His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 68
I was cold. The air conditioning in the clinic was cold. The jelly they applied on my stomach was cold.
I
I wasn’t even trying to focus on the small screen showing the doctor my insides A was thinking was about my insurance,
and how much of this will it cover.
When I was in the hospital after getting kidnapped, Gabriel put me on his insurance. But now that we were divorced, I had to find
my way around my old insurance again.
“Yes, Congratulations, Ms. Baker, you’re pregnant. The doctor pushed his spectacles further back on his nose, pointing at the
ultrasound screen.
The moment the words were out in the open, tears welled in my eyes.
“For sure?” I ask, barely finding my voice.
“Yes,” He smiled sympathetically, “Would you like to see?”
“How- How far along am I right now?”
“Ten weeks.
1 gulp, I was over two months pregnant.
How did this happen...
I mean I knew how this happened, but.. how? We’d never been reckless, we’d never not used protection.
Except that once.
And I had to take a birth shot after that.
Which I had completely forgotten to.
F*ck.

F*ck.
“L. I’d like to see.” I mumble.
He points at the little coin sized shape on the machine. “That right there is your first foetus.”
“First?”
“Mh-hm.” He points next to it, “That’s the second.”
“Twins?” I gasp..
“Twins.” He agreed.
I felt a wave of dizziness and nausea hit me, then followed by utter and sheer panic. My mental health was in no position to take
care of myself, how was I going to take care of two littles?
Not one. Two.
I would have to move out. There was no way I could raise two babies in the apartment I was living in right now. Toddlers should
be raised in a family environment, not with a guitarist as a neighbour who starts practicing at five every morning
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sharp. I didn’t even know how to baby proof an apartment. I had zero idea, and I never thought I’d be doing this alone.
What if I f*ck up?
What if I-
The doctor’s voice brings me out of my reverie. “Would you like to consider your options?”
“Op-Options
He nods. “I will prescribe you some antenatal vitamins, and you have to take them every day. If you decide on keeping the
babies, I will see you back two weeks from now. And if this was unplanned, we could consider our option of terminating it or
perhaps birthing and giving up for adoption.”
Terminating? Adoption?

I gulp. They were my babies.
Mine and Gabriel’s.
1
may not be strong enough to handle them right now, but I will make myself strong enough over the months. I will prepare myself.
I will bring myself out of the downward spiral I was in and be better.
I shake my head. “The vitamins, please.”
He gives me a little smile, nods, and then writes in his prescription pad while I hug my stomach.
Hi babies, I’m your mom.
After two sleepless nights that involved resending my resumes for job interviews, I decided that moving back to my hometown
would be the best decision I could make for the babies. I had a house there, warm and comfortable, with a garden where I could
set up a playground for them, an extra room that I could give to Luna, and still have emotional support from people who knew
me, who loved me, who’s lives I had disappeared from since the past two months and changed numbers.
I hadn’t been trying to run away. I just needed time to accept the way my life had drastically changed without the sympathy or
opinion of others.
I wasn’t ready to move back to my hometown yet, and besides, I had already paid the rent on this apartment for the two months.
I had to figure out a way to convince my landlord to let our lease end early. All that aside, I wanted a lit to figure out my way
around my finances, everything that my grandfather left, and what this pregnancy meant for m
I wasn’t even thinking about being a mother and in the next seven months, I would be a mother of two.
However, there was one job I was putting off intentionally.
“Juice.” Luna knocked on my door and then walked in carrying a glass of what looked like watermelon juice in her hand.
“Luna, you must be tired after working at the diner. You didn’t have to do this.” I sigh, getting up from my desk where I had been
going through my insurance papers and account books.

“You’re eating for three now.” Luna grinned, tapping her feet to the wooden floors till I gulped the entire glass. I may have my
doubts, but there was someone who was certainly very excited about all this.
I smile at her.
“Did you call him yet?”
“Oh I forgot” lied. I didnu forget. That was all I was thinking of since the past two days, which is when I got to know about the
twins. I have been busy in getting my life together since then not letting the downward spiral cat me when I had something to
look forward to
But this the fact that I was yet to call Gabriel, it ate at me every second.
These were his kids. I had to tell him, even if he decides to not be a part of this.
Luna frowns at me. “Quit stalling”
She takes the empty glass and storms out of the room, towards the kitchen. She was preparing something for dinner, and
although I kept insisting that we could take turns, she wouldn’t as much as let me touch a pan. Turns out, she enjoyed cooking
as a pass time.
I sigh, finally picking up my phone and dealing Gabriel’s number. I had switched my number a while back, and I wondered if he
would pick up seeing the unknown number.
He didn’t.
Maybe it was better this way.
Taking a deep breath, with a slightly broken voite and hands that were shaking holding the phone, I left him a voicemail.