’am,” someone greeted.
She didn’t respond.
Her movements were off.
Restless.
Her fingers kept moving—scratching lightly at her neck.
Then again.
Then again.
“Ms. Carter?” an assistant called.
Nia blinked, turning too slowly.
“…What?”
“The meeting—”
“Cancel it,” she cut in.
A pause.
“…We can’t,” the assistant said carefully. “They’re already here.”
Nia exhaled sharply.
Annoyed.
“Then make it quick.”
The meeting didn’t go well.
She couldn’t focus.
Couldn’t follow the conversation.
“Your input?” someone asked.
Nia stared at them.
Blank.
“…It’s fine,” she said.
“That’s not specific,” another added.
Her irritation spiked instantly.
“I said it’s fine,” she snapped.
Silence.
The room shifted.
She scratched her neck again.
Harder this time.
A man at the table—one of her senior staff—watched her closely.
Too closely.
“Nia,” he said carefully, dropping the formal tone. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes snapped to him.
“I’m fine.”
He didn’t look convinced.
“You don’t seem fine,” he said. “You’re—”
“I said I’m fine,” she cut in sharply.
He hesitated.
Then—
“You’re not acting like yourself,” he added. “If something’s going on, you should—”
“Stop.”
Her voice dropped.
Cold.
He paused.
“You should take care of yourself,” he continued anyway. “This isn’t—”
“You’re fired.”
The words landed instantly.
The room froze.
The man blinked. “…What?”
“I said you’re fired,” Nia repeated, her tone flat now. “Effective immediately.”
Silence.
Marcus would’ve stopped her.
Ryan would’ve stepped in.
But they weren’t there.
No one was.
“You can’t be serious,” the man said.
“I am,” she replied.
Another pause.
Then slowly—
He stood.
“This isn’t right,” he said quietly.
Nia didn’t respond.
Because she didn’t care.
Not right now.
He left.
The door closed behind him.
Silence filled the room again.
No one else spoke.
No one else challenged her.
Because now—
They saw it.
Something was wrong.
And whatever it was—
It wasn’t getting better.
Later, alone in her office—
Nia sat back in her chair.
Her fingers still restless.
Still moving.
The quiet from earlier?
Gone.
Completely.
Her thoughts crept back in.
Louder.
Sharper.
You’re losing everything.
She clenched her jaw.
“No…”
But even she didn’t sound convinced.
Because deep down—
She knew.
That “freedom” she felt?
It didn’t last.
And now—
Everything felt worse.
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