Andrew and Mary had spent five years dreaming of a child, and when little Samuel arrived, it felt as if destiny itself had given their marriage a royal seal. They poured everything into him love, time, their unfulfilled ambitions and, above all, a stoneset code of conduct.
Honesty is the most important thing, lad, Andrew would say while reading bedtime tales of brave heroes.
Decency is what makes a person, Mary would echo, checking his diary.
Samuel was serious beyond his years principled, proper and industrious. He soaked up their maxims like a sponge, determined to become the living embodiment of their ideals. He wanted the golden school medal, a spot at a prestigious economics faculty, and a coveted FirstClass degree. Teachers praised his upbringing; neighbours sighed with a mixture of envy and admiration.
Dont worry, Mum, Samuel would reassure Mary when she fretted about university temptations. Ive no time for that. I must focus on my studies.
Sure enough, he topped his cohort, earned that FirstClass degree and snapped up a job straight away, spending most of his days in a glasswalled office. He would stroll home at dusk, eyes burning with a weary yet righteous glow.
Ive been noticed, he announced one evening, chest puffed with pride. Theyve trusted me with a serious project.
Then came the moment they had both awaited and dreaded. Samuel turned up on a Sunday morning, off the clock, bearing news that made Marys heart flutter with a sudden pinch of joy.
Mum, Dad, Ive met someone. Her names Lucy. Were going to rent a flat together.
His voice trembled, a hint of the childlike uncertainty they hadnt heard in years.
Lucy arrived at their house the following Sunday unassuming, with sharp, thoughtful eyes. She spoke politely, without a hint of pretension, and it was clear she adored Samuel; a warm smile lit her face whenever he talked.
She comes from a good family, Mary whispered to Andrew later in the kitchen as Samuel escorted Lucy to the taxi. Her fathers an engineer, her mother a teacher. And she looks at him she really looks at him.
Andrew, usually reserved, chuckled, Our lads blossomed like a spring bloom. Havent seen him so alive in ages.
Lucy soon became part of the household. She brought pies, helped Mary in the kitchen, could chat with Andrew about politics without missing a beat. They watched Samuel flourish beside her. Their oncestern, goaldriven son started cracking jokes, laughing, plotting weekend trips. Most importantly, a simple, genuine happiness sparked in his eyes something no career or accolade could ever supply.
Six months after theyd met, Samuel and Lucy walked in handinhand, excitement barely contained.
Weve decided to get married, Samuel said, and Lucy nodded, beaming.
He then added, glancing toward the sideboard, Were already looking at flats on a mortgage, of course. But the deposit Id be really grateful if you could help.
A hush fell. They had been setting aside money for a dream home for ten years three million pounds. The silence was broken by Mary, who looked at Lucys hopeful face, then at her son, and felt her heart skip.
We weve been saving for a house out in the country, she began. But for you well think about it.
Their well think didnt last long. That evening, tucked into bed, Mary murmured, Andrew, theyre genuine, arent they? You see? She loves him.
Andrew sighed. Hed seen the same thing Lucy looking at their son not as a project but as a person. Hed watched Samuel reach for her like for a home.
Theyre our continuation, he whispered. Let them have their own house, their own foundation.
The threemillionpound nest egg, their quiet gardendream, dissolved in that impulse. For the sake of our child, they told each other, a phrase that was both sacrifice and investment in an ideal future.
For the next few weeks the four of them operated as a single team: scanning listings, visiting viewings, debating floor plans. At last they found a bright twobedroom flat in a new development.
That night, standing in the doorway of the new flat, Andrew handed Samuel the keys with a proud grin.
This is your wedding present so you can head straight from the registry office to your own home.
Samuel hugged them, eyes shining with genuine gratitude. Now we just need furniture, get everything set up, then file the paperwork.
Everything was perfect.
***
Six months later the wedding fizzled like smoke. Samuel returned one day, pale, dark circles under his eyes.
Lucy Lucy left. She said she couldnt cope. That Im not the man I pretended to be.
Mary gasped, clutching her chest. Andrew wrapped an arm around his son. Hang on, lad. It happens Youll come back, settle down, pull yourself together.
Yes, Dad, Samuel whispered. I want to go home.
He did, with just a single backpack.
Mary, wistful, noticed he hadnt even taken his books from the new flat. A week later anxiety gnawed at her. Andrew dialed Lucys number. After several rings, a weary voice answered.
Andrew its Lucy, she said, sounding exhausted. Im sorry. I tried to get him treatment for a year. He kept losing I couldnt do it any longer.
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 hours on a bench outside the block, his mind a void. In the living room Mary was knitting a scarf for Samuel while a soap opera blared.
The flats gone, Andrew exhaled. He sold it. Lost it.
Samuel stood in the doorway, his expression a mix of fear and hardened resolve.
Dad, Mum I have to explain.
There was no romance left. Lucy had walked away when she realised the person Samuel was becoming. His career was already gone hed been sacked months earlier.
Hed started gambling to ease the stress, placing tiny bets. Then the adrenaline, then debt first small, then astronomical. He took loans, mortgaged everything he could. In the end only the flat remained the parents gift. He sold the shared dream, the foundation his parents had built for him and Lucy.
I thought Id win it back! One big score and Id return everything, buy it back! But
He fell silent, staring at the floor.
Ive hit rock bottom. Lost everything. I want to start again.
Andrew stayed quiet, watching the man who was once his son, the embodiment of all their hopes, now a stranger. He saw a liar who had performed a yearlong charade, looking Lucy in the eye while steering everyone toward the edge.
Mary broke the silence first, voice shaking. You you let us believe in this happiness. You used her, used us. You watched us pick a flat, knowing knowing what it would become? Who are you now?
Samuel lifted his gaze, a flicker of childhood hurt in his eyes.
Im the person you raised. The perfect robot. And robots, Mum, Dad, cant ask for help. They break.
He spread his arms dramatically and walked away.
Andrew moved to the window. Evening had settled, streetlights flickering on. The onceclear horizon of his and Marys life had been shattered. And the worst part wasnt the loss of money. The real tragedy was realising that the pictureperfect happiness theyd given everything for had, from the start, been drawn in sand.
