His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 49

1 don’t know how long I remained asleep for, because every time I stirred, I could sense different people around me.

“I failed her, Damien. Gabriel’s voice.

“I need to go… take care of something. A foreign voice.

“You need to go?” Gabriel sounded… angry..

Then, I faded back to sleep. The next time, the voices were different.

“You need to freshen up.” A feminine voice was speaking, I think Alice.

“I’m not moving from here. Gabriel replied. “The doctor said shell wake up any minute now.”

I wanted to wake up, but I couldn’t. I felt like I was being pulled into an unending sleep cycle.

“Is there anything I can do?” Sam was speaking.

Yeah… leave. Gabriel again.

I wanted to laugh at Gabriel’s pettiness, asking him to stop being like that towards Sam. That we had resolved everything in our past and both moved on.

I wanted to turn my body because my back felt stiff.

I wanted to turn to Gabriel, who I knew was sitting next to me, his hand often caressing my forehead. I wanted to put my arms around him and never let go.

Once, he placed a little kiss on my head, whispering, Wake up now, baby?”

After what seemed like forever or trying and failing, I could finally manage to open my eyes.

There was pain.

My stomach was hurting. My head was hurting. My throat was hurting. My back was hurting.

Everything hurt.

lips, trying to call for the man who had saved me.

side, taking in the foreign surroundings I was at, that looked awfully like every other

awake. Oh, thank Jesus. She paused, pressed a button, and then turned back to me, cupping my

again, but all I could produce was

okay? She continued striking her hand through my hair. “The

no sound came up. So I gave up, hoping Gabriel will hear fin awake

He didn’t

1a

Chapter 49

if I knew who I was, what year it was, how I was taken. I

a few days of rest and warm

much. Just once,

maybe more. Everything was

A pathetic, painful blur.

throat, quite possibly to palpate any swellings,

looking at

the man who

away, and a female one

upright and then checked me, and once she confirmed that the swelling had reduced and I would heal in a

myself I wouldn’t cry.” She sobbed. “I was so

wanted to hug her while she cried, but I didn’t want to be touched. So I held

was Zach. And then his

and Anna stayed. They both said a few things, and I nodded my

she was always there for me, I could come stay with her

indication to the Lily drama and although that she was just a week ago, it seemed like a lifetime

little longer, and I knew he knew why

a minute since

pleaded with my eyes, the only way

hand softly before he

of me wanted to believe he didn’t know I went missing. He would be the first one here if he knew. I didn’t want him

but finally, he came. The

always put together down to his last hair strand, but today he wasn’t. His hair was messed up, his stubble was grown more than he maintained, his clothes looked worn out,

attention.

were hollow even as he stared

the bed like everyone else did.

front of me