Last Nightmare

"MVP!" "MVP!" "MVP!"

The cheers and applause echoed throughout the platform. Thousands of people were celebrating their guild's victory. We were finally in the finals; if they beat those Asians, they would be world champions.

Representing your country in the biggest championship in the world was his dream. And he was finally reaching it after so much training and dedication. Still, he had class the next day. So Oliver took the plane and slept the entire flight until he finally arrived in his city in the morning.

Of course, he was late and could only attend the second class of the day. Luckily, the teacher had gotten sick, so everyone went to the court to play ball.

"I have to tell Luísa we finally made it to the finals. She's going to be so happy," Oliver thought anxiously. After all, his girlfriend always supported his dream.

When he arrived at the court, everyone was playing their favorite sports. It was funny how a nerd like him represented the whole country in a sport, while all his classmates, ball lovers, never left that court.

He quickly looked for Luísa but couldn't find her.

"Samuel isn't playing either? It's rare for the futsal team to train without their captain..." Oliver pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and headed to the classroom. Considering how much Luísa loved to read, she was probably there to avoid the noise from everyone playing.

He walked down the hallway straight to his classroom; it was the last room at the very end. Strangely, today the hallway was dark and felt colder... Chills ran down his spine, and Oliver started running toward his classroom.

"What kind of bad feeling is this?..."

Just as he reached the classroom door, for some reason, he decided to open it as quietly as he could. His instincts rarely failed him, and on this day, unfortunately, they were more than right.

His world collapsed; it was almost as if he could hear something cracking.

At the very back of the classroom was Luísa. Beautiful as always, but this time... held in Samuel's arms, they were kissing as if there were no tomorrow, and everything indicated it wouldn't stop there.

For the first time in his life, fire surged through his veins. He was about to explode. Oliver felt betrayed, abandoned, and above all, a complete fool for trusting them. Yet, he did nothing.

Gathering all his mental strength, he extinguished the heat burning in his veins. Closing the door as discreetly as possible, he silently left the dark hallway.

On the way, he took out his phone and wrote a single message.

[ I can't do this anymore. Our relationship ends here, Luísa. I don't want to see you again.]

When he pressed "Send," he turned off his phone and went home, completely devastated.

Remembering his father's teachings on the way.

"A man who doesn't know how to control his aggression is an irresponsible boy and a threat to everyone he loves." That phrase was engraved in his mind and echoed like a broken record, repeatedly reminding him he was a man, not a boy.

The hot, dry days of his city seemed to have abandoned him today, and a storm began to form. Still, that horrible feeling didn't pass. As if the day wouldn't end yet, hell had just begun.

Finally, Oliver arrived home and went straight to his room. He wanted to cry, scream, but he drowned the flames in his heart and stayed quiet, clutching his pillow for hours, remembering how foolish he was to trust them.

Ring!

Ring!

The phone in the living room started ringing, and he mustered the strength to get up and answer. When he opened the door to the living room, his mother was there, sitting. On the classic white square-design sofa, the phone was also white, and the room's atmosphere was heavier than that hallway.

His mother made a serious face and nodded to the person she was talking to. Her long black hair and black eyes contrasted with her white skin and beige coat. In the end, a morbid scene unfolded before him, and the somber atmosphere only worsened.

Finally, she ended her call, and her eyes met Oliver's. It looked as if dark circles had instantly formed under her eyes, and her eyebrows were rigid. Clearly, she was holding something back; he had never seen his mother try to be strong like she was now.

"Oliver, please. Come and sit here with your mother," she gestured to the spot beside her on the sofa, and her voice was filled with pain.

He moved and sat down, Oliver was scared, but less than when he was betrayed by the woman he loved earlier.

"Son, you need to be strong now," she began a speech, and clearly, those words were addressed to herself, as if she wanted to reaffirm that she needed to be strong.

"Oliver, your father won't be coming home anymore." Her words hit Oliver like a truck crashing into a wall. That cracking sound from before had finally become the sound of something breaking.

The world itself began to darken, and tears started streaming from his eyes. This was the fateful day the "Capitán" died. And a failure was born.

"Oliver!"

"Hey, Oliver!!"

"Oliver, you need to wake up. It's already morning, we need you to get out of this nightmare."

The sound of a familiar voice reached his ears, and his eyes began to open.

Short hair, now lighter blond. Honey brown eyes, almost green, and skin as white as snow appeared in Oliver's field of vision, and warm hands touched his chest.

"That's it! Thank the angel... You're alive..."

His vision finally focused, and a radiant smile shone on her face. She had never looked more beautiful than now, and he would risk saying she would only get more beautiful over time.

Her lips moved without Oliver noticing, and his smile grew even bigger when he heard her weak voice say,

"Good morning... Luísa."