His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 29

It was late afternoon when we landed in Venice. When Gabriel said Italy, I thought Milan, Florence or even Bologna.

For some reason. I hadn’t thought of Venice. I had only seen it in pictures and movies- the blue water flowing in tunnels, gondolas decorated with colourful flowers floating on it, houses built on both sides and bridges over it where lovers often walked holding hands

I was enchanted to say the least.

We were staying in a villa. I had argued with Gabriel saying we didn’t need a villa for just the two of us and we could’ve stayed at a hotel, but he shut me up saying hotels were for people who weren’t rich enough for a villa.

I had pouted because I actually loved hotels and their breakfast spreads, but didn’t complain when I got inside our lodging for the next few days. It was two floors, with vintage architecture and a spiral stairs in the living room that led to a single bedroom upstairs, had a fully stocked kitchen, and even a small garden area on one side while the windows of the bedroom overlooked a water tunnel.

The best part of the house, however, was the painted ceilings, Stories of Roman Gods and Goddesses and epic battles depicted in colour on the ceiling of every room, with the one of the bedroom being that of two naked lovers with their hands almost touching, but not.

Gabriel had excused himself because of an unexpected issue that arose at work while we were on the way here, and it would take him over an hour. He asked me to get some rest since we were both severely jet lagged.

As soon as he left, I had ripped open the bag that Luna had packed for me, and it wasn’t so bad. It had a lot of satin-satin dresses, satin nightwear, overcoats, jeans with a corset, some long dresses and some short, some formal and some casual, and many comfort clothes. I had smiled, because Luna knew me well. The next bag, however, was just make-up and lingerie.

The lingerie….

There was so much. I didn’t even own most of them. They all had tags on. She had shopped for me. Most of them were made of lace, with straps that I didn’t even know went where, some too tiny to cover even what they were supposed to,

I gulped looking at them. The two times that I had been naked in front of Gabriel, I was in an unmatched cotton bra and underwear.

And now, there was this.

A part of me was just giddy to see his reaction.

I took a quick hot shower and changed into sweats, and got into bed, letting my jet lag take the better of me. I don’t know. what time it was when someone switched off the lamps and covered me with a duvet.

I don’t know how long I dozed off for because the next time I opened my eyes, the sunlight was gone. It was dark outside the blinds, and Gabriel was asleep on the other end of the bed, a respectable distance between us.

I searched for my phone on the night stand in the dark, dropping a water bottle I didn’t know was there.

I

had slept for almost twelve

Gabriel’s groggy voice filled the silence and I turned to him as he struggled

me if I slept any more than this, joked,

1/3

Chapter 29

mumbled. His voice was hoarse and grainy and so hot. “I’m waking up

should get into bed.

after you. Figured we can roam around

toiletry pouch from where my bag was, and heading to the bathroom to brush

out, was up on his toes. “Are you

” “Who’s going

The kitchen is

cook?” I raised

“A little.”

cooking, not more. Between

bread wrong.” Gabriel commented unimpressed while looking up from the stool where he

Ramsey.” I rolled my eyes at him, “If I’m doing it wrong,

Gabriel was standing behind me, his hands on either side of me and his chin

froze. I asked you to do

on that. I could only

making

hour later, we successfully had pizzas ready for breakfast. It wasn’t something that an Italian chef would

first rays of light as sun began rising overhead painting the sky in ethereal shades of a pastel blue interspersed with a blush of pink, forming its own cotton

be if I agreed to take a spot there. If. I wanted to capture that moment forever, especially when

like nothing else in the world mastered except the way he

him to kiss me.

But he didn’t

and then the

a white shirt with rolled up sleeves and pants, while I was