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.

as I read the

had slept for almost

filled the silence and I

on me if I slept any more than this, joked,

1/3

Chapter 29

hot. “I’m waking up too.” Before I could

wondered if I should get into bed. “When

you. Figured we can roam around wherever you want if we get some rest

my bag was, and heading to the bathroom

his toes. “Are you hungry?” He asked just

“Who’s going to deliver at this

The kitchen is

cook?” I raised an

“A little.”

later. I loved baking and basic cooking, not more. Between the

while looking up from

Ramsey.” I rolled my eyes at him, “If I’m doing it wrong, why don’t you

standing behind me, his hands on either

to do it… not to

my hands over the rolling pin, helping me softly roll the dough into a circle that was much thicker than mine, but I barely focused on that. I could only make sense of one thing at a time when he was around, and that thing right now happened to be his touch on me, and his

from me, making me miss his touch on

It wasn’t something that an Italian chef

our window overlooking the waters below glimmering with the 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

while Gabriel talked to me about work at his company and what my role would be if I agreed to take a spot there. If. I wanted to capture that moment forever, especially when we were done eating and Gabriel leaned over from his side, his thumb gently caressing my lower lip to wipe off the

moment there, it seemed like nothing else in the world mastered except the way he looked at me

him to kiss me.

But he didn’t

away, and then the

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