Ryan Carter is the only son of Samuel Carter and Andrew Taylor. Born into one of the wealthiest families in city H, yet he has never felt truly happy.
That's because, even though both of his fathers love him dearly, their relationship is worse than that of strangers.
In the mornings, after greeting each other briefly, then eat breakfast in silence before going their separate ways. At lunch, they eat at work and often work overtime until late at night. When they come home, they exchange a cold greeting and then retreat to their separate rooms to sleep.
Even when they have free time, they make sure to visit him at different times, never overlapping. If Ryan tries to make them meet, as soon as they see each other, they immediately split up.
This makes Ryan very uncomfortable. He has tried talking to both of his fathers about it, but nothing ever changes.
Originally, this was a forced marriage that his second father, Andrew Taylor, initiated. Back then, after graduating from university, his first father, Samuel Carter, had been left heartbroken by his ex-girlfriend. Andrew, who had been his best friend since childhood, took that chance to comfort him.
Andrew said he had always liked Samuel, but since Samuel already had a girlfriend, they remained just friends. Andrew was busy working part-time to make ends meet, so even though he had a crush on his wealthy best friend, he didn't dare pursue anything more. He told Ryan that back then, they were very close, sharing everything with each other, and Samuel wasn't as distant as he is now.
Andrew didn't expect anything in return for his feelings; he just wanted to comfort his friend. But because they often spent nights talking and sharing the same bed, his feelings grew deeper.
Over time, Samuel slowly healed, and Andrew, while comforting him on the surface, secretly tried to block any new relationships that came his way. Andrew admitted that jealousy blinded him.
At that time, Samuel was emotionally vulnerable, so the boundaries between them blurred. There were many close moments that made Andrew misinterpret the signals.
Andrew thought that Samuel had sworn off women after being hurt, so he confessed his feelings. But instead of reciprocating, Samuel was furious and cut off all contact with him. Andrew had no choice but to let it go.
Years later, Samuel's family faced a financial crisis, and he was in a car accident that left him bedridden. Abandoned by his family, only Andrew remembered him and took care of him with great care.
Samuel didn't love men, but he wasn't ungrateful either. He felt indebted to Andrew, so he asked what he could do to repay him.
At that time, Andrew didn't want anything in return. He just hoped that Samuel could live a healthy and peaceful life. He thought, if Samuel no longer had a home and with his injured leg, he might as well come live with him.
So, he invited Samuel to stay with him. But the incident seemed to have left too deep of a scar on Samuel. He was no longer the bright, smiling young man he once was. He became more reserved, focusing entirely on his work to build his business empire.
Although years of living together didn't make Samuel love Andrew, he remained a trustworthy partner. He always sent money home and attended family events like their son's birthday. He never had an affair outside their marriage. In every way, except for the lack of love, Samuel was the perfect husband.
Ryan knew that Andrew still loved Samuel deeply. It was obvious in the way he smiled whenever he looked at him. But because Samuel remained distant, every time Andrew tried to reach out, he was met with rejection. Over time, Andrew accepted this reality and settled into a marriage without love.
"Aren't you regretful?" Ryan had asked him many times.
"No, I'm not. Before your father, anyone I loved betrayed me. Your father is just a little distant, but he's never done anything wrong in all these years. He's a good man, to me, to you, and to this marriage. I'm content with that. Sometimes, life doesn't always go the way we want it to." Andrew always smiled and replied to him this way.