Andrew and Margaret had spent five years dreaming of a child, and when little Samuel was born it felt as if destiny itself had given its blessing. They poured everything into himlove, time, the ambitions theyd never fulfilled, and, above all, a set of rules carved in stone.
Above all, be honest, son, Andrew would say, reading bedtime stories about brave heroes.
Integrity is what makes a man, Margaret would echo, checking his diary.
Samuel grew up serious beyond his yearsprincipled, proper, hardworking. He soaked up their maxims like a sponge, determined to become the embodiment of his parents ideals. He aimed for the top: a gold medal at school, a place at the prestigious economics faculty at Leeds, a firstclass degree. Teachers praised his upbringing, neighbours sighed with envy.
Dont worry, Mum, Samuel would reassure Margaret when she fretted about university temptations. Ive no time for that. I need to learn.
He truly was the best in his cohort, earned that firstclass honour, and soon landed a job. He spent long hours in the office, returning home in the dark, his eyes burning with a tired but righteous fire.
Ive been noticed, he announced one evening, pride swelling. Theyve given me a serious project.
Then came the moment they had both awaited and feared. Samuel walked in one Sunday morning, offschedule, with news that made Margarets heart throb with sudden joy.
Mum, Dad, Ive met someone. Her name is Lily. Were planning to rent a flat together.
His voice trembled, a fragile, almost childlike uncertainty that hadnt been heard in years.
Lily appeared at the house the following Sundayunassuming, with calm, intelligent eyes. She spoke respectfully, without a hint of pretence, and her warm smile when Samuel talked made it clear how much she cared for him.
She comes from a good family, Margaret whispered to Andrew later in the kitchen as Samuel saw Lily off to a taxi. Her fathers an engineer, her mother a teacher. And she looks at him she really looks.
Andrew, usually reserved, let out a low chuckle.
And look at him with herhes blossomed like a boy again. I havent seen him so alive in ages.
Lily slipped into their lives, bringing cakes, helping Margaret in the kitchen, debating politics with Andrew. They watched Samuel flourish beside her. The rigid, goaldriven boy began to joke, laugh, plan weekend trips. Most of all, his eyes now held something his career and success could never give him: simple, human happiness.
Six months after they met, Samuel and Lily arrived handinhand, excitement bright in their faces.
Weve decided to get married, Samuel said, and Lily nodded, radiant.
He lingered, eyes drifting toward the sideboard, and added cautiously,
Were looking at flats on a mortgage, of course. The deposit Id be grateful if you could help us.
Silence hung for a heartbeat. Theyd been saving for a dream house for ten years£30,000. Margaret broke the quiet, looking at Lilys hopeful smile and then at her son, her heart trembling.
We were actually putting away for a countryside home, she began. But for you well think about it.
Their well think didnt last long. That night, lying in bed, Margaret whispered to Andrew,
Theyre genuine, arent they? You see? She loves him.
Andrew sighed, having seen the same truth. Hed watched Lily look at Samuel not as a project but as a person, and seen Samuel reach for her like for a home.
Theyre our continuation, he said softly. Let them have their own house, their own foundation.
The tenyear, £30,000 nest egg, their vision of a garden and peace, dissolved into that impulse. For our child, they told each other, and those words carried both sacrifice and an investment in an ideal future.
For weeks the four of them became a single team: scanning listings, driving to viewings, arguing over floor plans. Finally they found a bright twobedroom flat in a new suburb.
That evening, standing in the doorway of the new flat, Andrew handed Samuel the keys with pride.
This is your wedding present. Straight from the registry to your own home.
Samuel embraced them, gratitude shining in his eyes.
Well need furniture, get it set up. Then well register.
Everything seemed perfect.
But six months later, the wedding faded like smoke. Samuel returned alone, pale, dark circles under his eyes.
Lily Lily left. She said she couldnt cope. She said I wasnt who I pretended to be.
Margaret gasped, clutching her chest. Andrew wrapped an arm around his sons shoulders.
Hold on, lad. It happens youll come back, settle down, pull yourself together.
Yes, Dad, Samuel whispered. I want to go home.
He returned with only a backpack.
Margaret noticed, sorrowful, that he hadnt even taken his books from the new flat. Within a week the anxiety became unbearable. Andrew dialed Lilys number. After a string of rings, a weary voice answered.
Andrew its Lily. Im sorry I tried to get him treatment for a year. He kept losing I couldnt go on.
An hour later Andrew knocked on the door of the flat. A stranger opened.
The flats sold, the man said politely. Weve already moved in.
Andrew spent two long hours on a bench outside the building, his mind empty, a hollow ache. He could not remember how hed gotten back home. In the living room Margaret, halfasleep, was knitting a scarf for Samuel while a drama series played.
The flats gone, Andrew exhaled. He sold it. Its lost.
Samuel stood in the doorway, his face a new maskfearful yet hardened.
Dad, Mum I need to explain.
There was no love left, or rather, love had fled when Lily realised what he was becoming. His career had vanished months earlier; hed been dismissed.
Hed turned to gambling to ease the stress, small bets at first, then the adrenaline of a first win, then debtstiny at first, then astronomical. He borrowed, mortgaged anything he could. In the end, all that remained was the flathis parents gift. He sold the very foundation they had built for him and Lily.
I thought I could bounce back! One big win and Id pay everything off, buy it back! But
He fell silent, eyes on the floor.
Ive hit rock bottom. Ive lost everything. I want to start over.
Andrew stayed mute, watching the son who had once been the embodiment of their hopes, now a stranger. He saw a liar who had performed a yearlong charade, looking Lily in the eye while steering everyone toward a cliff.
Margaret was the first to break the silence. Her voice quivered.
You you let us believe in this happiness. You used her, used us. You watched us pick a flat, knowing what it would become. Who are you now?
Samuel lifted his gaze, a flicker of childhood resentment in his eyes.
Im the person you raiseda perfect robot. And robots, Mum, Dad, cant ask for help. They break.
He spread his arms theatrically and walked away.
Andrew walked to the window. Night had fallen, streetlights flickering on. The horizon of their onceclear, predictable life was shattered. The worst part wasnt the lost money; it was realizing that the perfect picture of happiness theyd sacrificed everything for had been drawn on sand from the start.
