Whispers of Deceit.

Chapter 2

The next morning, my 6 a.m. alarm jolts me awake. I shut it off quickly, opening my eyes to find Jared already gone—probably at work by now. I let out a long sigh, lying there for a moment, staring blankly at the ceiling. I hate going to bed after a disagreement. Actually, I’m not even sure it qualifies as one—more of a standoff, maybe? Whatever it was, it left a bad taste in my mouth.

After ten minutes of letting my thoughts swirl, I force myself out of bed and head into the shower. The hot water feels grounding as I wash my hair, scrub my body, and shave my legs. Tonight, I’m meeting the girls for drinks after work, and I can’t wait to hear what they have to say about last night. They always have my back, but they don’t hesitate to call me out if I’m in the wrong. It’s why I need them now—some clarity.

Stepping out of the shower, I towel-dry my hair, slip into leggings, a cosy jumper, and my favourite slippers. Comfort is essential if I’m going to power through all my work today—my goal is to finish everything so I don’t have to lift a finger tomorrow. After a quick skincare routine, I head downstairs to make some tea.

When I walk into the kitchen, something unexpected catches my eye—the lilies. They’re no longer in the bin. Instead, they’re arranged neatly in a vase, placed on the counter. Upon closer inspection I realise the pollen has been carefully cut off, a gesture I’d never thought to do myself. A small smile tugs at my lips. Maybe this was Jared’s way of extending an olive branch, in the language of flowers. I place the vase on the windowsill where the sunlight can reach them, letting the soft warmth of the moment sink in.

As I am making a tea, Breeze comes into the kitchen and meows, making her presence known. I spend ten minutes playing with her and giving her attention before feeding her and changing her water. I leave the back door open for her in case she wants to have a stroll around the garden and head into the cabin studio and begin working on my animations. Three characters down, two more to do, a dog and a hamster. I've got this.

By 3 p.m., I’m finally done. I submit the characters and schedule a Teams meeting for 3:30 to review everything with the clients. Shortly after, they reply to my email, saying everything looks great and they’re excited to go over it in the meeting. With the CBBC show set to go live by November, I’m really hoping this meets their expectations. If not, the deadline will be pushed back another month, which means even more pressure and stress on me.

I go into the kitchen and clean out Breeze's bowl and put down cat biscuits. She is in her usual spot on her back with her paws in the air snoring. The sun is hitting right onto her belly, making her all warm. I sit on the sofa and turn the TV on, putting on an episode of Modern Family. Jared and I have re-watched Modern Family six times since we started dating. We are currently on season six. I pull out my phone from my pocket and noticed I had a few text messages from Jared.

From: Jared x
Hey babe, call me when you wake up, I don't have a surgery until 9 x

From: Jared x
I am going into theatre now, will be around 2 hours long. I love you. X

From: Jared x
Surgery finished. Are u ok? Pls text me. I will be home earlier today, shall I pick us up some dinner? Xx

Shit. I haven't looked at my phone once since I woke up. I was so focused on finishing my work I didn't think. Jared and I rarely ever text throughout the day. If it is, it’s always him asking if he should pick up dinner or me texting him to get cat food or oat milk. I quickly type a text to him.

To: Jared x
Hey, so sorry I worked early this morning and focused to finish my assignments. Just pick up something for yourself, I am meeting the girls for drinks so will eat whilst I am out. See u later, I love u too x

After the episode of Modern Family, I quickly make myself a coffee and head back to work. During the Teams meeting, the clients told me they loved my work—no changes needed, which is a relief. They did mention wanting to introduce some gay friends or relatives of the parents, but that’s a project for a few months down the line. We signed off on the paperwork, and by 4:30, I was done for the day. Perfect.

I headed upstairs for a quick shower to freshen up. My hair was almost dry, so I grabbed the hairdryer to finish the job. It’s long—down to my waist—and a natural shade of blonde. Growing up, I always envied my friends with their brown hair. Being the only blonde in our group left me feeling strangely out of place. For years, I begged my mom to let me dye it, but she always refused—not because she was strict, but because she had dyed her own hair as a teenager and regretted it.

When I turned 18, I bought a box of brown dye, determined to change it, but I never went through with it—and I’m so glad I didn’t. My mum was right. Most of my friends who dyed their hair now wish they could get their natural colour back. One of them has dyed hers so much she can’t even remember her original shade. 

