His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 86

Alex and Aurora: 2 and a half years old.

“Mama?” Alex called me, and I smiled at my little boy. He had spoken for the first time almost a year and a half ago, but it still made me grin every time he called me mama with his little voice

“Yes, baby?” I coord, picking him up in my arms and carrying him outside, letting his sister sleep,

“Play?” He blinked his huge eyes, and 1 nod.

“Of course, my love.”

1 carry him to the twins’ little play area in the house, and he happily hops out of my arms and into the soft area where his blocks and cars were kept along with Aurora’s dolls and a soft ball pit that they could jump into.

I watch as he puts a few blocks on top of one another, making a tower.

I

“Wow. That’s so tall.” I sit next to him, passing him the blocks one by one as he adds them onto his creation, careful not to topple them.

It w

was a quiet afternoon in our house. Gabriel was at work, and this was usually the time for the twins to nap but Alex had a sugar rush and couldn’t sleep. Even then, he wasn’t making noise, aware his sister was sleeping in the room next to ours.

“Mama… look!” He pointed at the tall tower, satisfied by how much he had managed to pile on.

1 was just about to praise him when he punched right in the centre of it, watching with a spark in his eyes how all of it fell down into many pieces.

“FUN!” He shouted, the grin of his mouth endless, his brown eyes showing so much sudden enthusiasm.

1 sighed, resisting the urge to face palm.

It’s bothersome how much destruction excites him.

“You’re supposed to build, my love. Not break.” I remind him gently, smiling at his antics.

“If no break, then how build again?” He pouts, and I nearly laugh

inquisitive, always observing, always witty. And his knack for watching things break? It was

He called me again while in the middle of

“Yes Alex?”

jiggling of the keys or the sound of footsteps, I turned around just in time

with my eyebrows furrowed.

over to the play area through the little white gate, kissing me softly “How come

cookie after lunch,” I told my husband as he settled across

his son, placing

1/3

Chipter

car over

1 gled

I met would one day let a little child run his toy car over

home. Gabriel?”

missing the

“And not me?” 11

pout.

but it wasn’t as

wiggles from Gabriel’s hold, diving into the

keep a closer eye on him, dipping his feet in

His shoulders were

hand through his arm to be able to rest my temple on his shoulder. “Don’t lie to me. Why’re

deep breath over my

forehead creases “A bad dream? What

was coming back from

hold on his arm

could save only one of you. You, or

mumble, striking his palm with my thumb of my free hand, and he intertwined our fingers,

didn’t ask, and I shut my eyes for a brief second. “Since

just a dream, Gabriel,” I

only briefly. “I know.” He looks away again, to Alex. “But if I was ever given such an impossible

I whisper. “You’re a good father,

hate me when they grow up,

wouldn’t.” My eyebrows furrow, my voice a little sharp. They will never find out. And even if they do, they wouldn’t hate you because you’ve been the