His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 39 When I woke up the next morning. Gabriel was gone.

I wasn't surprised, since the twas well around noon, and it was a Monday morning. I could have gone to work since I did have a week left before my two-week notice ended, but between my honeymoon at Venice, the bomb called Lily and Gabriel assuringmy leave was taken care of, work was the last thing on my mind.

There was tons of sunlight peaking in through the half shut blinds, hurting my eyes.

My head spun, and the feeling to throw up was overwhelming I didn't remember the last tI had a hangover, I hadn't had one since my teenage years, and I did not remember them to be so bad. That bad that I groaned and reluctantly got out of bed and in the bathroom, forgetting that it isn't mine.

I would've brushed with Gabriel's brush if not for Luna's voice outside, knocking softly. "Sofia? Are you up?" I opened the bathroom door, looking at her with 'save-me' eyes. She chuckled, handinga tablet. "Great for hangovers" I don't question her, just gulp it with the glass of water.

I spent an hour in the bathroom trying to get the smell of alcohol off me, and then an hour playing around with food because of how nauseous I felt.

Late afternoon. I opened my phone to a missed call from Gabriel. From an hour ago.

Before I call him back, I call James. He had invited us for dinner, and it had completely slipped my mind. Even if I did remember, we were at Venice and now Gabriel had to work. James was completely okay about it, and said he figured there would be no dinner plans since I was absent from work all week. I kept the call after promising to host him and his boyfriend at our place instead next weekend.

Next, I called Gabriel back and pressed my phone to my ear. Last night was a blur, but not enough forto skip through the embarrassing details. I remembered everything, especially my fixation with the car seat and Lily after I had let the topic go. And the fact that he said we would talk about it today when asked him if he had feelings for her.

The call was picked up on the last ring. "Freckles." "Gabriel...hi.

"Were you running? You sound a little breathless." I cleared my throat. "No." "Okay. A pause. "How's the hangover?" "Luna gavea miracle medicine. It helped a little." I groaned, my head still throbbing. "Never letdrink again." He chuckled. "You remember you accompaniedto the gala a couple months ago? There's another one happening tonight." Flashes of Anna tellingabout something cback. "The charity gala,” I remembered. “Yeah, Anna mentioned." "Would you like to cwith me?" "Would you wantto come?" "Why not?" 12:32 Tue, Jun 4 O Chapter 39 I gulped. "After last night, I don't know, I thought maybe you wouldn't wantto." "Nonsense. He dismisses my overthinking. Tll be hby six. We'll leave by seven." I agree to him and then he keeps the call. I had just a couple hours to prepare for the gala, and although that would be enough, I still had a headache that wouldn't go away because of the hangover, an urge to sleep a little more and a psychological fear that 1 smell of vodka. I groaned, throwing myself back on my bed as I shut my eyes. Just for a little while.

I wore a strapless pastel blue dress that evening with a sweetheart neckline, form fitting over my chest and then flowing down freely to the floor with a slit revealing my left leg. I didn't know what was the deal withand dresses with slits since the last one I wore had one too, however this subtle blue was a far stretch from the hot pink I had worn last time." My hair was tied up in a ponytail by a hairstylist Laina called forsince she said I looked a little tired to do my own thing, and my brown eyes were highlighted in a blue eye make up by almake up artist- also called by Luna.

1 made my way down at a quarter past seven. Gabriel wasn't there, which was surprising. He was punctual to a fault.

"Sir's outside." Luna added to my benefit.

Eyebrows knit in confusion, I walked out. "Gabriel?" "Here, Freckles.” He stood at the entrance, talking to the driver about something in a hushed voice.

"Hey, I walked towards him. "Am I late?" He finally turned to me. “No, you're right on time.” A small smile tuned in on his lips when his eyes tookin. My cheeks flushed. A silence rendered. "You don't do compliments, huh?" His lips pursed as if to conceal a bigger smile. “I don't do compliments, but if I did, there wasn't a word made to fathom you." I knew my checks turned redder as I looked away from him, gently biting on my lower lip.

"Shall we?" "We shall I replied in a mumble when he led us to the car the driver had pulled out, not his sports car from yesterday bu bigger black one- I think it was a Rolls Royce.

Gabriel opened the door for me, and got in from the other end. The driver drove.

"Do you like cars?" I asked him once we were out on the street.

"I do. Why?" "You have a lot of them." "I like them." "What is the charity for?" He scratched his temple. "I think it's a sea animal. Walrus?" 1 rolled my eyes, not offering a reply. There was an impending conversation between us I knew and so did he, but this wasn't the tfor it or the place. Sometelse. It felt nice living in the moment for a bit.

The charity gala welcomed us with a big portrait of tiger outside [1] 12:32 Tue, Jun 4 D Chapter 39 Tiger. The charity was för endangered tiger species.

Not any sea animal, definitely not Walruses.

I wanted to roll my eyes again and tell him how he was wrong, but I didn'tywned my hands around his arm, and "Stay by my side, him?" He murmured. "I don't think Arthur would show up again, but who knows?" I nod and pull the smile to my lips when I spot Anna making her way to me, Zach trailing not so far behind. "You're finally here!" A similar smile spread on mine as she embraced me.

"Look at them turning best friends after one night out. Zach teased, as the two men exchanged sweird hand movement and a look.

"Please," She dismissed her husband, flipping her hair behind her back- one that was just a few inches below her shoulder. "Gabriel is finally with a girl 1 love. I'm going to make the most of it."

I knew what she said was a nod to the conversation we had last night, one about Lily and my insecurities.

e My cheeks Plushed while she interlinked her hands with me. "Now excuse us. I'm going to steal her for girly things." "No, you're not. Gabriel said, his hand wrapping around my waist. "She's staying with me." Anna looked at him pointedly, her hands on her waist. "You're the one who's going to take her home. You can let her go for a bit. Romeo.

"No" "Let her go." She scowled. Zach shook his head, stepping in, whispering something in his wife's ear. Probably about what had happened with Arthur.

I bit my lower lip as I watched her expressions change. "Fine." She told Zach unwillingly, "But now we will have a sleepover someday." 1 giggled. "That sounds like such a plan."

"I know, right?" Anna gushed, ignoring Zach completely. "Versace om introduced its new make up line and sentthe first set of products as PR, and oh my, God, Sof, the dual tone eye shadow is to die for!" "Are you" My words died in my throat when a foreign voice filled in between us, calling my husband's name.

"Gabriel?"

I turned, as did almost everyone else at the stime. The girl in front of us in a red dress complimenting her blonde hair was what all my insecurities were made of ever since I saw her first picture on my laptop screen. Gabriel's hand slipped off from my waist, his eyes set ahead at the girl I couldn't look away from either. "Lily"" X