Youll lose nothing, you know?
Alice, Im asking you again, what happened to that bracelet? Did you lose it? Pawn it? Why would you? Whats going on?
Her mother took it Alice lowered her eyes.
The room fell into a heavy silence. Victor sank onto the sofa, eyebrows raised. The whole situation seemed absurd to him.
Took it? he repeated, bewildered. How are you supposed to understand that?
At first she just asked to try it on. Then she said it suited her, and I felt uncomfortable refusing. Shes his mother, after all
Victor looked at his wife as if seeing her for the first time. He knew Alice was gentle, but he hadnt imagined it could be this deep.
So she just walked off with your bracelet? Alice, how can that be? Tell me everything, step by step, he demanded.
His tone carried a thin edge of irony. Victor had always wanted his wife to need nothing. Now he could finally afford that, while Alice still couldnt.
They hadnt always been like this. Theyd met in their first year at university through mutual friends. Back then Victor was naive and dreamy. Hed grown up in a modest household and promised himself that his wife and children would always have the best. He didnt know how hed achieve it, but his enthusiasm was boundless.
Alice had no grand ambitions, but a kind heart. Victor realised hed fallen in love the night she showed up, shivering, with a thermos of hot soup.
Sergey told me you were ill. I thought Id drop by, she whispered, sliding off her shoes.
You shouldnt have. Youll catch it too, Victor protested, yet didnt send her away.
If we both get sick, well keep each other warm, she replied with a smile. Im not sugar; I wont melt away.
Victor saw in Alice the woman who could hold the line, who gave everything without a second thought, simply because she liked him and wanted to look after him.
Within a year they were sharing a cramped rented flat in Manchester, a tiny kitchen buzzing with a noisy fridge, a leaky tap, and the occasional scuttle of cockroaches. They pulled allnighters before exams, took odd jobs together. Victor lugged boxes for a local shop; Alice worked evenings as a waitress.
They endured everything. They learned that instant noodles werent cheap. Alice was frantic when Victor landed in hospital with gallstones and she couldnt afford his medicine. They borrowed from parents and friends on a regular basis.
Fortunately Victor had a wide circle of mates who tossed him sidejobs: helping on a construction site, painting a fence at a cottage for a token fee. He took almost any offer, while trying not to overburden Alice.
I want to help you! she cried when he prepared for another gig.
Yeah? And what are you going to do, haul coal? Youll tear yourself up. Our treatment will cost more than that, Victor growled.
He appreciated her zeal, though, and never left her side even when money became a heavy shadow over the family.
Step by step he climbed. First they earned their degrees. Victor drifted through agencies until a friend got him a junior role at a large logistics firm. The schedule was hellishlate nights, weekend scrambles.
Alice held the home together, despite her own job. She delighted him with his favourite meals, kept the flat spotless, tended his dog even after the animal limped.
Itll pass, everything will pass, she would say when the pressure was at its peak.
When Victor became head of logistics, the responsibilities multiplied, but he felt the love waiting at home as a anchor.
A new chapter unfolded. They moved into a proper flat, bought a car and a weekend cottage. No longer hunting for secondhand furniture on Gumtree, they stocked the shelves with brandnew pieces from the high street. Clothes were replaced not out of wear but because they wanted them. Vacations shifted from a parents countryside house to trips abroad.
Victors gifts evolved from chocolates to fur coats, designer bags, gold jewelleryno special occasion needed, just a Friday night or a good mood. Alice still blushed at price tags, which made it all the more satisfying to pull her out of a life of pennypinching.
At first she beamed, hugged him tight, relished the new perfume, the sleek multicooker with every gadget imaginable.
Then the old habits resurfaced. She dug out the ancient cooker, carried a cracked handbag, hid the perfume somewhere. Victor first thought she simply disliked the scent, then blamed old routines. It didnt add upwhy wear shoes that blister to the bone when you own a pair of velvet loafers?
Victor decided to test her. When his colleague Simon invited them to his birthday, Victor bought Alice a gold bracelet and sapphire earrings, hoping everyone would see the woman he adored.
Wear the dress we bought on Friday, and the set I gave you last week, he urged. They go together perfectly.
Alice stammered, claiming the bracelet was broken, that shed given it to a jeweller but couldnt recall where. Then she confessed that her mother had taken the gold. Not just the gold.
So everything I bought you ended up with your mum? Victor pressed his lips together. Alice, are you serious? Cant you argue back?
She avoided his gaze.
I tried. She gets offended, says she raised me, that I owe her everything. She says no one will ever give me such things again, yet you keep buying for me. She says I wont lose anything.
Victor covered his face with his hands, feeling robbed. It wasnt the jewellery; it was a moral theft.
Fine, I get it, he sighed. From now on Ill only give you things that wont end up with your mum in a week.
Alice fell silent, unable to reply. She was too easily swayed by manipulation. Victor wanted to shake her awake, to tell her this couldnt go on, but he knew it was futile. He resigned himself to accepting her as she was.
He realised that to keep the warmth in their home he had to address the leak, not Alice. Even if the leak was called Vera Whitaker.
Vera Whitaker was loud, brash, and clingy. Victor had met her almost immediately after he and Alice started dating.
I dont mean to intrude, but shed begin, then launch into a barrage of unsolicited advice.
Vera worked as an accountant; her husband drifted wherever work took him, earning a modest salary.
From day one Vera tried to insert herself into their relationship, popping in unannounced, sometimes at eight in the morning. One night, when her visit coincided with a romantic dinner, Victor simply refused to let her in. Alice paled, whispered Its my mother, but he stood firm.
Yes, mum, he nodded. But we werent expecting you. Lets discuss visits in advance.
Vera stopped knocking at the door and started tugging at Alices conscience, planting guilt.
Oh, what lovely perfume you have! No one ever gives me anything like that. Can I borrow it for a week? Lucys birthday is coming up; Ill splash it everywhere and make everyone jealous. You wouldnt mind, would you, love? Ive given you everything.
Victor wondered how to stop the theft. With Alices birthday looming, he tried a new tactic.
At the dinner table, he rose, handed Alice a small envelope.
Sunshine, this is for you. I know youve always wanted to see Italy. Take a proper break.
Veras eyes lit up.
Oh! How wonderful. Ive always dreamed of sunbathing on the Amalfi Coast, watching the Italians, their monuments!
Wanting isnt a crime, Vera, but note that the second ticket is mine. Youll have to travel with me, and Im not the most pleasant companion. I snore loudly, blast music at night, and wander the room naked. Are you up for that?
Laughter erupted around the table. Alice lowered her eyes, smiled shyly. Vera flushed, pursed her lips, and left early, silent for the rest of the evening. Victor smirked; hed received two gifts that night: his wifes genuine smile and his motherinlaws quiet retreat.
