Ryan was born through vitro fertilization.
Andrew had heard somewhere that having children could bring a couple closer together. One day, after work, 30-year-old Andrew suggested having a child with Samuel, saying it was to have an heir for the family business.
Samuel didn't love Andrew, but since Andrew was his lifesaver, he would always agree to whatever Andrew wanted.
In this case, too, he agreed without any objections and even took a day off to go to the hospital with Andrew to handle the procedures.
Andrew later confessed that, at first, they had planned to use his sperm for the procedure, but he didn't want that. Secretly, he switched it with Samuel's sperm and handed it to the nurse.
As a result, Ryan was born, carrying the bloodline of the Carter family. At that time, Andrew thought that if he told Samuel about this, maybe Samuel would chat more with him.
But when Samuel found out, he was only mildly surprised and gave a small nod. After that, things went back to how they were.
In truth, Samuel wasn't a bad father. In fact, he was very patient in teaching Ryan everything, from the small things to the big. He was, in a way, even more careful and thorough than Andrew.
Ryan would often ask Samuel about his feelings toward Andrew, but the answer he always got was, "Your dad is a very good person."
Whenever he asked about their memories together, Samuel seemed to be at a loss for words, unable to share anything meaningful.
On the other hand, Andrew could go on and on, endlessly talking about their memories, sometimes to the point where Ryan felt his ears might fall off. Andrew cherished every moment with Samuel. No matter how small, he would exaggerate it a hundred times and repeat it to Ryan over and over.
But their shared memories were limited, mostly about when they were still best friends, so Ryan would get bored. It was understandable—Now they could hardly sit down for a meal together, let alone make any new memories.
Whenever Ryan compared Andrew, who could talk about Samuel like a broken record, with Samuel, who couldn't even recall one meaningful memory, he would feel sorry for his lovesick small father.
Samuel was excellent in every role, except for that of a husband, where he fell terribly short.
Today was Ryan's 18th birthday. Last year, both of his fathers had been too busy to celebrate, so this year, they decided to throw him a bigger party to make up for it.
Andrew came home early, bringing a huge gift, planning to give it to Ryan as a symbol that his son was now a "true man." But he wouldn't let Ryan open it right away; he insisted that it be opened only after he went to his room.
Not wanting to be outdone, Samuel also brought a large, beautifully wrapped gift. On the package were the words "Happy birthday to Dad's precious gem," along with two candles shaped like the numbers 1 and 8.
When Ryan held the gift, it wasn't too heavy but not too light either. Judging by the box and its fancy wrapping, he guessed the gift must have been expensive.
Sure enough, when he opened it, he found a car key for a Mercedes. It was the G63 model he had always dreamed of!
"You're 18 now, and it seems like you still don't have a good way to get around, right?" Samuel said with a small smile, pointing at the key. "I heard you complaining that you wanted a car to make things easier. Do you like this gift?"
"Yes, I love it!" Ryan's eyes practically disappeared in his wide smile as he jumped into his father's arms. "Thank you so much, Dad!"
Samuel smiled too; today, he seemed much happier than usual. Seeing him smile like that, Andrew stood beside them in a daze.
It had been a long time since he had seen his partner smile like this.
It seemed that having a child really was the right decision. If he had been alone with Samuel all these years, surely Samuel would have left him by now to follow the call of true love.
Yes, although Andrew was proud that Samuel had never strayed, deep down, he was terrified of being abandoned, just like that winter night twenty years ago.
That night, after he had confessed his feelings, seeing Samuel's negative reaction, he had immediately wanted to backtrack and say it was all just a joke. But the next day, when he went over, Samuel had already moved out during the night and blocked all contact with him.
That feeling was terrible, as if he were a monster that someone had to go to great lengths to escape from.
Andrew stood under the rain all that night, his tears blending with the water falling from the sky.