Whispers of Deception

Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

A ugustus sat at the kitchen table in his parents’ house, poking absentmindedly at his breakfast. His mind was elsewhere—on Lilia, on the chaos that had ensued since that night, and on the way the world seemed to be closing in around him. He hadn’t heard much from his father since that day at the police station, but he knew it was only a matter of time before something broke.

The sound of the front door slamming jolted him out of his thoughts. He tensed, setting his fork down as his father’s heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway. A moment later, Damien Clark appeared in the doorway, his face a thundercloud of rage.

“What the hell is this, Augustus?” Damien shouted, his voice booming through the house as he tossed a newspaper down onto the table.

Augustus glanced down, his stomach twisting at the sight of the front page. There, in black-and-white, was the photo of him and Lilia outside Delilah’s house. The headline screamed betrayal and scandal, painting them as reckless, as guilty. His face, captured in the midst of a heated argument with the press, did nothing to quell the flames.

“I thought I told you to stay away from her!” Damien snapped, his face turning red. He slammed his fist on the table, making the plates and silverware jump. “What part of that did you not understand?”

Augustus’ jaw clenched, and he forced himself to meet his father’s furious gaze. “I didn’t plan on it, okay?” he said, his voice tense. “I went to check on her. I guess reporters followed me, they just showed up.”

“Just showed up?” Damien scoffed, his eyes narrowing. “They don’t just ‘show up,’ Augustus. They’ve been following your every move. You knew this. And yet, you still ran straight to her, didn’t you?”

Augustus stood abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. His chest was tight, his heart pounding against his ribs. He felt cornered, trapped under his father’s unrelenting gaze. “She needed me,” he snapped, the words spilling out before he could stop himself. “I couldn’t just leave her?—”

“You’re not hearing me, Augustus!” Damien interrupted, his voice rising. “This isn’t about what you want! This is about what’s best for you, for this family! And Lilia? She is nothing but a liability. That girl is going to ruin everything if you keep getting tangled up with her!”

Augustus’ fists clenched at his sides, his anger simmering just below the surface. He could feel it building, a pressure that threatened to explode. “Lilia isn’t a liability,” he said through gritted teeth. “She’s not the problem here. The problem is that you won’t listen to me! You won’t even try to understand what’s happening!”

“Understand?” Damien’s laugh was harsh, bitter. He grabbed the newspaper again and jabbed a finger at the headline. “I understand perfectly. The media already has you two pegged as the culprits in this mess. They think you and Lilia had a motive to kill Willow. And now, with this”—he gestured to the photograph—“you’re practically handing them the story on a silver platter. Don’t you see how bad this looks?”

“I don’t care what it looks like!” Augustus snapped. The words tumbled out before he could stop them. “I love her, Dad. I love Lilia, and I’m not going to just cut her out of my life because you think it’s ‘bad for the family.’”

For a moment, silence filled the kitchen. The weight of Augustus’ admission hung in the air, thick and palpable. Damien’s face, once flushed with anger, slowly transformed into something colder—something more calculating. His eyes narrowed as he took in his son’s words, processing them with a slow, simmering intensity.

“You . . . love her?” Damien repeated, his voice laced with disbelief and disdain.

Augustus swallowed hard, his heart pounding in his chest. He hadn’t meant to say it, not like this—not in the heat of an argument. But it was true. He loved Lilia, despite everything, despite the chaos swirling around them. And now, there was no taking it back.

“Yes,” Augustus said, his voice quieter now, but firm. “I do.”

Damien shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping him. “Love? Augustus, this isn’t some fairy tale. Love doesn’t save you from prison, from scandal, from losing everything. Love won’t stop the police from knocking on our door, asking questions we can’t answer.”

“I know that!” Augustus shot back, his frustration bubbling over. “But you don’t get it. Lilia didn’t kill Willow, and neither did I. We’re not criminals, Dad. We’re just trying to survive this.”

“And you think you’re going to survive by staying attached to her?” Damien countered, his voice laced with incredulity. “Do you even hear yourself? The more you’re seen with her, the more people will believe that you had something to do with Willow’s death. You’re throwing your future away for a girl who’s dragging you down.”

“She’s not dragging me down!” Augustus shouted, his voice cracking with emotion. “She’s the only person who understands what I’m going through! She’s the only person who’s been there—really been there—since this whole thing started. And you—you’re so focused on your reputation, on what people are saying, that you’ve lost sight of what matters!”

Damien stared at him, his expression hardening. “What matters,” he said coldly, “is protecting you. And if that means keeping you away from Lilia, then that’s what needs to happen. This isn’t about love, Augustus. This is about survival. You need to choose—her, or your future.”

Augustus felt his chest tighten, his breath coming in shallow gasps. The weight of his father’s ultimatum pressed down on him, suffocating him. He could see the logic in what Damien was saying—the cold, hard truth of it—but that didn’t make it any easier to swallow.

For a long moment, the two of them stood there in tense silence, staring each other down. Augustus’ mind raced, torn between loyalty to his father and his love for Lilia. But deep down, he already knew what his choice was.

“I’m not going to abandon her,” Augustus said quietly, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him. “Not for you, not for anyone. I love her, and that’s not going to change.”

Damien’s eyes flashed with anger, but there was something else there, too—something like disappointment. He let out a slow, heavy breath, shaking his head as if in disbelief. “You’re making a mistake,” he said quietly. “And when this all falls apart don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

With that, Damien turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen, his footsteps echoing down the hall. Augustus stood there for a moment, staring at the empty doorway, his heart pounding in his chest.

He had stood his ground. He had spoken his truth.

But the victory felt hollow—because in the end, nothing had been solved. Nothing had been fixed.

And deep down, Augustus couldn’t shake the gnawing fear that his father might be right.