His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 43

SOFIA

I wasn’t a highly emotional person. Life never let me be. There are only so many tears left in a person after they go through the kind of things I have.

If I’m being honest, I didn’t like being emotional either. I like being in control. I like fighting back. I don’t cry a lot. I plan my way out of my troubles.

Falling for Gabriel was not a part of any plan. And yet, it happened like it was inevitable. The worst part being. I hadn’t event realised how hard I had fallen till I watched him tell me about Lily, and the promises he made to her.

Sleep never came that night. I tossed and turned, tossed and turned. Thoughts occupied my head all night, memories flooded. Around 3 in the morning. I sat in front of a blank canvas I wasn’t a free style painter, but I wanted to paint out my thoughts. I wanted to represent them to the best of my ability, a furious red for my feelings, a black for the betrayal I was feeling, a blue for the hollowness, orange for the pain and white for the memories.

I wanted to, but I couldn’t. Not a single stroke.

At 7, I showered and left the house. I asked the driver to drive me to the only place I knew, my grandfather’s house.

I wasn’t trying to run away from Gabriel, because if I was, I wouldn’t have chosen the most obvious place he could find me at. If he bothers to find me. I just wanted an escape. A place where everything would feel fine.

The ring I had left behind felt evidently absent because of the tan line.

It wasn’t even noon when I was in my hometown, pulling a grin on my lips to convince my grandfather I was here to surprise him. The smile never reached my eyes. He knew it. I knew it. Neither of us talked about it.

He let me be. He let me keep my head on his lap while he stroke my hair, telling me stories about my parents like he often did when I was a child.

He talked about their story, and how it was one for the books.

He talked about their lessons, and dreams they had about me.

He talked about them and let me fall asleep in his lap, forgetting for a little time about my barren phone that remained in my pocket, devoid of any notifications or calls from the man I had come here to forget about.

I was preparing dinner to take my mind off things. I wasn’t a stellar cook, I only knew the basics, but I loved to bake. So I w going to make a lasagna dish, one that I had practiced to perfection in my late teen years.

In the evening, I went to buy groceries with Alice.

“Can you believe he cheated on me? That f*cking a*shole!” Alice stomped her feet, and the cashier raised an eyebrow. I gave the boy a little apologetic smile before handing him my card, ignoring Gabriel’s Amex shining in my wallet, and then turned to my best friend.

People are staring,” I try to

She pouted, “I really wanted him to be

back my card from the boy, dumping it in my bag and then taking the bag of groceries. “Do you want to sleep at my

com?

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Chapter 43

cold wind hitting us. I shiver. “But I can’t, I’ve got

work tomorrow.

work

“Is your husband going to be okay with that? The last time I

fact, Gabriel liked you. And he does not like people. At all. A smile

Charming let you come here

“Don’t call him

‘we don’t care about each other?” She repeated

do not speak that

Sof, why didn’t you come earlier? This was all I

“I made a new friend, you know?

meel.

new friends for a bit, but thinks Anna sounds like an amazing girl overall

from my grandfather’s home when Alice

enough, my estranged friend stands not too far ahead, typing something on his phone, and as if sensing both our eyes on him, looks up and then at

I didn’t even tell him you’re here this time, I swear, Alice quickly mumbles. “Do you

knit, and I give her a weird look. “Besides

part of me corrected, but

Alice has a chance to reply to me, he’s

pants on reaching us. “Alice…

and usually I keep calling you but then I got busy too so I figured you’d call me when you miss

1

up with work.” He smiles at her, and then turns to me.

than he did when I’d run into him and his mom a few weeks ago with Gabriel, but I was still hesitant, walking on egg

felt hurt looking at him. A friendship always cherished, I had ruined. This time, there was indifference towards the person I had lost, because I was mourning someone I felt much, much

He smiled at me just the same, something that was visibly absent

Chapter 43