Scarlett is fed up with juggling a demanding career and a teething baby, while her husband, Dave, sleeps peacefully with noise-canceling headphones. When he rejects her pleas for help, Scarlett hatches a cunning plan to keep him awake at night.
I need to vent about something.
My name is Scarlett and I’ve been married to Dave for 25 years. We have three children: a 12-year-old football fanatic, an 8-year-old aspiring astronaut, and our youngest, Lily, who is six months old.
A woman with two of her children | Source: Pexels
Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids dearly, but balancing a demanding career with raising these tiny human beings is no easy feat.
Dave and I used to be a power couple. But lately, he’s been avoiding doing his share of the nighttime baby work.
Imagine this: I’m pacing around the room with a screaming, teething baby at 2 a.m., sound asleep, wearing noise-canceling headphones, listening to ocean waves or something. It’s infuriating!
A woman soothes a crying baby | Source: Pexels
So, here’s the situation. It was one of those nights. Lily was teething and inconsolable. I’d tried everything: rocking, feeding, singing lullabies. Nothing worked. Exhausted and at my wit’s end, I shook Dave awake.
“Dave, I need help. Lily has been crying for hours,” I pleaded, my voice barely masking my frustration.
He groaned and took out his headphones. “Scarlett, I have to get up early. My job is demanding. Can’t you handle it?”
A sleeping man | Source: Pexels
“Seriously, Dave?” I snapped, feeling the hot sting of tears in my eyes. “I’ve been dealing with this all night. I need some support here.”
He rolled his eyes and turned away. “I need to sleep. I can’t go to work if I’m exhausted.”
That was it. The tipping point. His words stung me more than they should have. I felt like I was drowning and he was just floating, oblivious. Something had to change. I couldn’t continue feeling undervalued and alone.
A woman with a determined look | Source: Midjourney
That’s when I came up with my plan.
I’m not proud of it, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I decided to modify his precious earbuds, installing a hidden speaker controlled by my phone. Yes, it was sneaky, but I absolutely wanted him to understand my struggle.
The first night of my plan, I felt a mixture of guilt and anticipation. I put Lily in her crib and waited for Dave to fall asleep. When Lily woke up crying, I put my plan into action.
A mother holding a crying baby while using her phone | Source: Midjourney
I turned on the speakerphone. The sound of a baby crying filled his headphones. He stood up, confused and irritated.
“Scarlett, did you hear that?” he muttered, rubbing his eyes.
“Heard what?” I replied, feigning ignorance.
He shook his head and stumbled over to Lily’s crib.
Crying baby in a crib | Source: Pexels
I watched him, half amused, half guilty, trying to calm her down. He didn’t know anything, but at least he was trying.
The following nights, I got creative. I played the buzzing of a mosquito, the creaking of a door, and even the voice of her boss discussing his quarterly reports.
Dave’s frustration grew. He was losing sleep, and it was starting to show in his work. He was irritable and abrupt, but he still couldn’t connect the dots.
A man resting his head on his arms | Source: Pexels
One particularly difficult night, after I sounded a fire alarm, Dave sat up, wide-eyed and frantic.
“What’s going on?!” he exclaimed, looking around the room in puzzlement.
“Dave, relax,” I said, hiding my smirk. “It’s just Lily. Maybe you should go see her?”
He glared at me but reluctantly got out of bed. As he picked Lily up, I could see the bags under his eyes, his weariness beginning to mirror my own.
A sleeping man waking up | Source: Pexels
It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.
On the fourth night of my plan, I played a sound bite of his boss, Mr. Thompson, sternly lecturing him about missing deadlines. Dave sat up, looking genuinely terrified.
“What the hell is going on, Scarlett? Did you hear that? You sounded like Mr. Thompson!” He was sweating, and for the first time, I saw a crack in his composed exterior.
A man who wakes up terrified | Source: Midjourney
“Dave, I think you’re just stressed,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “Maybe you should take care of Lily more often. It might help you sleep better.”
He stared at me, and I could see the wheels turning in his head.
“Yes, maybe,” he muttered, but the doubt was there.
By the end of the week, Dave was a wreck.
