His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 5

I had shivers when I opened my eye

but he was gone.

The file that he had come to take still lied on the table untouched, and the ghost of a smile played on my lips as his scent still lingered in the air around me.

The moment I processed what had just happened, reality kicked in.

I couldn’t be smiling thinking about Gabriel. I couldn’t and I wasn’t.

He was rude, and he hadn’t spent even a single night at this house since we got married. He could be sleeping with someone outside for all I knew, could have a serious girlfriend he planned to marry the moment our contract marriage ended.

So. I let the smile disappear as I left to my room thinking of different ways to kill time till I heard back from the job I had just interviewed for, but preparing for dinner with Gabriel’s parents was the only thing on my schedule until the next night.

Gabriel hadn’t let me know what time we had to leave for dinner at his parent’s, and I was too egoistic to call him again. I half expected a call from Peter, or for Luna to pop in to let me know Gabriel is finally home (I may have positioned her at the main entrance of the house instead of outside my door and ask her to run in and let me know when he comes), but I heard nothing.

He had said the dinner was tonight, hadn’t he?

I had a midnight blue long dress picked out and steam ironed, accessories kept on the dresser, a French manicure done, and still, there was no sight of him till six in the evening.

Just when I was about to get home, there was a knock on my door

I threw it open knowing exactly who it was. “Luna, is he hom-?”

Words dried in my throat when the person on the other side wasn’t the pale, timid girl I was expecting, but the man himself:

“He is home.” Gabriel seemed amused, his eyes flickering from me to the room behind as I stood at the door, blocking him, from walking in. “You aren’t dressed.” He said in a matter-of-fact tone..

u never told me what time I had to be dressed at.”

“You

He raised his eyebrows, as if disappointed. “I didn’t think there was something to be said.”

to be dressed since evening and parade around the house

too long, my

“I don’t… kid”

I muttered under my breath.

“That’ll be enough?

“It will”

He nodded

1/3

Chapter 3

was like that, his parents must be… terrifying. That’s all I could think of as I got dressed, suddenly doubting if a form-fitting dress was the

knew that because I put a timer of thirty. I remembered. how pissed he was the last time I had taken a shower ten mines too long, and I didn’t need the extra set of nerves before

he knew exactly why I was waiting by the door and asked me not to

not your fault. He’s… well….” I trailed, looking at him come out of his room and walk towards the stairs,

on the dot.

Attractive.

“Intimidating?” Luna offered.

was folding his white shirt?

again, and I snapped out of

huffed, shaking my thoughts

was

early” His voice echoed in the halls around us, as he stood in front of me,

to what he said. “A

narrowed. “I

Jeez. Thanks

Without looking at me the second time, he walked out and shaking my

in his hand that he handed to Gabriel immediately, who looked at me for a brief second before he got into the

going

moment before taking a deep breath and walked to the other

seal.

minutes drive, not so surprisingly, started out silent, so I decided to speak up: “Can I

me half a

guess, you

silent, eyes on the

you actually don’t like music?!”