Love Redux: Fated to the Handsome Doctor

It’s been more than two weeks since Seno disappeared without a trace. Lara became increasingly numb. Her daily life with Melati became routine. And her pregnancy was progressing.

“Ouch….” Lara hissed as she climbed the stairs to retrieve her belongings on the second floor. But her feet were already sore. Swollen. Currently, Lara’s pregnancy was at 28 weeks.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” Melati supported Lara’s weak body. The woman was leaning on the iron railing.

“Oh, yes. I just feel pain in my feet area. I was going to get the hair dryer in Seno’s room, Mela. Can you get it for me?” Lara requested. This time, she tried to go back downstairs.

“Are you planning to go out?” Melati asked, nodding. Before going to the second floor, she would demand Lara to rest on the living room sofa to be safe.

“I want to see the clothes I ordered while buying some items. My school reunion is coming soon.”

“Oh, right. Let me get it for you, Ma’am,” Melati offered.

Lara seemed to think for a moment. But she shook her head gently. “Let me do it. Mela. I feel suffocated being at home all day,” Lara said with a smile.

“In that case, wait here! I’ll get the hair dryer for you. Then we’ll go together. Let’s just use a ride-hailing taxi, Ma’am. No need to drive yourself,” Melati suggested. Lara chuckled. Since she fired all of Seno’s employees and the driver, they haven’t been around their residence, Lara got used to being alone. She enjoyed that privacy. Lara seemed to isolate herself from others who weren’t involved in her life.

The number of spies since she got married to Seno made Lara feel traumatized. She didn’t quite like the presence of others around her. After Seno’s departure, Lara became even more closed off and preferred to face all difficulties alone.

“Thank you, Mela. You’re very attentive,” Lara said, looking softly at Melati.

Melati immediately went to get the hair dryer. While waiting, Lara looked out the window. The blue sky stretched without a cloud, but her heart remained cloudy. Seno’s mysterious disappearance filled her mind with unanswered questions.

Lara didn’t know how to face everything alone. But, this was the reality. However much Lara avoided it, the fact of her loneliness couldn’t be denied.

Her husband had truly disappeared as if swallowed by the grave.

“Here you go ….”

Shortly after, Melati returned with the hair dryer. She handed it to Lara, who was sitting on the sofa.

“Thank you, Mela,” Lara said, accepting the hair dryer, but she couldn’t use it alone. Melati smiled, knowing what her employer needed.

“Let me help, Ma’am,” she said, taking the hair dryer back from Lara’s hand. Skillfully, Melati dried Lara’s long hair section by section carefully, until everything dried perfectly.

“I feel like I’m in a salon,” Lara praised when she realized that Melati not only dried Lara’s hair but also applied vitamins to each strand.

“This is your cosmetic, Ma’am. I just use it for the right moment,” Melati said while combing the hair for the last time. “Finished.”

Lara smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror across the sofa. “I look beautiful and fresh,” she quipped, glancing at her assistant.

“Indeed, Ma’am. Should we go now?” Melati asked while packing up.

“Yes, let’s go!” Lara immediately pressed the ‘order’ button on the ride-hailing taxi she had searched for earlier.

Lara planned to go to Plaza Senayan. After picking up the ordered clothes, she would continue shopping at several stands to choose new accessories and shoes since the previous shoes had become too small.

Lara’s feet were swollen during pregnancy. High-heeled shoes also felt uncomfortable. Lara chose to shop for flat shoes or some kind of wedges that were quite flat but had different height levels.From NôvelDrama.Org.

“The taxi’s here!”

***

Lara and Melati got into the ride-hailing taxi and headed to the shopping center. After a while, they finally arrived at Plaza Senayan.

Lara stopped by to pick up the ordered clothes from her exclusive tailor. When she saw the formal dress she had ordered, Lara seemed very happy. She seemed to forget her worries for a moment.

“This is great, Ma’am!” Melati helped choose the suitable accessories for Lara. She picked a black leather bracelet that wasn’t too flashy but looked elegant.

