Love Drenched in Blood

Our third wedding anniversary also happened to be the thirty-sixth week of my pregnancy. I didn't wait long enough for Santino Douglas to come home and cut the cake. Instead, I got a phone call from the local police station. "Your husband was caught stealing a woman's undergarments." By the time I arrived, Santino's white shirt was covered in dusty footprints. And a barely-dressed female intern was standing in front of him, guarding him like a human shield. She kept yelling at the officer who was taking notes, "This is a misunderstanding! I bought those for Mr. Douglas! How can you arrest him for that?!" I looked at the black lace garment in Santino's hand-the one he didn't even have time to throw away. My stomach twisted so hard I felt sick. I walked toward him, but he suddenly stepped in front of the intern, Baylee Ford, trying to explain. I slapped him before he even opened his mouth. "Santino, you're disgusting."

Chapters

Chapter 3

It was late, and a storm was coming down in sheets. Ride‑shares had a two‑hundred‑plus queue.

I stood by the curb, the cold wind drilling straight into my bones.

The baby in my belly must've felt my anxiety—he kept kicking hard.

I finally managed to flag down a cab.

The driver noticed I was pregnant and kindly pulled right up to the curb so I wouldn't have to step far.

Supporting my lower back, I carefully reached for the door.

That was when a motorcycle suddenly shot out from the sidewalk, swerving to escape the rain.

"Watch out!" the driver yelled.

Instinctively, I jerked back.

My foot landed on the slick tactile paving.

With a sharp crack, I slammed onto the ground.

A wave of pain ripped through me.

Then warmth trickled down my thigh.

I looked down.

Amniotic fluid mixed with blood, soaking through my dress in seconds

"Miss! Miss, are you okay?!"

The cab driver freaked out and rushed over in the pouring rain to help me up.

My face drained of color. Cold sweat mixed with rainwater.

My hands shook as I fumbled for my phone.

I tried to dial 911, but my fingers were trembling so badly I couldn't even unlock the screen.

So out of pure instinct, I hit the top contact.

"Santino, please! Help me. Help our baby.!!!"

The phone rang once. Twice. Three times…

No answer.

I bit down hard, swallowing the pain, and dialed again.

This time, he picked up.

But before I could say anything, his irritated voice cut in, "Charlie, seriously? Again?" I told you, I'm dealing with Baylee. She just got rescued, she's terrified, and it took forever to calm her down. Can you not be so dramatic for once?"

He was comforting another woman to sleep.

And I was lying in the rain, bleeding out, barely hanging on.

My lips parted, voice shaking uncontrollably, "Santino… I fell… there's so much blood… please…"

I expected panic.

I expected him to rush over.

But there was a beat of silence.

Then a cold laugh.

"You fell? You're bleeding? Charlie, the things you'll do to trick me into coming home… unbelievable. Baylee was right. You're just controlling. First you accused me of things, now you're faking injuries. Cry wolf too many times and it stops working. Look outside, it's pouring. You? Falling in the rain? Aren't you at that restaurant having your fancy dinner? Cut the act. I'm not coming back tonight. Think about what you've done."

Beep—

He hung up.

When I called again, it went straight to voicemail. His phone was off.

My phone slipped from my hand, hitting a puddle.

The screen flickered once, then went dead.

Just like the last bit of hope I had for him.

Rain hammered my face, running into my mouth, salty and nauseating.

I couldn't tell if it was rain or tears.

The pain in my stomach tightened again and again.

But suddenly, I no longer felt pain.

Because in that moment, the love I had for Santino, and the child's hopeful little bond with his father, died by his hand.

Completely.

I no longer wished for him to come.

All I wanted was—

If I survived this, may our paths never cross again.

"Sir…"

I grabbed the cab driver's pant leg, mustering the last bit of strength, my eyes hollow and resolute.

"Call… 911 for me… And… call my lawyer… I'm not calling my husband… I'm calling my lawyer…"

The driver panicked, fumbling for his phone. "Okay—okay! Miss, hold on! The ambulance is on the way!"

I lay in the freezing rain, staring up at the pitch‑black sky.

"Santino, this time, we're done for good."

Continue to next part

The automated email arrived at 2:47 PM, wedged between a case update from the district attorney's office and a reminder about next week's budget meeting. Subject line: IVF Procedure Confirmation – Riverside Fertility Clinic. I stared at my computer screen, coffee cup halfway to my lips, feeling that particular prickle of wrongness that comes from years of prosecuting liars. I'd never scheduled an IVF appointment for next week. I'd never scheduled any IVF appointment without Ryan present. My fingers moved before my thoughts fully caught up, dialing the clinic's number from memory. Three rings. Four. "Riverside Fertility Clinic, how may I—" "This is Alaina Warren. I just received a confirmation email for a procedure next week that I never authorized." The receptionist's pause lasted a beat too long.

