CHAPTER 3 DAUGHTER KIDNAPPED

James stood in the hotel room, his heart pounding, disbelief washing over him as he tried to process the situation. His wife, the woman he loved, had cheated on him.

The shock of it left him frozen, unable to reconcile the reality with the life he thought they had.

Before he could react, the man who had turned his world upside down stepped between them, a sneer on his face.

“You can’t blame me for this, James,” the man said, his voice dripping with arrogance. “Your wife came to me willingly. She’s the one who seduced me. She wanted this.”

James turned to his wife, his voice trembling with disbelief. “Is that true? Did you really…?” He couldn’t even finish the question, the words feeling like a knife in his throat.

His wife’s eyes were red, filled with tears that threatened to spill over, but she didn’t look away. Slowly, she nodded, the movement slight but enough to break James’s heart completely.

“Yes,” she whispered, her voice barely a breath.

James felt his world crumble. He had been through so much, survived battles and challenges that would break most men, but this—this betrayal from the one person he trusted most—left him shattered.

The man beside him watched with satisfaction as the weight of his wife’s admission bore down on James, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

“You see?” the man continued, enjoying the pain he was causing. “She’s the one who wanted this. It’s all on her.”

James stood there, his heart breaking, unable to believe the woman he loved could do this, yet the evidence was clear. His wife’s tearful nod was like a final blow, leaving him lost in a sea of anguish.

ames stood there, shattered by his wife’s admission, the weight of her betrayal crushing him. He couldn’t believe it, didn’t want to believe it, but her tearful nod was all the confirmation he needed.

The woman he had devoted his life to, the mother of his child, had given herself to another man.

The realization left him feeling hollow, as if everything he had fought for, everything he had cherished, had been ripped away from him in an instant.

As James struggled to process the pain, the man who had caused all of this chaos stood nearby, watching with a twisted sense of satisfaction.

He had wanted to see James break, to see him reduced to nothing, and now that it was happening, he couldn’t hide his glee.

“Look at you,” the man sneered, taking a step closer. “You’re nothing more than a broken shell of a man. But I’m not finished with you yet.”

James barely registered the words, too lost in his own torment to fully grasp the threat. But the man wasn’t about to let him off easily. He had been humiliated by James’ earlier attack, and his bruised ego demanded retribution.

“You think you can just walk away after touching me?” the man hissed, his voice low and dangerous. “No, you’re going to pay for this.”

Before James could react, the man’s fist came crashing into his face, snapping his head to the side with a sickening force. The pain was sharp, but it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.

He staggered but didn’t fight back, too consumed by the emotional devastation to care about the physical assault.

“You’re just a pathetic excuse for a man,” the man continued, his voice filled with contempt. “A scum who couldn’t even keep his wife loyal. And now, you’ve hurt my pride. You really think I’ll let you get away with that?”

The man struck him again, the blow landing with a thud against James’ jaw. Each punch was accompanied by mocking laughter, each word a sharp dagger aimed at what little remained of James’ pride.

But even as the man rained blows upon him, James didn’t raise a hand to defend himself. He took the punishment, his body absorbing the pain that his heart couldn’t handle.

The man continued to taunt him, oblivious to the true nature of the man he was attacking. To him, James was just a poor, broken husband—a nobody.

He had no idea that the man he was striking was once the God of War, a legend feared and respected by all who knew his name. All he saw was a defeated man, someone he could degrade and destroy without consequence.

But as the man’s fists continued to pummel him, James felt something stir deep within him. I

t was a flicker of the warrior he had once been, a small ember of the unstoppable force that had led him through countless battles.

He had retired that part of himself, choosing a peaceful life with his wife and daughter, but now, with everything on the line, that warrior was beginning to awaken.

As the man raised his fist for another blow, James’ wife cried out, rushing forward to grab the man’s arm.

“Please, stop!” she begged, her voice choked with desperation. “You promised me! You said you wouldn’t hurt him if I did what you wanted. Please, I’ll do anything—just let him go!”

The man paused, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he looked down at her. “Oh, did I promise that?” he asked, his voice dripping with mockery.

“I must have forgotten. But now that you mention it, I think I’d rather see him suffer. You’ve already given me what I wanted, so why should I keep my word?”

James’ wife sobbed, clutching at the man’s arm, but he shrugged her off with a sneer. The sight of her begging, of her being humiliated even further, was more than James could bear.

The ember within him flared into a full blaze, igniting the warrior’s spirit that had lain dormant for so long.

With a roar of fury, James surged forward and drove his fist into the man’s stomach with all the strength he could muster.

The force of the blow sent the man crashing to the ground, gasping for air, his face contorted in pain.

“You’re doomed!” the man yelled from the floor, his voice filled with venom. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with, James. You’re finished!”

James ignored the threats, his focus shifting to his wife, who was now sobbing uncontrollably. Her tears cut through his anger, replacing it with a deep, gnawing pain.

“Why?” James asked, his voice shaking as he struggled to understand. “Why would you do this?”

His wife looked up at him, her face a mixture of sorrow and anger. “Because our daughter was caught!” she cried, her voice raw with emotion. “And you were useless to save her! I had no other choice.

James felt the blood drain from his face, the words hitting him like a punch to the gut. “What do you mean?” he whispered, barely able to speak.

She looked at him, her eyes filled with anguish. “That’s why I’m here,” she said, her voice breaking. “That’s why I gave myself to him…