“Artis X is wearing this bracelet. It’s said to be a domestic product,” said Melati with sparkling eyes. She read it from Lara’s stack of magazines at home.

Lara glanced at the bracelet briefly. It seemed that the leather accessory didn’t suit her style. “Let’s just buy a gold bracelet, how about that?”

Melati laughed. “Oh, right…” She seemed to forget that her boss was wealthy. One, two, or five gold bracelets wouldn’t possibly dent her shopping budget. “In that case, let’s go to the upper floor, Ma’am. There seem to be many gold shops there.”

Lara nodded. “Thank you for the dress, and excuse me,” she bid farewell to the store attendant who had been assisting them. “Send my regards to Madam Giona,” Lara added before walking away.

They continued their journey to the gold shop. There, Lara picked out many accessories for the dark blue dress in her shopping bag. The dress was simple in design but the material quality was luxurious and suitable for any formal occasion.

Lara probably only needed to add a bracelet or necklace as an additional adornment. She didn’t like overdressing.

“How about this?” Melati asked, showing a bangle bracelet with butterfly accents.

Lara shook her head slowly. “I like a basic ones, Mela. I don’t like it too flashy,” she replied.

Melati then picked out the plain bracelet Lara wanted. Of course, the plain bracelet had a heavier weight because it relied solely on its weight rather than engravings that reduced its weight.

“Is this okay?”

Lara nodded when Melati offered the bracelet she wanted. The bracelet weighed 12 grams, pure 24-carat gold. Lara was very pleased.

“Yay!” Melati was equally excited. Instead of feeling like she was with her employer, she felt like she was shopping with her older sister. Melati was truly having fun.

They continued to walk around, browsing. Perhaps there were items Lara needed, besides shoes. As they continued walking, Lara suddenly froze when she saw a young mother walking with her husband. They were joking around with their small baby in a stroller. Lara’s gaze suddenly became empty, remembering her husband who had disappeared without a trace. In a few months, she should have been able to walk around with Seno like that.

“Ma’am, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Melati asked worriedly.

Lara snapped out of her reverie. “Ah, no, Mela. I just remembered something. Let’s continue shopping.”

They resumed their journey. Lara tried to keep smiling even though her heart was hurting. After passing several stores, Melati took Lara to the shoe store. Lara browsed through the low-heeled shoes racks that would go well with her dress.

“How about these shoes?” Melati asked, showing dark blue shoes that matched Lara’s dress.

Lara nodded slowly. “Yes, that’s it. I’m not in the mood for shopping. Let’s go home after this, okay?” Lara said, sitting down and trying on the offered shoes. They were currently in a luxury goods store. Lara declined the service of the attendant who came, wanting Melati to choose the shoes for her.

However, it turned out Lara’s mood wasn’t really good. She felt empty and missed her husband. Lara wanted to go home and just sleep.

“Okay, Ma’am,” Melati replied with a gloomy look. She knew her employer was confused and hurt. Actually, Melati could help find out about Seno’s whereabouts to Lara’s grandmother. However, Melati’s task was only to stick to Lara. No more and no less. “Let’s go home.”

After shopping, they finally returned home. Lara arranged the newly bought items in the living room. Melati tidied up some shopping bags.

“Ma’am, I know we can try to find out more about Mr. Seno’s whereabouts sometime. You don’t have to worry too much, okay?” Melati said, trying to reassure her employer.

Lara nodded. “Yes, Mela. I miss Seno and I’m curious. I want to know what happened to him.”

They both sat on the sofa, chatting lightly to distract Lara’s attention. Melati tried to give as much support as possible to Lara, who seemed more fragile every day.

“You have to believe that Mr. Seno is okay,” Melati whispered, hugging Lara.

Lara cried and nodded weakly. For some reason, her mood was really at its lowest today. “Thank you, Mela.”

Amidst the somber atmosphere of the late afternoon, suddenly, the sound of knocking on the front door was heard. Lara asked Melati to open it. To their surprise, it turned out to be…