His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 60 "Your room is so impersonal," I comment, looking around. It was modern and designed carefully, but bland.

There were a few frames here and there, but it looked like a vampire or a serial killer had tried to personalise a showpiece by adding the ghost of a human touch.

"We can make any change to it that you like," Gabriel replied whale nuzzling his neck to my forehead sleepily, and it madetickle.

The sex we just had should've made my buzz go away, but instead, it just madefeel high. I'd never had drunk sex before, and it was.. wow. Everything was heightened, and I still wasn't tired. Gabriel wasn't a big on cuddles but he had cagedin his arms so I'm guessing that had more to do with the fact that I wouldn't run away and do something s*upid if he falls asleep next to me, because while I had been sleeping just fine every day, my husband had been pulling many all nighters..

He was tired. And I was like his toddler on sugar rush that was keeping him up by rambling about every thought that ever cto me. Admittedly, he was pretending to listen torather patiently, instead of just dozing off.

"I think your house is impersonal. I poked his nose, and he grudgingly opened his eyes.

"Please." He scoffed. "My house is beautiful” "Yeah, beautiful like a showpiece. Like you've taken a page out of Vogue magazine and brought it to reality." I tell him, "There's nothing that makes it seem like it belongs to you. Except your mom's paintings, I think that's a nice touch." "First of all, I would never make my house from what they show in Vogue. That's too mainstream." He moves a little away from me, as if realising that I won't let him sleep till I sleep, and that's not happening anytsoon. I frown, missing his touch onalmost immediately. "Secondly, these paintings I've put up are horrendous." My hand covers my mouth tically. "Did you just call your mom's paintings horrendous?" "They are." "Do you also think my paintings are horrendous?" My eyes narrow at him.

"Baby, I think you're Pica*s*'s rebirth." "I like Van Gogh more." "Because he was crazy like you?" My mouth hangs open. He laughs at his own joke while I hit him on his chest, and easily holding my hands apartclose again, entrappingin his arms.

"Anything you do is a masterpiece, he promises sincerely.

I sigh, letting a little smile slip by. "Why do you likeso much?" "Because you're pretty. He kisses my nose again. “Because you're kind." He kisses my left eye. "Because you're very gener He kisses my right eye. "Because you're a good baker." He kisses my left cheek. "Because you're a good painter. He kisses n right cheek. "Because you're such a good addition to my office. He kisses my forehead. "And, because you're my wife. He kisses my lips and the feathery feeling of so many quick kisses makesticklish enough to laugh.

"As much as I loved this answer," I played with the buttons of his shirt, "I meant you hatedat first. What made you change your mind? "Min. I guess I had sex with you and I ve been obsessed ever since he joked, and I giggle again.

"By the way, I asked about your ring" He adds as if he just remetebered, “I mean, the one that you bought for me" 1/2 Chapter 60 You did!" Yeah. They said they messed up sengraving. They'll deliver it in a couple weeks" "They told you I asked them to engrave something?" I frown "Souch for a surprise" "Only that," he promises. "Not what the engraving is" "Him" "You want to sleep now? I shake my head.

"Why not. Freckles?" "You like my Freckles 1 look up at him.

I love them. He wipes a thumb on the faint freckles scattered around the bridge of my nose and top of my cheeks. "It's the first thing I noticed about you when I saw you in your room, and all I could think is why did you cover it during the wedding? They're pretty "Well, I guess the make up artists your family hired fordidn't think my freckles fit in your million dollar society." "Nonsense. His thumb trailed down my chin, "They were just jealous they didn't have it." Zittle, but it fades away soon as a looming thought settles in “I feel scared, Ca a "Of what, sweetheart?" I continue playing with his shirt buttons. "Sometimes When I'm out in public without you, I feel watched. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I feel it all the time, and I feel scared "It's just your bodyguard watching you, Freckles."

"Maybe." I nod. "When I was taken, they druggedand they.. they didn't know I was awake solom pretended to be asleep. 1. 1. had to pretend to be okay with their touch so they don't drugagain. So I could be aware of what they're doing to me." I could feel him stiffen with every word I said. "They touched you... inappropriately?" "A little." I nod, "But it was only words mostly, of what they would do to me."

His breathing turns haphazard. “The man who was with you, he ran before I got to you. We captured his partner, the who cto collect the money. Freckles, I have broken every bone in his body that there is to break. He has screhundred times more than you, and he will live the left of his life in that pain because he dared to put his filthy hands a I promise.

"He was the good one, I think." I say, carefully. "He kept telling the other guy to not touchand stay away from me. The one who stayed withthough, seemed like he had a personal vendetta against you. He kept saying how you and your family ruined him and this is his revenge. At least I think. Everything is just a blur." "Don't think about it," he says, kissing my forehead, his hold on the tightening. "The best detectives in town are trying to find the other guy and I will not stop till I have his head on a platter in front of you, okay?" I nod, pulling the smile back to my lips, even as fake as it was. “That's not all I'm scared of "Then what is it, baby?" "Every tI've been happy, I've lost it." I told him. "First, my Gundma. Then, my parents. Then, Grandpa got cancer. And Chapter 60 when I was just learning to be happy here, Lily happened." "Freckles, I am so sorry about what happened to you in the past. He says, "But now you're withand I will do everything in my power to make sure you are always happy. Always, okay?" "You won't go back to Lily?" I ask in a small voice, risking how insecure I sounded, forwarding my pinking finger like a little. girl.

"I won't." He promisesnonetheless, linking his finger with mine and pulling it to his lips to kiss my knuckles. "Cross my heart" X