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.

voice down. People are staring,” I try to hush her.

pouted, “I really wanted him to

bag and then taking the bag of groceries. “Do you want to sleep at my place tonight? We can eat ice cream and watch

com?

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Chapter 43

would be so nice. She sighs when we exit the grocery store, cold wind hitting us. I shiver. “But

work tomorrow.

for work from

husband going to be okay with that? The last time I was here, he seemed like he would dagger me for taking your

people. At all. A smile spreads on my lips before I can stop it. “Besides, he isn’t here. It’s

you come here

“Don’t

unmatched amusement. “What happened to the girl that said ‘we don’t care about each other?” She repeated what I had said in a high pitched tone, making me hit her arm

not speak that

shoulder. “Oh Sof, why didn’t you come earlier? This was all I needed

leaning into her. We walk like little girls do, not minding it even a bit. “I made a new friend, you know? Her name’s Anna.” And then, I proceed to tell her about

meel.

for a bit, but thinks Anna sounds like an amazing girl overall when I tell her how lonely it

grandfather’s home

she points and sure enough, my estranged friend stands not too far ahead, typing

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

and I give her a weird

he isn’t, a part of me corrected,

Alice has a chance to reply

reaching us. “Alice… it’s been so

keep calling you but then I got busy too so

1

her, and then turns to me. “Sof. I didn’t know you were

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

I 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

same, something that

Chapter 43