Modern Mystery Romance

9.8

His Illness Was A Weapon

9.8

For six years, my marriage was a clinical trial. I was the doctor for my husband Jackson' s severe contamination OCD, enduring endless cleaning rituals just for a touch. Then I found a used condom wrapper in his car. I soon learned he was breaking every single one of his pathological rules for his mistress-kissing her feet, sharing greasy pizza. His "illness" was a lie, a weapon used only against me. When I confronted him, he chose her. To protect his reputation, he threatened to cut off my mother's life-saving cancer treatment. The price for her life? I had to publicly announce I was barren and welcome his mistress and their child into our home. My six years of sacrifice, my entire life, had been a lie designed to control and humiliate me. I was nothing more than a disposable tool. The next day, in front of a room full of reporters, he handed me the script for my public humiliation. I tore it to pieces. Then I stepped up to the microphone and said, "I am here today to announce that my marriage to Jackson York is over."

Action Modern Romance

7.3

I hate to love you, Mr CEO - 2

7.3

Love and hatred are two sides of the same coin but at the end of the battle it is always LOVE that wins. Yet when there is faint peek of revenge added, would there still be a victory of passion in the tussle? Augustus Martin - a billionaire heartthrob, cold hearted business tycoon, CEO of Sunrise Industries A teasing snicker on my lips. Angelica Evans, I give you two days of time to hammer out the deal and save your neck from further destruction. Else you know I play the game of destruction quite well A shadow of the past.....If only you knew 'My Angel', you are always the only person reigning my heart – Augustus Martin Angelica Evans - A simple and a sweet girl who believes in herself and works hard to attain her goals. Love to hate you Augustus Martin. I may be the person falling on my knees at the moment but in the peroration you will pray God in begging me for a withdrawal. Welcome to the world of hell. A glimpse in the gleam....No matter how many times I say I hate you. You are the only person who holds me together - Angelica Evans Welcome to the game of love and war.

Billionaire Modern Romance

9.4

I Left Him after He Chose The Sister-in-law

9.4

For ten years, Etta Kelly poured her whole heart into loving Houston Kelly, enduring a cold arranged marriage while he prioritized guilt and duty over her. Blinded by remorse for his brother’s death—a murder originally targeted at him—Houston doted on his pregnant sister-in-law Maddie, leaving Etta lonely and vilified as the bitter, unreasonable wife. Sick of being the unwanted third wheel in her own marriage, Etta chose freedom over heartbreak, walking away on their anniversary with their secret lost baby buried in her past. Her sudden, decisive departure cracked Houston’s cold, indifferent facade and awakened a consuming regret he’d never known he harbored. The powerful tycoon resorted to ruthless means to pull her back, blocking her career and clinging desperately to the marriage he once discarded carelessly. Caught between Maddie’s schemes, the toxic Kelly family’s manipulation, and an unsolved murder conspiracy, the broken pair is tangled in endless pain and obsession. This is the brutal, angsty redemption story of a man who lost his true love and burns every bridge to win her back, and a woman who dares to walk away from a love that ruined her.

Billionaire Modern Romance

7.1

I Married You For Your Brother’s Face

7.1

I married the most ruthless Don in Chicago, but not for love, money, or power. I married Luca Falcone because he was the only man on earth who carried the same DNA as his dead identical twin, Dante—the love of my life. For three years, I played the role of the submissive, obsessed wife. I endured his coldness. I cooked for his mistress, Sofia. I even stayed silent when Sofia pushed me down a flight of stairs in a jealous rage, nearly killing me. Luca thought I stayed because I was weak. He thought the way I stared at his face was adoration. He never realized I was looking right through him, seeing the ghost of the brother he could never live up to. But the moment the second pink line appeared on the pregnancy test, my mission was complete. I had secured the heir. I had brought a piece of Dante back to the world. The vessel was no longer needed. I signed the divorce papers, packed my bags, and vanished into the night while Luca was busy with his mistress. When he finally tracked me down months later, broken and begging on his knees for me to come home, I didn't feel a thing. I looked down at the man who thought he was a King and delivered the final blow. "I never loved you, Luca. I married you for the sperm."

Mafia Modern Romance

9.4

My Family Chose My Brother's Scratch Over My Dying Heart

9.4

Autumn Weston was never the favorite. Born from her mother's first marriage, she was a living reminder of a past Vivian wanted to forget. When a car accident leaves Autumn dying on a hospital floor, she makes one final plea to the woman who raised her. Her mother steps over her body to reach her stepson. Three hours later, Autumn is dead. But death is only the beginning. Trapped as a wandering soul, Autumn is forced to witness her family's true nature. Her mother's relief. Her stepfather's indifference. And Ethan—the golden child—finally letting his mask slip. Because Ethan has a secret. That car accident wasn't an accident. And Autumn's death wasn't just neglect—it was the final phase of a plan years in the making. Now Autumn has one mission: expose the truth before her soul fades forever. Lead the right people to the evidence. Make her family face the monster they created. But vengeance requires sacrifice. And the closer she gets to justice, the more her existence flickers. Some truths can only be told by the dead.

Fantasy Modern Mystery

Love Drenched in Blood

Chapter 3

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