His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 14

GABRIEL

For the first time in as long as I could remember, I wanted to go home. I hadn’t expected to go to London on Saturday, but I had to after I totally f*cked the meeting with Jason Williams by going to beat the shit out of Arthur Geller instead, and Peter couldn’t convince him to give us another chance for sh*t, So, I had to fly to him.

I was supposed to take my jet back on Friday night, but I was done with work the day before and decided to come home carlier then. I still flew first class, but I’d never done that before today. I was appalled at how much time it takes to clear just the s*upid security if you fly with an airline.

Never again, I thought to myself as I stepped out of the airport and the breeze hit me. It was cold, way colder than it had been last week at the charity gala.

I hated how my first thought was how stubborn Sofia was, and how she would have probably not taken her coat with her if she was out somewhere.

Huffing. I placed a hundred dollar bill in my driver’s hand. “Take the cab home,” I told him, grabbing the keys to my car from him, throwing the files I had carried with me to read on the journey back, on the passenger seat.

I felt like speed driving today, it was just one of those days where I craved the feeling of risking it and still never losing it, being on the verge of death- just one wrong turn or step on the gas pedestal away, and still never dying.

I took the longer and emptier route home.

I hated how even while trying to clear my mind- every though was about her. Every time I cared about her well-being. I forced myself to believe it was because I made a promise to her grandfather, because she was my responsibility and that’s all.

Ashes of dead promises and memories continued clouding my head on that cold night till I abruptly pressed the brakes of my car realising the signal was red, my car coming to halt with a jerk after the speed it had been running on despite the roads being cold and slippery. I skid ahead on my seat, almost banging my head to the steering wheel, and my phone and the work papers that were lying freely on the passenger seat also made their way tumbling down, the papers jumbling up.

I felt like a mess, the papers falling down getting on my nerves. I was overwhelmed with emotions- but mostly anger.

Even though I had enough time to pick the papers up before the signal turned green, I let them be down on the car’s floor along with my fallen phone. Loud gusts of breeze blew around making an evident sound heard despite my rolled up windows.

Sofia made me angry. Looking at her was a daily reminder that I was passive in my own life, that I had no say in it except to just let things go the way they were,

And yet, all I could think of was her in my bed. Her under me. The overwhelming urge to touch her and watch her freeze. To kiss her again. And again. And again for the rest of the night.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter until my knuckles got white, feeling a burst of unexplained anger in me.

My engine roared as I waited for the signal to turn green, uneasiness filling my chest while I looked away on the empty streets, impatient to speed back up when my eyes fell on a familiar figure sitting by the window in the bar to my right

The glass windows perfectly showed her long black hair and wide smile on her lips as she actioned her hands while talking like she usually did when she was happy. The uneasiness I was feeling in my chest turned into quick suffocation when my eyes fell on the man sitting across my wife, a man I didn’t recognise.

I felt a tightness, a weird feeling in my chest that felt lot like physical pain and mental anguish at the same time.

The signal turned green and I stepped on the gas, speeding up like I had planned to, my vision blurring as I tried

1/2

Tue,

Chapter 14

maintaining steady breaths.

if the fact that I was blackmailed to marry a woman I knew nothing about was hitting me. And yet, what felt worse was that while I spent every thought trying to fight my urge

be a friend. He could

she stayed out with him- a friend or whoever she was,

her I wasn’t sleeping with anyone

showered to calm myself and then boxed a punching bag for fifteen minutes and then showered again to wash off the sweat, nothing helped. A little past midnight when I knew I couldn’t sleep without

Knocked once.

Knocked twice.

No reply.

She really wasn’t inside..

my best to convince myself to ignore the way something sunk deep in my chest, the

so loud and heavy that it either would wake her from sleep (if she was asleep) or break the

The door didn’t break.

It opened.

her obviously sleepy eyes and confused face staring at me while

12:29 Tue, Jun 40

Chapter 14

GABRIEL

I wanted to go home. I hadn’t expected to go to London on Saturday, but I had to after I totally f*cked the meeting with Jason Williams by going to beat the shit out of Arthur Geller instead, and Peter

to take my jet back on Friday night, but I was done with work the day before and decided to come home earlier then. I still flew first class, but I’d never done that before today. I was appalled

stepped out of the airport and the breeze hit me. It was cold,

my first thought was how stubborn Sofia was, and how she would have

in my driver’s hand. “Take the cab home,” I told him, grabbing the keys to my car from him, throwing the files

driving today, it was just one of those days where I craved the feeling of risking it and still never losing it, being on the verge of death- just one wrong turn or step on the gas pedestal

took the longer

to clear my mind- every though was about her. Every time I cared about her well-being, I forced myself to believe it was because I made a promise to her

it had been running on despite the roads being cold and slippery. I skid ahead on my seat, almost banging

felt like a mess, the papers falling down getting on my nerves. I was

them be down on the car’s floor

angry. Looking at her was a daily reminder that I was passive in my own life, that I had no say in it except to just let things go the way

of was her in my bed. Her under me. The overwhelming urge to touch her and watch her freeze. To kiss her again.

knuckles got white, feeling

chest while I looked away on the empty streets, impatient to speed back up when my eyes fell on

actioned her hands while talking like she usually did when she was happy. The uneasiness I was feeling in my

felt lot