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.

had saved me. But I couldn’t speak. Instead, I just croaked a sound. that sounded

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

if she didn’t expect me to wake up. Sof. Sofia, oh, you’re awake. Oh, thank Jesus. She paused, pressed a button, and then turned back to me,

speaking again, but all I could produce was

She continued striking her hand through my hair. “The

gave up, hoping Gabriel will hear fin awake and come

He didn’t

1a

Chapter 49

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

vocal cord. Nothing serious, nothing a few days of rest and warm water wouldn’t heal. But I need to talk in whispers till then, if I talk

much. Just

maybe more. Everything was

A pathetic, painful blur.

the doctor tried touching my throat, quite

shook my head, looking at Alice with

man who

was sent away, and a

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

so sorry. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.”

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

Zach. And then his

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

and reminded me that she was always there for me, I could come stay with her for a few days if I

and although that she was just a

little longer, and I knew he knew why

a minute

pleaded with my eyes, the only way I knew how

my hand

He would be the first one here if he knew. I didn’t want him to know, I

shut for so long that I started believing he’d never come, but finally, he came. The man I had been waiting to

hair strand, but today he wasn’t. His hair was

attention.

even

on the chair next to the bed like everyone else did. He sat on the edge of the bed right

front of me