Chapter 1 – The Old Couple’s Hope
Charles was seventy years old. His wife, Evelyn, was sixty-eight. They lived in the United States. They were rich. They had worked hard all their lives. They had big houses, cars, and land. People in their town said, “Charles and Evelyn are lucky. They have everything.” But inside their hearts, they carried both love and pain.
They had two sons. Their elder son was Adrian. He was twenty-five. He was kind and smart. He always listened to his parents. He respected them and gave them love. He was studying abroad. He often sent letters and video calls. He said, “Mom, Dad, I will make you proud.” When Evelyn read his letters, her eyes filled with tears of joy. She whispered, “Adrian is far away, but his heart is still close.”
Their younger son was Nathan. He was twenty-two. When he was a child, he was sweet. He used to run to Evelyn, saying, “Mommy, tell me a story.” Charles remembered teaching him how to ride a bike. Evelyn remembered the nights when Nathan slept holding her hand. They thought, “One day, he will be our support.” But time had changed him.
Nathan had started pulling away. He came late at night. He closed his door and did not eat with them. Evelyn often placed his plate on the table and waited. Hours passed, but Nathan did not come. She whispered to herself, “Maybe tonight he will come and sit with us.” But the chair stayed empty. Tears filled her eyes. Charles saw her pain but said nothing. He held her hand under the table and whispered, “Be strong. Maybe he will change.”
One day, Charles asked Nathan to help him with some papers. Nathan shouted, “I am busy! Leave me alone.” Charles stood still, shocked. He was a strong man, but in that moment he felt weak. He said nothing and walked away. Evelyn saw this and cried silently in her room. She held Nathan’s childhood photo in her hands. In that photo, Nathan was smiling, his small arms around her neck. She whispered, “Where did my little boy go?”
On Evelyn’s birthday, Adrian called from abroad. He sang for her on video. He said, “Happy birthday, Mom! I love you.” Evelyn smiled, but her eyes searched for Nathan. He was at home, but he did not even wish her. He walked past her room as if nothing was special. Evelyn’s smile broke. She sat alone, looking at her birthday cake. She thought, “I carried him in my womb, I gave him life, but today he cannot even say one word to me.”
Nathan started asking for money again and again. Sometimes, he took it without telling. One day, Evelyn found her jewelry missing. She knew Nathan had taken it, but she said nothing. She prayed, “God, keep my son safe. Bring him back to the right path.” That night she cried on Charles’s shoulder. Charles whispered, “Don’t lose hope. He will remember our love one day.”
But Nathan was changing more each day. He had found new friends. They were not good people. They taught him that money was the only thing that mattered. They told him, “Why wait for your parents to give you wealth? Take it now. The world belongs to the brave.”
Nathan also had a girlfriend, Selena. She was beautiful, but her heart was greedy. She said to him, “If you want me, bring me money. Without money, I will never marry you. When your parents’ property is yours, then we can have a life together.”
Nathan felt trapped. He thought, “My parents give me food, clothes, and shelter. But Selena says love means money. My friends say money means power. Who should I listen to?” He started believing them. His love for his parents became weak. His hunger for money grew stronger.
Evelyn noticed his cold eyes. Once she entered his room to keep clean clothes. She saw a knife hidden under his bed. Her heart almost stopped. She held it in her hand, trembling. She whispered, “Why does my son need this? Is he in danger, or is he the danger?” She put it back, tears running down her face. That night, she prayed longer than ever.
Charles also felt something was wrong. At a family gathering, people asked him, “How are your sons?” He spoke proudly about Adrian, saying, “He is studying abroad. He works hard. He respects us.” But when they asked about Nathan, Charles stayed silent. His silence was heavy. Inside, he thought, “What can I say? My heart is breaking.”
Meanwhile, Nathan’s mind grew darker. He sat with his friends, listening to their plans. They told him, “Kill your parents, and everything will be yours.” Selena looked into his eyes and said coldly, “No property, no marriage. Decide fast.”
Nathan’s heart beat fast. He thought of his parents’ faces. For a moment, he remembered his mother’s smile when she held him as a child. But then Selena’s words returned: “No money, no love.”
Late that night, Nathan stood alone in his room. He whispered to himself, “If my parents die, I will get everything. I will get Selena. I will get freedom.” He clenched his fists. His face was hard.
At the same time, Evelyn was awake in her room, praying, “God, protect my son from evil. Bring him back to us. Don’t let him be lost.”
Charles and Evelyn did not know how close they were to danger. And Nathan did not know how close he was to losing the only people who truly loved him.