Once my hair was dry, I pinned it up and moved on to my makeup. My skin is naturally pale, dotted with a few freckles on my nose. I used to fake tan religiously, and I’ll admit I look better with a tan, but the upkeep was exhausting. Scrubbing off the old tan and reapplying every week? No thanks. I’ve thought about using sunbeds, but I burn too easily for that—it’s just not worth the risk.

For tonight’s look, I decided on brown eyeshadow and bold red lips. I’m wearing a black dress and heels, so I want my makeup to pop. My lips, unfortunately, aren’t naturally full, so I started getting lip filler when I was 18. I have it topped up once a year, and now they’re just the right size—plump but natural-looking.

By the time I’m finished, it’s almost 6 p.m. My hair is straightened, my makeup’s on, and I’m ready to go. I hear the front door close—Jared’s home—but he hasn’t replied to my text message.

I head down stairs making sure I have everything I need, Breeze following behind me as we greet Jared at the door.

"Hey babe, you look stunning."

I smile "Thank you. Not too much?"

He leans in to kiss me and once pulled away, he looks me up and down again "Too much? Never. You look really beautiful."

"Thank you. Tough day?"

I follow him into the kitchen where he begins putting shopping away. He opens a packet of cat treats and gives Breeze some and I smile down at her as she scoffs them up straight away. You'd think we never feed her.

"It was okay. I only had two surgeries today so it wasn't horrible. How was your day?"

"Yeah it was good, I finished my assignments, everything has been signed off and sent over and now no longer in my hands. I only have a few admin bits to do tomorrow but yeah, a nice next couple of workdays before I speak with the new clients on Tuesday about a new assignment."

"I am proud of you, you will smash it, like you always do."

I give him a small smile but stay quiet. We still haven’t addressed the fact that he told his mum he was ready to have kids. I know we need to talk about it, and I should tell him how I feel, but I really don’t want it to turn into an argument right before I head out with the girls. My taxi is arriving in twenty minutes, and all I want is to have a good night.

“I know we need to talk about last night,” I begin cautiously, “but can we wait until tomorrow, after work?”

He sighs, clearly frustrated. “Really? I know it wasn’t a full argument, but I hate being stuck in this limbo. I want us to talk about it—properly.”

“Talk about what?” I ask, even though I know exactly what he means.

“Us having children. What I said to my mum.”

I hesitate. “Oh, um... I’m leaving soon, and I don’t want this conversation hanging over me all night.”

“It’s a simple question, Lia. Are we going to start trying for a baby soon or not?”

I feel my chest tighten. “Jared, I get that. But don’t you think we need to sit down and really talk it through?”

He shakes his head slightly. “No, I don’t. We’re married, we have a house, we have the space and the financial stability. The next step is a child—don’t you agree?”

I feel the pressure building. I don’t want to have this conversation right now, but he’s not letting it go. I can see in his eyes how much this means to him, and it’s tearing me apart knowing I don’t feel the same way. It’s going to crush him when I finally admit that. Why didn’t we have this conversation when we first got together?

"Honestly? I do not want children." I admit.

His face falls "What? Ever?"

I shrug "I think so. I mean, I have never thought about it and we have never had that discussion. I like our life, I am too selfish for it to change."

He thinks for a moment before he opens his mouth, he goes to speak but stops, he thinks some more and then he starts to talk "Lia, this is something you should have told me ten years ago-if children were never in the picture for you, for us."

"Why? You didn't tell me you wanted children? What is the difference?"

He laughs "That is ridiculous, everyone wants kids, why would I bring that up? I thought you knew."

“No, Jared, we’ve never discussed this, so I assumed we were on the same page. Honestly, if I had told you ten years ago that I never wanted children, would we even be together now?”

“Well, that changes things,” he admits.

I’m taken aback by his response. “That changes things”? I can only guess what he means, but if he’s suggesting it could affect us, then we definitely need to have a serious conversation tomorrow. Just as I open my mouth to respond, my phone pings with a notification: my taxi is arriving early, in just two minutes.

"I am sorry, okay? Look, we will sit down and talk about this tomorrow. My taxi is almost here. I love you Jared. I promise we will discuss this properly tomorrow."

I give him a kiss on his cheek, give Breeze a stroke goodbye and head out the door. I wait patiently for my cab and when it pulls up, I jump in.