Reclaimed By My Ex-husband-Chapter 68: The retribution

The first light of dawn began to filter through the hospital blinds when Nathaniel’s phone buzzed quietly on the bedside table, snapping him out of a light, restless sleep.

He stirred. He found himself sleeping with his head lying on the edge of the bed all night. His fingers were still wrapped around Zara’s.

Carefully, he slid his hand free, not wanting to wake her, and reached for the phone. The moment he saw Roberto’s name flashing on the screen, every trace of sleep vanished.

His body tensed. He stood up, stepping away from the bed to answer.

"Hello? What’s the update?"

"We have got Isaac," Roberto said on the other end. "But Jaxon is still missing. It’s like he disappeared off the grid. Isaac isn’t talking."

Nathaniel’s jaw clenched. "That bastard," he muttered, anger bubbling in his chest. "Don’t turn him over yet. I want to talk to him first."

"Understood, sir," Roberto replied.

The call ended, and Nathaniel’s eyes drifted back to Zara. She was still sleeping. She wouldn’t wake up anytime soon, not with the sedatives still in her system.

’She needs someone she trusts, someone who could take care of her,’ he thought, knowing he couldn’t leave her alone.

Only one name came to mind: Bree.

He scrolled through his contacts and dialed her number.

"Hello?" Bree’s voice came on the line, groggy but alert.

"It’s me. Nathaniel. Can you come to the hospital and stay with Zara?" he asked.

"Of course. I’ll be there soon," she replied without a moment’s hesitation.

"Thanks..." he said, exhaling in relief as he ended the call.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Several minutes later, Nathaniel arrived at the remote basement tucked beneath his private house, a place few even knew existed. Dimly lit, the air felt heavy, oppressive.

Roberto was already waiting at the entrance. He stepped forward as Nathaniel descended the stairs.

"Isaac has been holding out," Roberto said quietly, his features tensing. "Won’t give us anything. Just keeps repeating that he doesn’t know where Jaxon disappeared to."

Nathaniel’s eyes were hard, unreadable. "Let me see."

Roberto gave a slight nod and led him deeper into the basement.

There, hunched in a corner under a flickering overhead bulb, sat Isaac, barely recognizable. His face was swollen and bloodied, one eye nearly shut, his nose visibly broken. His shirt was shredded, stained with grime and dried blood. He looked up with fear in his eyes as Nathaniel entered.

As their eyes met, Isaac’s body stiffened. He flinched, shrinking back like a beaten dog.

"Please," he stammered, voice trembling. "Don’t hit me again. I swear, I don’t know where Jaxon is."

Nathaniel said nothing at first. He simply pulled a chair forward and sat down, crossing one leg over the other.

Then he spoke, voice sharp and icy. "Do you really think your lies can protect him?"

Isaac opened his mouth, but Nathaniel raised a hand, silencing him.

"Even if you say nothing, we will find him," Nathaniel continued. "But here is what you need to understand. You still have a choice. Tell us where he is hiding, and I’ll consider letting this go. No charges. You and your wife walk free. I’ll even let you keep your house."

He leaned in, eyes narrowing.

"But stay quiet, and I’ll destroy you. Everything you have built. Your company, your assets. Everything will be gone. You’ll rot in prison. And your wife? She’ll be out on the street with nothing."

Nathaniel’s voice dropped to a quiet threat. "And you know I’m not bluffing."

Isaac swallowed hard, his battered face twitching as panic clawed at him. His blood ran cold, his entire body trembling.

"I’m telling the truth," he said urgently. "Jaxon was with me. We were together when the shooting started. I dragged him out the back way. We ran through the bushes."

His breathing grew uneven as fragments of memory returned, messy and disjointed.

"We made it close to the road... thought we had escaped the mess. But then, someone hit me from behind. I blacked out."

His voice faltered, and for a moment, he just stared at the floor, replaying it all in his mind. He’d truly believed they’d escaped safely, that they’d disappear. But that illusion was shattered in a single blow.

"When I woke up," Isaac went on, "I was alone—just lying there near a bush. Jaxon was gone. I tried to find him. But he had vanished. I don’t know where he is or who took him."

He looked up at Nathaniel, eyes glassy, voice desperate.

"Please... I didn’t want any of this. They forced me. Said they’d kill Jaxon if I didn’t pay up. I told them I had nothing left. That’s when they came up with the plan of kidnapping Zara. They said if I didn’t do it, they’d send Jaxon back to me in pieces."

He paused, hoping this explanation would earn him sympathy.

"I swear, I only did it to protect my son. Please... you have to believe me. I had no choice."

Isaac was lying, twisting the truth. And he could only hope that Nathaniel might still show a shred of mercy.

Nathaniel’s face darkened with rage, his voice erupting like thunder. "You kidnapped your own daughter and handed her over to thugs just to save your son? And now you expect forgiveness with this pathetic excuse?"

His eyes were blazing, each word cutting sharper than the last.

"I’ve never met a man as spineless and shameless as you. Your son’s debts are his mess. Zara had nothing to do with it. Why drag her into it? Why sacrifice her?"

Isaac, already bruised and battered, looked like a man shrinking into himself. The little hope he had clung to, of sympathy, of mercy, was crumbling fast.

Nathaniel didn’t stop. His voice was steel now. "She was beaten. Tortured. Because of you. And she lost her child."

Isaac’s head snapped up, eyes wide in shock. "What?" he gasped. "She was... pregnant?"

For the first time, guilt flickered across his face. But it was too late.

"Yes. She was pregnant. And because of you, hell, you let them put her through, that baby is gone."

Isaac paled further, dread clawing at his stomach.

"You killed a life," Nathaniel growled, stepping even closer. "You let those men torture her brutally so you could scrape together cash. You didn’t even try other options. You could have sold your estate, given up your shares. But instead, you handed Zara over like she was nothing."

His voice rose again, pure fire. "That’s a crime. And you’ll pay for it. Every bit of it."

The silence that followed was deafening. Isaac could only tremble, knowing that no lie, no plea, would save him now.

"Please, Nathaniel, have mercy," Isaac begged. His eyes were wild, desperate, scanning Nathaniel’s face for any flicker of compassion. "I’m your father-in-law. Doesn’t that mean anything? For the sake of the bond we share, let me go."

Nathaniel’s expression turned grim. He stared down at the man who had betrayed his own blood, who had let Zara suffer for his own selfish reasons. There was no pity left in him, only contempt. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

A cold sneer twisted his lips as he rose to his feet. "Roberto, beat him until he collapsed. Then hand him over to the police."

And with that, he turned and walked out.

"No, Nathaniel. Wait. Please," Isaac screamed, his voice echoing in the damp concrete chamber. "No...Don’t—Aaah..."

The basement filled with his cries, each one more agonized than the last, but Nathaniel didn’t look back. The door slammed behind him, leaving nothing but echoes and retribution in his wake.

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