His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 37

I didn’t have a lot of friends from back home. Especially in the past few years, when things got hard, it was just Alice and

Sam

So, the next morning, when Anna called, I answered. And when she told me that Gabriel was working with her husband Zach and that they would probably be at work till late which is why we should hang, I said yes.

That’s how I found myself at a club with Anna. Since it was a Sunday night, the club was packed with people swaying to loud music I didn’t recognise, and I and Anna sat at bar stools with a tray of vodka shots in front of us.

“I don’t do this so often,” I shouted above the music, slightly swaying from the three shots I had already downed.

“Me neither!” She yelled back. I just wanted to do this today!”

“Why?”

She pouted. “Zach always works!”

“Yeah.” I huff, “Gabriel always works too.”

A grin spread through her lips as she picked up her fourth shot glass and passed me one too. The first two times, I was reluctant. Maybe it was the short dress I was wearing, the fact that I didn’t have a lot of drinking capacity, or the fact that my husband wasn’t aware of my little escape. Maybe, it was all three. Now, after some liquid courage, all I wanted was more.

So I grinned at my new friend as 1 picked up the shot glass and downed it in one go, the burning sensation causing an excitement instead of nervousness this time as I let go control..

“I am soooo happy we did this, I hugged Anna from behind in the woman’s washroom as she tried to reapply her lipstick, my hug making the red smudge across her lower lip a little. “Oops!”

She just laughed, trying to rub it off and making it worse. “You’re so fun.”

“No, you’re fun.” I grinned, wetting my thumb and then wiping off the lipstick. “Why didn’t we do this before?”

“Maybe because we have boring husbands.”

“So boring.” I repeated, “You know what we should do? You should meet my girlfriend from home Alice. You will loove her.

“Oo! Another girlfriend?”

“Another girlfriend!” I put my hands around her shoulder as we walked out of the club like that, passing through the VIP section. If we came with our husbands, we would probably be lounging in that section and not having all this fun. We did have boring husbands.

“Sof!” Anna swayed under my hold as we walked on the footpath “Where did we park our car?”

My eyes widened. “We are NOT driving. We are sooo drunk.”

the money we

looked at her, amazed. “You’re

flipped her hair

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Chapter 37

smart too,” I tell

“How so?”

one letter up in the alphabet,

Boob!”

then her eyes

then I

does, he does.” She coaxed, “He

by making it sing-song suddenly hurt me in my chest as I sat on the foot path, right where I was, and she turned after walking a little and

was panic in her voice, “What happened?” She ran

smile disappearing. “Gabriel doesn’t love

“He does!”

someone else. Probably

eyes widened. “You know about

filled eyes. “I should have

“Gabriel doesn’t love Lily!”

tears threatened to fall any time

not!” She said, “He never took her on trips with us. Nobody liked her. Not me and Zach, not Gabriel’s

“Why?”

doesn’t answer me. “Gabriel told me that he would burn any man

eyes narrowed. “He

child. “He said that. The day after the charity gala.” She

“There’s a gala tomorrow?”

once every two months, silly. Of

My eyes narrowed. All the hurt dissipated and anger returned. Why does he never tell me about charity galas? Does he

She hit my

if we can get this drunk there

“There’s

chest, making sure I was all covered and my little dress didn’t give a view into

Chapter 37

I leaned to her side with so

eyes, trying so hard to focus on the man in front of me in a blue suit. “Is everything okay

nod, “She’s my best friend. I love