His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 78

SOPHIA

3 days later:

“I know he’s just born, but he looks just like Gabriel,” Alice sighed dreamily, pointing at the glass of the incubator.

Tired as I was after a labor that lasted almost eight hours, I smile Even two days of rest wasn’t enough after that, because I spent every minute worrying about my little ones who were both in the NICU for being born early. The doctor reassured me saying the incubators were just a precaution and they were both going to be just fine, but I worried.

And, I was exhausted already.

As if understanding what Alice was saying, he blinks his brown eyes that he undoubtedly gets from his father. It wasn’t just the eyes, but also the nose, the jaw… two days old, and he looked just like his father already.

“He does, I pouted. I carry him for eight months and he comes out looking just like his father?

Well, at least I had my little girl. I smile at the thought, watching her sleep peacefully. She was the tinier one, the baby whose growth was restricted.

“You can name her Alice after me, you know.” My best-friend teases, “I would absolutely be honoured.”

1 giggle.

“I did think of names when I found out I was pregnant. I tell her “I’m just having doubts now.”

“Take your time.” She talks to me while cooing at the baby inside the incubator. “I can’t wait to hold you. Yes, you! I’m going to spoil you so much all the time. I love you”

1 giggle again. I was so utterly exhausted and I think this was the first time in the past two days that they were both resting. but I didn’t feel like sleeping. I wanted to bask in the quiet moments with them, in the loud moments with them, in everything, every second.

It still felt unreal that I had two little ones.

“I think I’m just going to go with the names I have thought.”

Alice’s eyes twinkle. “Finally, I wouldn’t have to call them baby boy and girl.”

I say, eyeing my little girl.

repeats after me, “That’s so

deepens.

She

policy is for new mothers to stay for forty-eight hours after delivery for precaution,” My doctor tells me, his wrinkled face displaying a rare smile. “Since it’s been two days and you and your little boy are both doing perfectly fine, we can discharge you. Your little girl, however, we would like to keep her

chest the moment his words

hand reaches mine, and I

1/3

flicker to that, and he shakes his head. “She’s doing just fine too,” he tells me, “But as you know, her growth was restricted in your womb. I just want to observe her growth for a week before we let her go home with

him a half

stay here, I assume you wouldn’t want to leave

my head. “Of

to be shifted to a

not like I had much choice. I wouldn’t have minded sleeping on the little couch in this NICU room for the rest of the week, but Alex needed space too. Once he is

just two days old after

me this hospital bed

left, and how I was going to pay for all this dawns over me. I paid for this room and the birth with Gabriel’s card which he had thankfully not blocked yet, but I was sure he would have

in front of me on

I tell her, my voice

all this alone. I wasn’t there for you. I was your best friend and I promised you I would be by your side pomatter what and you had to go through all this alone. Jim’s passing, Lily, the

these three days. You stayed by the babies all night long when I was too tired to stay up. You and Luna… you both

asked in a

money. If I need more, I’ll ju a

nods, unconvinced. “Sam called again. This would be his fifteenth call in the last three days, She sighs, “If it were up me, I would cut him off and never speak to him again. But he’s calling for you, so… what do you want me to

lip. “Do you really think he did that? That Cabriel really asked him to call me and he didn’t because he thought he had a chance

offering to step up, but to be this conniving? To deprive my children of a father and me of my husband just because it was him who was selfish and wanted me? That seemed too wicked for the

at Sam, and

Just call him tomorrow. The visitation hours are over for

babies. Aurora was still asleep, but Alex seemed to have gotten cranky. Luna was

ter 78

15

him back in the incubator that he would