The Frame-Up He Believed Chapter 04

The Frame-Up He Believed Chapter 04

Dominic had business tonight. She was here to get under my skin again. I didn’t want the trouble. I pulled the covers over my head and pretended I couldn’t hear.

At 2 AM, a bucket of ice water woke me up.

I opened my eyes. Dominic stood at the foot of my bed, murder in his eyes.

He yanked me off the mattress. My wrist twisted so hard it brought tears to my eyes.

“Dominic! What the hell are you doing?!”

He grabbed my jaw, squeezing hard, fury burning in his eyes.

“Elena, how dare you ask me that?!”

“I warned you—if anything happens to this baby, I’ll kill you myself!”

A bad feeling crawled up my spine.

“What happened to her?”

Dominic let out a cold laugh.

“Don’t play dumb. She fell at your place. If you didn’t push her, then who did?”

My face went pale. Irina’s words from before came rushing back.

“Who cares if my methods are cheap? As long as Dom loves me, he’ll believe me. He’ll take my side.”

“You don’t need many tricks. Just ones that work.”

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

“What if I said I didn’t push her? Would you believe me?”

Dominic didn’t answer. He answered with action.

He had the enforcer bring the whip. Had them strip me naked and tie me to a chair in the prayer room.

Lash after lash, across my stomach.

To keep Irina happy, he pulled out his phone and FaceTimed her right in front of me. The camera pointed at my face.

Irina’s whiny voice came through the speaker.

“Dom, you have to get back at her for me! You have no idea—that old hag said I’m not fit to be a Castellano wife, that my baby’s just some bastard who doesn’t belong. She tried to push me! Thank God our baby’s strong, or she would’ve killed it!”

Dominic cooed at her. But the whip came down harder.

Burning pain radiated from my stomach across my entire body. My abdomen was a bloody mess. I dug my nails into my palms and swallowed every scream.

I was pale as death, tears I couldn’t stop.

Dominic’s brow furrowed. Something flickered in his eyes—almost guilt. Then he looked away.

“I need to get back to Irina. They’re all yours.”

He left.

The enforcer and a few soldiers stayed behind.

I endured their mocking, leering stares in silence.

Someone’s hand found my body in the chaos.

“Are you insane? That’s the Don’s wife.”

The guy took a slow drag of his cigarette, then groped me again, taking his sweet time.

“Donna? Take a look at what’s on her. You really think she’s still a Donna?”

“The Don’s wife is Irina now. Dominic said ‘they’re all yours’—that’s practically permission.”

“Besides, even if this bitch ends up dead, the Don won’t care. You’ve all seen how he treats the other one.”

A few sentences, and the rest went quiet.

Then their hands got bolder.

I screamed, eyes bloodshot.

“Get your hands off me—”

Then—

Bang.

The soldier in front of me dropped.

Terror swallowed me whole. I was shaking so hard I couldn’t stop.

A hand gently pulled me into an embrace. A suit jacket wrapped around my bare body.

“I’m late, Ela.”

…

After he got Irina to sleep, Dominic was exhausted.

The doctor said the baby was fine—nothing serious.

But for the baby’s sake, he had to keep Irina calm.

The Castellano elders were breathing down his neck about the succession. He needed an heir.

Once Irina gave birth, he’d take the kid and send her away.

He’d been playing around long enough. Time to settle down.

The moment he stepped out of the hospital room, he ran into the family clinic’s head physician.

“Don Castellano.”

The doctor gave a small nod.

“How’s Mrs. Castellano doing? She fought so hard for that pregnancy—I was sorry to hear she miscarried. But with proper care, miracles can happen twice.”

Dominic froze.

“Whose baby?”

The doctor gave him a strange look.

“Didn’t Elena tell you? I warned her to be careful. I never expected her to lose the child. She cried so hard she almost went into anaphylactic shock.”

Dominic swayed on his feet. His face went gray, like he’d just crawled out of a blizzard.