Love Redux: Fated to the Handsome Doctor

That morning, Lara woke up feeling much better. Seno had moved her to the guest room on the ground floor. She no longer struggled to go to the room, and the atmosphere downstairs was quite comfortable.

The furniture and mattress in this room looked normal, even luxurious. Everything was adorned with golden hues, sometimes dazzling her eyes with the reflections of light.

“Good morning, Darling,” Seno greeted her with a smile.

“Morning, Darling.”

Lara returned his smile. Seno then got up from the bed and helped her stand up. Although she could stand on her own now as her back and waist were no longer in pain.

“Shall I bathe you?”

“E-eh? No need,” she refused shyly. Why should her husband bathe her? She could shower by herself.

“Are you sure?” Seno persisted. This time, he even removed the bathrobe she was wearing.

Her sleeveless inner garment suddenly became visible. She reflexively covered it with both hands.

“Come on, we’re husband and wife,” Seno said, trailing his hand from her arm to her neck with gentle kisses.

Lara’s hair stood on end instantly. There was an electric shock sensation as Seno pressed his lips to enjoy that area of her skin.

“Ah, Darling …”

She shivered. An odd sensation overwhelmed her again.

“Oops!”

Seno immediately laid her body back on the bed. “Y-You said you’d bathe me? Why did you make me lie down?” she blushed.

Seno grinned, even stripping off all her clothes now. She felt extremely embarrassed. Her body wasn’t in good shape. She was pregnant, and suddenly all parts of her body became swollen. She lacked confidence.

“Beautiful,” Seno praised her, which deeply touched her.

“Really?” she asked doubtfully. She was no longer a young girl. She was a mother. It couldn’t be that she was still that beautiful.

“You’re still enchanting, Darling.”

Seno then caressed her entire body without pause. They engaged in passionate struggles before Seno went to work.

He really bathed her, after thoroughly enjoying that hot morning activity together.

They rubbed each other’s backs and cleaned the crevices of their bodies that were unreachable by their own hands. This shared bathing experience suddenly became enjoyable to go through.

***

“There, all done. Very beautiful,” he said again after combing her semi-wet hair.

Lara smiled and looked at him with love and affection. Her Seno had returned. He became a caring man just like when they first met.

“Darling. I have to go to work. Are you okay with me leaving?”

She pondered. She remembered her relationship with her mother-in-law, which was not harmonious. “Um, Mama, what about her? I’m afraid.”

She lowered her head. She didn’t know how to deal with parents like her mother-in-law. If she fought back, she was afraid of being seen as a disobedient daughter-in-law. She didn’t want to create unnecessary trouble.

However, she didn’t want her child to grow up in an environment full of hatred. At least she had to compromise if her mother-in-law didn’t want to lose.

“There’s Grandma, don’t worry,” Seno said, hugging her from behind. She could feel his warm breath on her neck.

“Yes. Okay.”

Seno held both her cheeks and kissed her lips gently. She closed her eyes and felt the love he gave her through that kiss. It felt very sweet.

“I’ll see you this evening, okay? Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Seno smiled and then walked out of the room. They hadn’t even had breakfast together. He said he had to come early in the morning to take care of something.

Lara just stared at Seno’s receding back. She examined herself in front of the mirror and then changed her clothes to leave the room. It was time for breakfast. The dining room should be filled with food by now.

***

“Just woke up?” asked her mother-in-law, who had just seen her enter the family dining room.

“Yes, Ma. Good morning.”

Her mother-in-law didn’t answer. But at least, she didn’t ridicule her as usual. Lara continued her steps to sit in the chair on the left, facing her mother-in-law.

She looked fresh and sipped on the fresh orange juice. Lara suddenly wanted some orange juice.

“Gia, I want the same orange juice as Mom’s,” Lara asked the servant who had just arranged the plates and cutlery.

The servant nodded and immediately brought the orange juice. The striking orange color seemed very suitable to quench the thirst in weather like this.

It was not yet noon, but the atmosphere was quite hot. In Depok, it should be quite cool, she didn’t know why it was so hot today.

“Nice, isn’t it, being served like a big lady?” her mother-in-law’s question almost made her choke.

Lara stayed silent. She didn’t want to argue. She saw the servant quickly serve breakfast in front of them: fried rice with fried egg. It was simple. But she didn’t mind.

A small laugh suddenly sounded. Lara could feel that something unusual was happening here.

She tried to dismiss the bad thought and continued her meal. When she finally scooped up the rice and slid it into her mouth, how surprised she was…

“SALTY!”

“HAHAHA!”

She reflexively spat out the fried rice. Strangely, her mother-in-law laughed satisfactorily at her surprise.

The commotion in the dining room made Grandma confused. The old woman had just arrived from her morning jog. Grandma always exercised before breakfast. She also didn’t want to be waited on because it would be quite inconvenient. Grandma always told them to eat first.

“Lara? What’s wrong with you?”

Grandma walked towards her. Her face looked worried. She checked Lara’s body and shook her shoulders to make sure she wasn’t poisoned.

“The f-fried rice, it’s too salty.”

“What?!”

Grandma tried to take a pinch of the rice and taste it herself.

“Ugh!” Grandma spat out her bite. She looked angry and felt deceived by the presence of this salty fried rice.

“Who cooked this salty fried rice?” she shouted at the servants in the kitchen.

“W-We… we didn’t do it, Ma’am,” the cook said timidly.

“Tell me! Who cooked it?”

The servants in line looked at each other. The cook-a man-looked at the new servant named Lisa.

Meanwhile, Lisa looked at the head of the household-Bi Narti.

Bi Narti looked at their employer who was busy eating, of course, Lara’s mother-in-law.

Their gazes held such different meanings. Grandma immediately took a long, deep breath.

“Ami…” she called out to her mother-in-law. The middle-aged woman didn’t seem to pay attention to her mother’s voice. She continued her breakfast as if nothing had happened.

“Ami!”

This time, Grandma’s voice rose. Lara’s mother-in-law was quite surprised and choked. “Cough! Cough!” She patted her chest, apparently partially obstructed by the food.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

Her mother-in-law then greedily gulped down the orange juice within her reach. “What’s the matter, Ma?!”

“Tell me, did you put salt in Lara’s fried rice?” Grandma’s eyes started to widen. Lara felt uncomfortable. Once again, they were arguing because of her.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Liar!”

“Sigh…”

Her mother-in-law then got up from her chair and shot Lara a sharp look. Lara could see bluish veins bulging from her forehead and cheeks. It seemed like she was holding back her anger.

“Just a little salty, and you make such a fuss. She hasn’t even been poisoned yet!”