The Awakening Of Oliver Roberts

CHAPTER 1. THE PAINFUL FREEDOM

The sunlight felt foreign to Oliver as he stepped out of the prison gates. After a year of confinement, freedom felt like a breath of fresh air that he had never felt before.

However, at the end of the road, Mark, his best friend who had come to pick him up, looked uncharacteristic. His face was pale, and his expression serious.

Oliver smiled slightly, trying to lighten the dark mood. "Mark, you look like you just got out of prison, not me," Oliver joked, "Am I that terrifying?"

Mark forced a smile, but there was none of his usual cheerfulness. Oliver started feeling curious.

"Well, where are my parents? And Katie? Why aren't they coming to pick me up?" Oliver asked casually, slightly perturbed by the absence of both his parents and his girlfriend.

Mark was silent for a moment, looking hesitant. Oliver's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong.

Then, Mark let out a long breath before finally opening his mouth. "Oliver... your father is dying."

Oliver couldn’t believe what he just heard. The smile on his face vanished instantly, and the joy of his freedom was instantly taken away.

"What... what do you mean?"

Oliver stared at Mark in disbelief. His body began to tremble, and his hand unconsciously grabbed Mark's shirt collar. "My father? Dying? How is that possible? I was just released, and now-"

Mark let go of Oliver's hand gently, but the look in his eyes remained serious. "You'll understand once you get home."

Mark's words felt faint in Oliver's ears. Fear and shock coursed through his body, like ice piercing every vein. His father? The person who had been the pillar of his life? Dying?

On the way home, Oliver couldn't stop thinking about his father. Horrible images haunted his mind.

His father's loving face was suddenly replaced by a weak and dying figure. A year of confinement was on the verge of snatching away everything he held dear, and he hadn't even noticed the theft until now.

When they finally got home, his steps were heavy as he entered the small, rusty, worn gate. The air was heavy and cold, stuffy, and made it difficult for Oliver to breathe.

As soon as he stepped inside, the atmosphere in the house made his chest feel tight. The once warm living room was now cold, filled with painful silence.

He saw his mother curled up in a corner against the wall, shivering.

"What happened?" Oliver whispered hoarsely. He rushed forward to embrace his mother, heart pounding with a mixture of shock and sorrow.

Her once vibrant face was now lined with deep wrinkles, her hair was matted and unkempt, and her body was marked with bruises.

Oliver looked around the room which was almost empty without any furniture. There were no chairs, no television, just a single worn-out fan near his mother.

"Oliver... Is that you?"

Her gaze, like a ship lost at sea, drifted aimlessly through the gloom. Her hands, weathered and worn, sought him out, their touch a fleeting caress on his cheek.

"What happened while I was in prison?!" Oliver shouted out of control.

"You remembered Rudolph Hanover that you beat? The Hanover family is demanding huge compensation... Your father had a heart attack due to the pressure from the debt collectors."

Mark said, and his voice trembled with sadness and pity.

Oliver shook his head in disbelief. "Oh, god…"

"Your parents have sold everything they could sell. Even this house is no longer in their name. They even have to borrow money from a loan shark, and right now, they're having trouble paying it back. Even for the interest."

"And they always come to the house for the money. Your father had a heart attack because of their violence. Your mother is no longer able to see because of the immense stress and the constant crying."

Everything seemed so horrible as his mother and father went through a series of frightening and depressing life crazes while he was in prison. He knew nothing and could do nothing.

Oliver embraced his mother tight with his hands that were shaking violently.

"Mom, it's me. Oliver. Your son," he said in a broken voice. Something he never expected to happen to his parents, and it was all because of him.

Regret always comes too late. And right now, Oliver hated himself more than anything.

"O-Oliver?" She sobbed while clutching Oliver's arm, the sobbing felt so deafening it echoed throughout the room.

"F-Forgive me." That was all he could say to his mother.

"Are you back?"

"Yes, yes. I've come back, Mom."

"You had been through so much, my son," she whispered. "I knew you did what you thought was right, even if it cost you your freedom. None of this was your fault."

Tears welled up in Oliver's eyes, and he bit his lower lip, trying hard to hold them back.

His mother cupped his face, her own eyes glistening with unshed tears. "There was nothing to be sorry for, Oliver. You did what you had to do, and I stood by you. Your father... he was proud of you, even if he didn’t say it. He knew you had always had the strength to protect those you loved."

Oliver gritted his teeth. He got up with his mother and carried her into the room.

There, when he saw his father lying helplessly with his breath coming in. The bruises on his face even still looked fresh as if he had just gotten them.

Oliver rushed forward, clasping his father's hand tightly. In that moment, he felt his father's heart pound in his chest, the rhythm erratic and heavy. It was as if he could see the blood coursing through his veins, sluggish and thick.

How could he feel such things?

"There's no hope for your father..."

"No, no. It's still there," Oliver said firmly. He shook his head in protest, not wanting to lose the father he loved. Oliver suddenly understood what was happening in his father’s body.

"Mom, I believed I've learned skills in curing diseases while I was in prison. I believe I can save Dad and make him well again..."

Oliver swallowed hard as he stared at his mother's face. “I swear I will return everything to how it was before."

"How? How are you going to do it?" she asked.

"There is a way," Oliver replied. He was silent for a moment before speaking again. "But... Where's Katie? Why isn’t she with you now?"

Her mother's expression changed instantly. Anger burned in her empty eyes. "You still dare to ask about her when everything that's happening right now is because of her!"