His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 20

The next morning, I invited Alice over for breakfast. I didn’t have to fill her in about the conversation between me and Sam, she already knew. We couldn’t talk about it openly since Grandpa was there too and towards the end of the breakfast, Mrs. Riley popped in with some pancakes she had made. It was just like old times, minus Sam.

I left around noon after promising Grandpa I’ll visit soon and making Alice promise she’d visit me on her next work trip to the city.

It was early in the evening when I was back home, and the first thing I noticed was that Gabriel’s car wasn’t parked. Tired after falling asleep on the couch last night, I finished reviewing the file I was told to and had an early dinner, my eyes flickering to the door and the stairs every now and then for a glimpse of my husband.

“He hasn’t been home… since yesterday. Laina finally told me and a part of my heart broke, one that I shoved back to the deepest comers of me.

I could be attracted to Gabriel physically.

But I couldn’t allow myself to care about him like this.

We were husband and wife just on paper.

Sleep came easy that night. When Monday passed and Gabriel still wasn’t home, I called Peter, my intrusive thoughts getting the best of me. What if he had an accident or something the night he left?

Peter confirmed he was at work, staying there till late in the night, barely coming home for an hour or two and that this would continue for a while. He was busy.

He wasn’t dead or dying on a highway or a hospital somewhere

Good to know.

I ignored every thought of him for the next few days. Coming home late and leaving before I wake up? He was trying to ignore me on purpose. What was he, five?

On Wednesday night, having enough of his childish behaviour. I decided to wait for him. After dinner I sat on the couch in the living room with a book I had been waiting to read for months now, but somewhere more than an hour after midnight. I fell asleep right there curled up with a blanket on the couch.

I woke up in my room in the morning.

I knew who had carried me upstairs, I didn’t have to ask anyone.

d in the room when I woke up, and all I could think of was that I wanted it

It was crazy how his scent somehow still lingered in around more often.

Thursday night, I woke up around dawn by a bad dream, I would’ve tossed in my bed until I fell back asleep if thoughts of Gabriel hadn’t made their way into my mind.

This seemed like the perfect time to catch him…

It was dawn.

I left my room and headed towards his. I had never been in his room. before but I had seen him exiting it a couple times so hoping I was at the right door, I paused outside for a long few seconds

No response.

1/3

Tue, Jun 4 D

Chapter 20

I knocked again.

Gabriel

Shirtless.

as I tried peaking behind his talk frame.

vision. “What’re you

5

in front of my chest. “You’re ignoring me. Tin here to ask- demand you to stop. We had become friends. Sort-of

“Demand?” He lightly chuckled.

cheeks as that night played in front of my mind. Did I

1

word for

igiforing you, Freckles. I have

just not been home since a few days?

would that have anything to

mad at me when you left.

a lapse of judgment on my part. You lied to me. I don’t like liars, I couldn’t be

“That’s all?” I repeated.

“What else?”

that anger in him… a part of me has really thought

really hoped he

Hope.

“You aren’t mad anymore?”

wife by contract, who you have feelings for is none of

sleep with somebody else, that’s your business. But if I have feelings

“Do you?”

“What?”

Have feelings for him?”

have feelings for Sam.” I told

didn’t say

feelings for Sam, Gabriel. I feel bad that I hurt one of my closest friends, I feel