His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 91

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My ruined cupcakes sat on the wooden counter, along with the white handkerchief with a crest weaved into one of its corners, a reminder of what a disaster last night was.

I was taking them from my bakery to my apartment for my visit to the hospital today, specifically to a very special girl.

Alina used to be my best friend. Ever since she and her parents died in a fire six months ago leaving her seven year old sister Jenny bed-ridden with severe bronchial issues and numerous complications that I couldn’t wrap my head around but. needed observation all the time, I visited her every week, mostly with my cupcakes that she loved the most.

And now that the last batch was ruined and I couldn’t bake more since I’d run out of batter and frosting, I would have to visit. Jenny empty handed.

She didn’t mind though, and her face lit up all the same upon sering me, flashing her dimples which had become a rare sight these days.

I’m sorry I couldn’t visit yesterday. I tell her after we spend the hour playing board games, “Some idiot customer at the bakery made my day a little harder. I spare her the details of how he came in drunk, ordered I bake him a wedding cake that same evening, and wouldn’t leave till I called the cops

She smiles. “I’m so happy you came today, you remind me of Alina.”

I smile back, it not reaching my eyes. Partly because of the mention of my dead best friend, and partly because her dark and usually glowy skin looked pale today. Her breaths were shallower, and she had a persistent cough.

Tears had welled up in Jenny’s eyes, quickly shifting from a smile to a sob. “I miss her.”

“I miss her too,” I tell Alina, the tightness in my chest returning.

not to cry in front of

of medicine and falls asleep holding my hand,

and they threatened to turn into a

bathroom on this side of the wing is under maintenance,” she tells me kindly, “You’ll have to use the one on the administration wing. It’s

and rush from there, not wanting to draw the attention if I

soon as the bathroom door shuts behind me. I missed Alina. I missed her parents, who were the

collected myself again, I walked out of the bathroom, focusing on my breathing

Fair that I dreaded

of the administration wing, when a voice stops me right

and you don’t. There was a loud, clear and strong emphases on the word have, “If there is

us, we’re taking your hospital down, and that will be just the f*cking beginning of your worst nightmare. Spoiler alert: your family

next.”

my chest, so loud that the other dialogues were inaudible

outlaws exist, and

was the fire part that knocked the senses out of

treated here,

have any business in covering up their death, the rest of me was terrified by the

a calculative move on my part when I open my phone with shivering hands

button.

I think his name was. “Mr. King, y-you cannot threaten my

on the verge of laughter. There was even more power in it than earlier if it was even possible. “Where were your ethics

Six months ago.

Fire.