GOD OF WAR REVENGE

Episode1

“Lucas, I love you, and I can't wait until the day we finally consummate this marriage and I carry your child in my womb…” Claire said as she fastened the final button of Lucas’s crisp white shirt.

Lucas lay there, silent and motionless, unable to respond. He had been paralyzed for a long time and had lost his ability to speak.

Claire gently stroked his beard with her manicured nails, admiring the man she had married. He was still strikingly handsome, despite everything. But the sight of him like this, so far from the man he once was, filled her heart with a deep, burning anger.

Who did this to you, Lucas? What happened to you? How will we ever avenge those who put you in this state? Claire thought, her heart aching as tears of frustration welled up in her eyes.

Lucas’s head was turned to the side, his gaze distant and vacant. He seemed so far away, lost in a world where she could not reach him. Claire’s mind drifted back to that fateful night three years ago—the night of their wedding.

Lucas had told her he had an urgent business matter to attend to. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, assuming he would return quickly. But instead, he had disappeared for hours, only to be found later, beaten and broken, unable to speak.

Claire’s family had been quick to react. They had urged her to leave the marriage, to find a more suitable man—someone who wasn’t a disgrace in their eyes. But Claire had refused. She loved Lucas too much to abandon him, no matter what had happened to him.

Her refusal came at a cost. Her grandfather, the patriarch of the family, stripped Claire of her position as head of the family’s business conglomerate. The humiliation was intense, and the financial strain that followed was even worse.

Claire had spent nearly all her savings seeking out the best doctors in the country, hoping to find a cure for Lucas. But none of them could figure out what was wrong. Two months ago, she had been forced to give up the search, her resources exhausted. By then, the news of Lucas’s mysterious condition had spread, and the pitying looks from others only added to her despair.

“Lucas, it’s not easy for me,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Grandfather sent me out of the house and cut off most of his financial support. We’re so close to losing everything. He said the only way I can get it all back is if I divorce you.”

Her voice broke, but she continued, leaning closer to Lucas, her lips inches from his. “But before I do, I want us to consummate this marriage. I want to feel like we had a real marriage, even if it was just for a moment.”

She was about to kiss him, to finally give in to the desire and desperation that had been building inside her, when the door was suddenly flung open with a loud bang.

Jake, Claire’s younger brother, strode in with a mocking smile on his face. “So you’re still wasting your time with this crippled fool?” he sneered, his tone dripping with arrogance.

Claire’s eyes flashed with anger. “What do you want, Jake? If you came here just to insult him, you can leave.”

Jake smirked, completely unfazed. “Relax, Claire. Stop getting so worked up over a non-entity.”

“Non-entity?!” Claire couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “After everything Lucas did for you, you still refer to him like that?”

Jake shrugged, his indifference cutting deep. “That was then. This is now. He’s nothing but a burden, and you’re being stupid for sticking around.”

Claire’s hands tightened into fists, but she didn’t lash out. She couldn’t bear to waste energy on someone like Jake. “Just say what you came to say and get out.”

“Grandfather sent me,” Jake said, his tone turning cold. “He wanted me to give you one last warning. If you don’t leave this fool, he’s going to cut off every last bit of support. You’ll have nothing.”

With that, Jake turned and walked out of the room, leaving Claire standing there, seething with anger and hurt. She turned back to Lucas, who had drool collecting at the corner of his mouth.

Claire gently wiped the drool from Lucas's mouth, her hand lingering on his face as she fought back the tears threatening to spill. Her heart ached as she remembered how hard Lucas had worked to help Jake get into college. Lucas had spent hours making calls, pulling strings, and even spent his own money to ensure Jake had a future. And now, this was the thanks he got—cruel words and betrayal.

Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. With a resigned sigh, she answered it, already knowing who it was.

“Where the hell are you?!” her mother’s voice snapped the moment Claire picked up.

“I’m with Lucas,” Claire replied curtly, her patience wearing thin.

“Haven’t I told you to do away with that imbecile? Why do you keep stirring up your grandfather’s wrath?”

“Mum, please…”

“Keep quiet!” her mother cut her off, her voice icy and sharp. “I don’t know what you see in him. There are plenty of capable bachelors out there. Why did you reject Charles? He was perfect! But no, you were so blinded by your stupid love for this… this invalid. Knowing how important your grandfather’s financial support is, you’d better make the right decision.”

Claire bit her lip, her anger simmering just beneath the surface. “Lucas has done so much for us, Mum. Why do people forget so easily?”

“That was when he was capable,” her mother retorted, her tone dismissive. “Now he’s nothing. He’s of no use to us. Look at your cousin Miranda—she isn’t bringing shame upon the family! Why are you dragging our name through the mud?”

Claire’s throat tightened as her mother’s words hit home. She felt trapped, suffocated by the pressure from her family, who seemed to care more about their reputation and wealth than about her happiness. But she couldn’t bring herself to abandon Lucas, not after everything they had been through.

“Crying won’t bring back our funds,” her mother continued, her voice softening slightly, but the coldness remained. “Just use your head, Claire, and do the right thing. Your grandfather’s birthday is coming up, and it’s the perfect opportunity to impress him and regain his favor. Don’t mess this up. And don’t even think about bringing that… that man to the party.”

The call ended abruptly, leaving Claire standing there, phone in hand, feeling a mix of despair and defiance. She knew what her mother wanted her to do, what her entire family expected of her. But how could she leave Lucas, the man she had vowed to stand by, in his time of need?

Claire turned to Lucas, who now seemed to be asleep, his breathing steady but shallow. Her heart broke a little more each time she looked at him, remembering the strong, confident man he had once been, and how this mysterious condition had reduced him to this.

But Claire was determined. No matter what her family said, no matter how much pressure they put on her, she wasn’t going to abandon Lucas. He had saved her once, in more ways than one, and she had promised herself that she would always be there for him.

“I won’t leave you, Lucas,” she whispered, her voice filled with quiet resolve. “No matter what they say. I’ll find a way to make things right. For both of us.”

She kissed his forehead gently, lingering for a moment as if hoping for some sign of recognition, some response that he was still in there, still fighting. But there was nothing. Just the same empty stare.

Claire stood up, her heart heavy as she gathered her things to leave. She needed to think, to figure out what she could do to survive this storm. As she reached the door, she glanced back at Lucas one last time before slipping out into the night.

The room fell silent, save for the soft ticking of the clock on the wall. Then, slowly, something in Lucas’s expression shifted. His eyes, once vacant and distant, began to focus. The fog that had clouded his mind for so long started to lift, piece by piece.

He blinked, his fingers twitching as he tried to make sense of the images flooding his mind. The memories were fragmented at first, but they gradually began to piece together—his aristocratic family, the betrayal by his cousin, the poison that had robbed him of everything. He remembered the battles he had fought, the victories he had won, and the cruel twist of fate that had turned him into a shadow of his former self.

But more than anything, he remembered Claire. How she had found him on the streets, taken him in, cared for him when he couldn’t care for himself. She had stood by him when everyone else had turned away, and now, as his mind slowly cleared, he realized just how much she had sacrificed for him.

The pain of his past was still there, but it was no longer numbing. It fueled something within him—a burning desire to reclaim his life, to protect the woman who had shown him unwavering loyalty, and to take revenge on those who had wronged him.

Lucas’s hand moved to the side of the bed, where a phone rested. With deliberate effort, he picked it up, dialing an encrypted number he had memorized long ago. The call was answered almost immediately.

“Is it really you, Commander?” The voice on the other end was filled with disbelief.