An exhausted man | Source: Midjourney
He was attacking the children, his patience was running out.
“Scarlett, I don’t know what’s going on, but I can’t take it anymore. I’m hearing things and I’m exhausted.”
I bit my lip, feeling a mixture of guilt and satisfaction.
“Dave, we need to talk,” I said, my voice calm but heavy with the weight of the last few nights.
He looked at me, his eyes red and tired. “What is it? Tell me.”
A couple talking in their bedroom at night | Source: Midjourney
“Sit down,” I insisted, gesturing toward the couch.
He slumped back in the seat, rubbing his temples. I took a deep breath, ready to reveal everything.
“Dave, those noises you heard? The baby crying, the mosquito, the fire alarm… they weren’t real. I played them through your headphones,” I confessed, my heart pounding.
His eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed in anger.
An angry man | Source: Pexels
“You did that? Why the hell did you do that?”
“Because I’m drowning here!” I replied, my voice breaking. “Every night, I’m up with Lily, trying to soothe her, while you sleep. I feel so alone, Dave. I needed you to understand how I feel.”
He stood up, his hands clenched into fists. “So you decided to torture me? What kind of twisted logic is that, Scarlett?”
A couple having a heated discussion | Source: Pexels
Tears streamed down my cheeks. “I didn’t know what else to do. I’m exhausted, too. I needed you to see how hard this is for me. I needed you to be my partner, not just someone who backs out when things get tough.”
For a moment, he just stared at me, his face a mixture of anger and confusion. Then, slowly, the anger faded, replaced by something gentler.
“Scarlett, I’m sorry. I was so caught up in my own world. I didn’t realize how much you were struggling.”
A caring man | Source: Pexels
I nodded, wiping away my tears. “I’m not saying it was the right thing to do, but I was desperate. I need you, Dave. I need us to be a team.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I understand now. I was selfish. I’m sorry.”
That night, for the first time in what seemed like forever, Dave stayed up with me willingly. He rocked Lily, changed her diaper, and even managed to make her laugh.
It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was no longer alone.
A man holding his daughter | Midjourney
In the days that followed, Dave became more involved. He began taking turns caring for the baby during the night. We shared late-night feedings, whispered conversations, and intimate moments.
Our relationship began to heal and strengthen.
One night as we lay in bed, both exhausted but satisfied, I whispered, “Thanks, Dave.”
He smiled and hugged me. “No, Scarlett. Thanks for waking me up.”
A couple in bed | Source: Pexels
The new dynamic in our household was palpable. Dave was more patient with the children, and they responded happily to his increased involvement. Our evenings were filled with laughter and shared responsibilities, a stark contrast to the isolation I had previously felt.
One such evening, as we sat in the dim light of Lily’s bedroom, Dave looked at me.
“I’ve thought a lot about what you said,” he began. “About the partnership. I want to make sure I’m there for you, for us. I’ve neglected my part of the work, and I’m sorry.”
A couple | Source: Pexels
I reached out and shook it. “Thank you, Dave. That means a lot to me. It’s about being there for each other, even when it’s hard.”
He nodded, a determined look in his eyes. “I promise to maintain an even split of parenting duties from now on. You won’t have to do this alone.”
Our bond grew stronger as the days went by. We found a rhythm, a balance that worked for us. Late nights didn’t seem as daunting with Dave by my side, and the burdens we carried seemed lighter when shared.
A happy couple | Source: Pexels
One peaceful evening, after a particularly quiet evening where Lily had finally fallen asleep, we slipped into bed, both completely exhausted. Dave pulled me close to him, his arm wrapping around me.
“Scarlett,” he whispered, his voice filled with gratitude, “thank you.”
I smiled, feeling a sense of satisfaction wash over me. “Thank you, Dave,” I whispered back. “For being my partner.”
A happy couple in bed | Source: Pexels
As we fell asleep, I felt a deep sense of peace. We were together, truly together, and that made all the difference.
Read also: After hiring a nanny to help me with my children, I noticed a change in my husband and children – Then one day, I came home early
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and all opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the opinions of the author or publisher.
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