His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 37
I didn’t have a lot of friends from back home. Especially in the past few years, when things got hard, it was just Alice and
Sam
So, the next morning, when Anna called, I answered. And when she told me that Gabriel was working with her husband Zach
and that they would probably be at work till late which is why we should hang, I said yes.
That’s how I found myself at a club with Anna. Since it was a Sunday night, the club was packed with people swaying to loud
music I didn’t recognise, and I and Anna sat at bar stools with a tray of vodka shots in front of us.
“I don’t do this so often,” I shouted above the music, slightly swaying from the three shots I had already downed.
“Me neither!” She yelled back. I just wanted to do this today!”
“Why?”
She pouted. “Zach always works!”
“Yeah.” I huff, “Gabriel always works too.”
A grin spread through her lips as she picked up her fourth shot glass and passed me one too. The first two times, I was reluctant.
Maybe it was the short dress I was wearing, the fact that I didn’t have a lot of drinking capacity, or the fact that my husband
wasn’t aware of my little escape. Maybe, it was all three. Now, after some liquid courage, all I wanted was more.
So I grinned at my new friend as 1 picked up the shot glass and downed it in one go, the burning sensation causing an
excitement instead of nervousness this time as I let go control..
“I am soooo happy we did this, I hugged Anna from behind in the woman’s washroom as she tried to reapply her lipstick, my hug
making the red smudge across her lower lip a little. “Oops!”
She just laughed, trying to rub it off and making it worse. “You’re so fun.”
“No, you’re fun.” I grinned, wetting my thumb and then wiping off the lipstick. “Why didn’t we do this before?”
“Maybe because we have boring husbands.”

“So boring.” I repeated, “You know what we should do? You should meet my girlfriend from home Alice. You will loove her.
“Oo! Another girlfriend?”
“Another girlfriend!” I put my hands around her shoulder as we walked out of the club like that, passing through the VIP section. If
we came with our husbands, we would probably be lounging in that section and not having all this fun. We did have boring
husbands.
“Sof!” Anna swayed under my hold as we walked on the footpath “Where did we park our car?”
My eyes widened. “We are NOT driving. We are sooo drunk.”
She giggled. “I know that, silly. I left my wallet in my car, and all the money we had in cash we spent on vodka! How will we pay
for the cab
I looked at her, amazed. “You’re so smart.”
She flipped her hair in return. “I know!”
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Chapter 37
I’m smart too,” I tell her
“How so?”
“I know that if you go one letter up in the alphabet, Anna gives you
Boob!”
Her eyes narrowed as if she was in grave thought, and then her eyes widened. “Oh my, God! You are even smarter than me!”
I grin proudly. “I know.” And then I frown. T’m sure my husband wouldn’t think so.”
“He does, he does.” She coaxed, “He looooves you.”

The word love that she emphasised by making it sing-song suddenly hurt me in my chest as I sat on the foot path, right where I
was, and she turned after walking a little and realising I wasn’t by her side.
“Soft” There was panic in her voice, “What happened?” She ran back to me, sitting by my side. “Are you okay?”
I shook my head, my smile disappearing. “Gabriel doesn’t love me!”
“He does!”
“No, he loves someone else. Probably that silly Lily.”
Her eyes widened. “You know about Lily?”
I looked at Anna with tear filled eyes. “I should have googled him before marriage.”
“Gabriel doesn’t love Lily!”
“He does. My tears threatened to fall any time now.
“He does not!” She said, “He never took her on trips with us. Nobody liked her. Not me and Zach, not Gabriel’s parents or his
grandparents. Nobody!”
“Why?”
She doesn’t answer me. “Gabriel told me that he would burn any man alive who dares to look at you. That’s looove.”
My eyes narrowed. “He said that?”
She bobbled her head like a child. “He said that. The day after the charity gala.” She paused, “That reminds me, you are coming
for tomorrow’s charity gala right?”
“There’s a gala tomorrow?”
“It’s once every two months, silly. Of course there is.”
“Gabriel didn’t tell me!” My eyes narrowed. All the hurt dissipated and anger returned. Why does he never tell me about charity
galas? Does he attend them without me? “I will kill him!”
“Come tomorrow.” She hit my shoulder.

“Only if we can get this drunk there too.” I condition.
She grins. “There’s an open bar.
“Oh my, God!” I felt happy. I hugged my knees to my chest, making sure I was all covered and my little dress didn’t give a view
into my underwear. “Anna, I love you”
Chapter 37
“Sof, you’re my best friend-now! I love you too!” She pulled me doser into a side hug and I leaned to her side with so much force
that we almost fell to the side, laughing till a flashlight was focused on us.
I squinted my eyes, trying so hard to focus on the man in front of me in a blue suit. “Is everything okay here?”
“Yes.” I nod, “She’s my best friend. I love her!”
He switched off the flashlight, his eyes narrowing. “How high are you?”
Anna giggles. “Sir, it’s not how hi are you, it’s hi, how are you!”
My mouth hangs open
“Oh
my.
God. You’re sooo smart,”
The police man on the other hand, didn’t seem impressed. “How are the two of you planning on getting home?”
“I have a car.” Anna tells him, even prouder.
His eyes narrowed further. “Are you
planning to drive?”
“No, silly. I will take my wallet from there and pay for the cab
The police man sighs. “You two don’t look in the state to travel alone. Do you have anyone I can call to pick you up?”

“My friend Alice!” I tell him, completely omitting the fact that she lives three hours away.
“Can I have your phone? I’d like to call your friend.”
I nod, quickly handing the phone to him. And then I turn to Anna. “You can meet her now!”
She seemed excited too.
“Yes!”
The police man’s voice interrupted us. “I thought you looked familiar. Are you Sofia Whitlock?”
“Yes! How do you know me?”
“It’s kind of hard not to when your wedding was the only thing the newspaper considered relevant for weeks.”
Anna bumped my shoulder with hers in a teasing manner and I smiled shyly, I wish I would’ve known Anna the day of my
wedding. It would’ve been so fun.
The policeman handed me back my phone and I blinked. “Is Alice coming?”
“No,” he replied, “I believe your husband is.”