It amused Oliver how all those events led to the present day, and he wondered how things would have turned out if his family hadn't met Lewis.
He watched the house crumble as the burning wood crashed down around him, and the fire grew fiercer, consuming anything in its path.
He held onto his sister's lifeless body that was covered in blood. Hot tears poured from his eyes as he decided to embrace death with no regret.
Oliver was surprised to see himself in the hospital. He reached out to touch his face, but he realized that his face and entire body were covered in bandages. He tried to get up, but he couldn't, so he allowed himself to lie down on the bed, wondering if this was the afterlife.
"He's awake!" He heard a voice half-screaming, and a doctor hurried over to his side to do his check-up.
"How do you feel?" the doctor asked.
"Like I'm supposed to be dead. Where is my family?" Oliver asked curiously.
"You've been in a coma for two months, and I'm sorry, sir, you were the only one who survived the fire. It's even a miracle you're still alive," the doctor explained to him.
"Get some rest," the doctor added before he walked out of the room.
"Miracle?" Oliver muttered. A miracle he didn't want. All his family was gone, and he couldn't save them. He blamed himself for not running faster; he blamed himself for being weak.
Tears streamed down Oliver's face as vivid images of his parents' lifeless bodies flashed before his eyes; he wished they were the ones who survived and not him.
Life seemed meaningless to Oliver. At this point, all he did was lie on the bed with his eyes fixed on the ceiling. He spoke to no one, and even when the doctors asked questions, he kept mute.
One afternoon, one of the nurses informed him that he had visitors, and he thought she was just joking. When he saw Lewis, he was shocked, and anger filled his eyes. Everything that happened was his fault.
"I do not wish to see you. Now get out!" Oliver said as he turned his face to glance at the window.
"You've gotten more feisty than the last time I saw you." Lewis laughed as he sat on Oliver's bed.
Oliver wanted to kick him off, but he was too weak to even move.
"Try not to move unless you wish to join your parents and your sister in an early grave." Lewis's face twisted into a mischievous grin.
Oliver broke down in tears. So his parents were dead because of this heartless monster.
"You monster!" Oliver screamed.
"Shh, shh, don't scream too much. Let's not attract attention. I am a monster. I admit it. You see, I run an underground network of cocaine dealers. I got intel that I was going to be murdered by a gang whom I double-crossed. I couldn't possibly take the fall for it, so I had my men dress up your family and set them up in my house. When the gang members came, they killed them, thinking it was my family." Lewis's laughter echoed through the walls of the hospital.
Oliver's heart dropped. So this was how everything happened. His family had to pay for a crime they didn't commit, and what amazed Oliver was that Lewis showed no sign of remorse. As though killing someone was a thing of joy.
"You murdered my family!" Oliver's voice boomed with anger as he let out a yell.
Lewis laughed again as he gave Oliver another shocker when he told him he was the cause of his family's entire misfortune. He told him he was the reason why his father was fired and all his assets were seized after he framed him because his father refused to sell him land he wanted badly, so he could expand his cocaine business.
After hearing the whole story, Oliver didn't even know if he should cry because he had no strength left in him to do anything. The pain he felt in his heart was too much to bear.
"Now I've gotten my revenge. I'll let you live so you can pick up from where your miserable father left off. You don't have to work for me because, according to the doctor, your face is damaged. I can't let an ugly thing like you be anywhere around my family," Lewis said as he stood up, dropped the resignation letter on the table, and left the room.
Oliver's eyes darted to the letter that was on the table. He rushed over, grabbed the letter, and tore it into pieces. He tore it with so much anger that he started breathing heavily when there was nothing left to shred.
Oliver crumbled to the floor, his body trembling with grief as he cried his heart out.
How could someone be so wicked? How could someone be so evil? he thought.
Oliver's head started hurting, and he screamed in pain. The doctor and nurse rushed in when they heard him cry. They quickly placed him back on the bed and made sure he was stable.
The nurses would bring him food, but he refused to eat it. Oliver had no appetite; he had lost his will to be part of this world. Whenever he slept, he would dream of his family and how they were murdered, so he chose not to sleep.
The doctors got fed up because he wasn't responding to treatment. It was as if they were wasting their time trying to revive a dead man.
Oliver, because he wasn't eating, was so skinny. He waited patiently for death to come, but it did not. So he decided to take matters into his hands to speed up the process.
One day, a nurse brought lots of fruit, and they placed a small knife so he could use it to dice the fruit.
After the nurse left, Oliver weakly stared at the knife and smiled. Now he could relieve himself from this torment. He could finally see his parents again.
He took the knife, stared at it, raised it, closed his eyes, and was about to slit his throat when he felt a hand quickly grab the knife. It was such a surprise because he didn't even hear anyone come in.
When Oliver opened his eyes, he saw a woman with a serious expression on her face. Even though she was bleeding, she held onto the knife tightly, completely focused on stopping his suicide attempt.
"Let me go." Oliver clenched his jaw, the tension evident on his face.
He didn't know if he should laugh or cry. Fate took everything from him and still wouldn't let him die in peace.
"Please, I need you to let go of the knife. This is not the solution." The woman looked at Oliver with deep concern in her eyes as she spoke to him.
Oliver laughed through his tears. This was the only solution he could think of. He had no desires left, and he had even lost interest in getting revenge.
"Please let me help you. I lost my son, and I can't lose you either." The woman said with tears in her eyes.
Hearing those words, Oliver felt somewhat weak, and he finally let go of the knife. He crashed into the woman's arms and sobbed uncontrollably.
Oliver felt an atmosphere of warmth and peace. He didn't know for how long he had been crying. He felt exhausted and gave into his slumber.
"My name is Amanda Gonzalez. From now on, I will be your mother," Amanda said as she gave a soft smile to Oliver, who was unconscious.