His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 17 I woke up in my bed alone, and for the first tin the past month, it didn't feel like I was forced to be in this house. It had oddly begun feeling like home.

For the first tin a month after we got married, I wore my wedding rings. For the first time, that ring was not a reminder ofbeing a prisoner in this fairytale-ish nightmare, but a reminder of my husband's words last night.

I don't share what belongs to me, Sofia; and for the next five months, that includes you! I knew Gabriel worked on weekends too, and observing him in the past month, I knew enough to know he would spend more tthan ever at work now that he just returned from London after almost a week.

I was on my own, and I figured it would be nice to go visit my grandfather for the day. He had shifted back hthis last week, and it was the first the was living alone since I got back from my school in Seoul. He had never stayed alone, especially not after being diagnosed with cancer.

My maiden hwas a good three hours away from the city, in the outskirts. My hometown wasn't poor, it was just isolated and small and quiet, the kind of place where everyone knows everyone, and everyone loves to talk.

I contemplated about calling Gabriel from the moment I left to the tI was just a few minutes away. My hesitation cfrom the fact that I hadn't updated him of my whereabouts any until now, and I didn't want him to think I becclingy or wife-like just because he had seennaked.

Finally, I kept those thoughts aside and decided to call any way. He answered the phone on the last ring, just when I about to disconnect. “Hello?" He sounded busy, there was a little bustling around him, and I wondered why his office sounded so chaotic? "Hi.." I trailed, and then I paused. Maybe he was not at work at all.

"Freckles, I have just a minute. Can you talk quick? I've gotta rush to a meeting.” "Yeah sorry," I shook my thoughts off. "I just called to let you know that I've gone to visit my grandfather" "Okay," He replied, "Are you planning to stay over for a few days or...?" He sounded confused. Of course he was confused about why the f*ck had I called to give him this tiny update. "No. I'll be back tonight. Or tomorrow morning, 'cause I have work to finish before Monday." "Uh-huh." He sounded distracted, "The painting you're working on?" "Oh no. There's this file I have to read through, my boss explicitly asked-" "Huh?" He cutoff.

"What?" "File? Boss? What are you talking about, Freckles?" I did talk to you about working last week, didn't I? When we were having lunch together, after Arthur-" He cutoff again, "Yeah, I remember. You said work, aren't you a painter? Like my Mom?" "Gabriel," I deadpanned, "I paint as a hobby. I'm a finance analyst was "Wait, what?" He sounded.. angry. His voice was low, but he sounded serious. I suddenly had all his attention. "So are you tellingthat you got out there and got a job? Like an actual job in a company under a boss?" 1/4 12:29 Tue, Jun 4 O Chapter 17 "Y-Yeah." "Are you frking serious, Freckles?" П "Why wouldn't I be?" My voice grew louder, defensive. “I asked you if it would be okay forto get back to work and you said were fine with it-" "Yeah, when I thought you were a painter who needed a stuin the house." He cutoff again, his voice growing louder 100.

"And it's supposed to be my fault that you keep disappearing for half of the days that we've been married and didn't take a single hour out of your schedule to know the most basic thing about me?" I shouted at him.

I actually shouted. I could see the driver's eyes flicker tofrom the rear view mirror as he pulled into my grandfather's house.

"You know what." When he stayed silent for too long, I didn't give him further to reply. "You were busy. You had just a minute. The minute is long over, so I will let you go to your meeting. I've reached any way. Bye, Gabriel." I disconnected the call.

I stayed in the car for a few seconds longer, taking deep breaths and collecting myself before I grabbed my bag and dumping my phone into it, I headed to the house I had spent most of my childhood in, determined to have a good day without letting the argument I just had get in the way.

"I cto Seoul for you, Sof. We've been together since we were five. And I get to know about your marriage through a news article?" "Alice..." I reach out to the other side of the table, keeping my hand over hers and she immediately pulls it away. I try not letting the hurt show. I knew this wasn't going to be easy, mending what I had broken. I'm sorry, I really am. Everything just happened. And it's not a love marriage, you know? It's been hard "So, the rumours are true? You both were arranged into this?" I nod.

She fixed her black rimmed specs on the bridge of her nose, pushing her blonde hair back before sighing. "You're still my sSof?" "Always. I offer her a smile, "From the cradle to the grave, right?? "From the cradle to the grave." She hesitantly gives in. "But, if you ever ghostagain for a month straight, if you ever accidentally leave out an important detail of your life like getting married to shot-shot billionaire guy. I will put you your grave. Understand?" I laugh. “Sounds fair to me." Alice was my best friend since we were just little girls together, always by my side even when I went to Seoul after my parent's passing. She was taller to me, blonde, and so much prettier When I decided to marry Gabriel for the money, one day I was saying yes, and the next day I was told I had two days to pack my things and leave because there was an aisle I had to walk down.

How do you explain that to your best friend? How do you explain that to anyone- that you were getting married for money? That you weren't even allowed to have your life long friend at your marriage? "Oh, I've missed you. Her smile was so incredibly sad that it almost broke my heart.

"You have no idea how much I have missed you too, Al," I mumble, "I was so scared getting married to him so suddenly, all 2/4 12:29 Tue, Jun 4 0 Chapter 17 within a week and shifting towns and God... it was so much." "It must've been hard." She mumbles, “I should've called. I'm sorry.” BT "No. I should've called after I was settled in. I just didn't know how to explain and where to pick things from again," I tell her, I'm sorry I hurt you." Tll get over it." She smiled, "But I don't think Sam will.." I sigh.

When Alice walked into my house an hour earlier to bring Grandpa soup, she looked like she was ready to bolt out on seeing me. I had to beg her to En. cwithand hearout once, but all through the conversation, I was dreading this nbeing brought up. When I stayed silent, she went on, "You know, he didn't believewhen I called him and told him about the article. Hel only believed it when the first pictures hit the Internet, and he didn't meet anyone for a week after." A heaviness starts building in my chest, and my smile disappeared.

"Sof. he's had a thing for you for years, you know?" She kept her hand on mine. "He deserved to hear it from you."

"I know," I quietly reply, not meeting her eyes, I don't tell her about how I had a thing for him too, all the years. I don't tell her how when he flirted. flirted back how when he looked at me. I looked at him back. I don't tell her how I thought we would get together when the twas right, but after Grandpa got cancer and I had to take two jobs to support him financially, I just couldn't think about a boy anymore. And so I didn't. And then. I got married.

"Anyway!" She was loud, pullingout of my thoughts, probably as a way to cheeragain. "Tellabout that husband of yours! "Gabriel?" Unknowingly, my eyes shone by the mere thought of him. "What's there to tell?" "I don't know. You don't have a thing for him?" She grinned, "Are you seriously tellingyou live with all that hotness every single night and haven't taken total advantage of him?" "Alice!" I scrunch my nose, eyes wide.

"What?" She continued laughing, "Givedetails!" "No details to give, okay?" Pursing my lips, I try to hide the smile threatening to break out. and Gabriel... there's between us.

"No? You don't even care for each other?" "Nope." I shook my head negatively, and she continues smiling smugly.

"Then tellSof, why is there a man who looks like your husband walking towards us right now?” She asks and my eyes widen, heart thumping yes widen, loudly in my chest and before she even finished her question? I turned back towards the entrance to look at my husband, who's eyes were already staring back at nie while walking towards us. 12:29 Tue, Jun 4 X