CHAPTER 3 — "THE ARENA STOPPED BREATHING"
The moment Ryan collapsed, twenty thousand people screamed at once.
"CALL A DOCTOR!"
The referee dropped to his knees.
Several medics sprinted toward the ring carrying emergency equipment.
The Iron Titan reacted faster than anyone.
Instead of stepping away, the giant gently caught the little boy before his head could hit the canvas.
The audience watched in complete silence.
The man they had feared for ten years was now holding the child as carefully as if he were made of glass.
"Ryan!"
His mother climbed into the ring, sobbing uncontrollably.
"My baby... please open your eyes..."
The head physician pushed everyone aside.
"Give him room!"
Within seconds, an oxygen mask was placed over Ryan's face.
The doctor checked his pulse.
Then his expression changed.
"When did he leave the hospital?"
Ryan's mother wiped away her tears.
"Three hours ago."
The doctor stared at her in disbelief.
"Three hours?"
She nodded.
"He wasn't even supposed to get out of bed."
The arena gasped.
The doctor looked furious.
"His stitches are fresh!"
"He could start bleeding internally at any second!"
The cameras zoomed in.
A dark red stain was slowly spreading across Ryan's shirt.
Someone in the audience cried out.
"Oh my God..."
The Iron Titan clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"You mean..."
"He came here straight from surgery?"
Ryan's mother broke down.
"He begged me."
"He said there was something he had to do before it was too late."
"I couldn't stop him."
The giant lowered his head.
For years, people had called him fearless.
But at that moment...
he had never felt so helpless.
He looked at the unconscious boy and whispered,
"You're the bravest person I've ever met."
Meanwhile, the mysterious old grandfather stood frozen beside the ropes.
He hadn't moved.
He hadn't spoken.
His eyes never left Ryan.
One of the television cameras focused on him.
Viewers across the country saw tears running down the old man's face.
The commentators spoke softly.
"I don't think those are tears of sadness..."
"I think those are tears of regret."
Suddenly...
the old man climbed into the ring.
Ryan's mother immediately stood in front of him.
"Don't touch him!"
"You lost the right to call yourself his grandfather years ago!"
The old man lowered his head.
"I know."
His voice trembled.
"I've regretted that decision every single day."
Nobody expected what happened next.
The old man slowly removed his jacket.
Pinned inside was a military medal.
Then another.
And another.
The audience whispered.
The commentators looked stunned.
One of them recognized the medals instantly.
"Wait..."
"That's impossible..."
"Is that..."
"...General William Carter?"
The entire arena fell silent.
The man everyone believed was just an ordinary old spectator had once been one of the country's most decorated military heroes.
But if he was a national hero...
May you like
why had he abandoned his own family?
The answer would change everything.
Related Stories
