Love Redux: Fated to the Handsome Doctor

Seno, whether he liked it or not, had to grant Olivia’s request. That crazy woman really caused a commotion beyond his expectations.

“Where are you?” Seno contacted Olivia when he arrived at the hotel lobby. The parking lot was quite crowded, and Seno had to park on the third floor because all the other lines were full.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

“I’m in the lobby, come quickly!” Olivia replied coyly. Her eyes had been searching for Seno’s figure since earlier, but he had yet to show up. It turned out Seno was in the parking lot. Olivia didn’t expect him to come with his own car like that.

“I’m on my way!” Seno said hastily. He needed to meet Olivia and put an end to everything. Seno didn’t want to be involved in her tricks, especially if Lara was involved.

***

“It’s so crowded,” Lara murmured as she entered the hotel lobby. Her reunion event was in a special meeting room on the 10th floor. Lara had to walk through the hallway to get to the elevator at the far end of the room.

“Oh, it turns out you’re here too, Mrs. Adhijaya,” Olivia greeted, pretending to be friendly. She hadn’t found Seno yet, but this time… luck seemed to be on her side. She met Lara instead! Her plan to make Lara angry had succeeded.

“Yes….” Lara replied briefly. She continued to hurry her steps and didn’t want to deal with a woman like Olivia. Lara didn’t want her blood pressure to rise suddenly because of Olivia’s antics.

“Wow… it’s so cold. It would be a little warmer if you came with your partner,” Olivia continued to babble, while Lara pretended not to hear.

A sardonic smile spread across Olivia’s face. She felt quite uneasy when Seno hadn’t shown himself yet. Meanwhile, Lara seemed to enter the elevator and press the 10th button inside. Faintly, Lara saw her husband walking towards the middle.

“Seno?” she muttered, but the elevator door closed immediately. Lara couldn’t see him more clearly. She felt uneasy. She tried to call her husband’s number, but it was redirected. Seno’s phone was not active.

***

The reunion event was about to begin. Lara headed to the registration table. She wrote her name and simple personal information in the guestbook. Lara then entered the event hall.

After Lara entered the event hall, the reunion atmosphere felt so lively. The spacious room on the 10th floor of the hotel was filled with alumni who hadn’t seen each other for a long time. Warm light illuminated the room, creating a comfortable atmosphere.

“Lara? Is it really you?” one of the guests with charming curly hair greeted her.

Lara nodded and smiled happily. “Sherly, right?” Lara asked. The woman nodded and returned Lara’s smile.

“Let’s go to that table over there! Our batch mates from 2008 are there!” she invited Lara.

“Thank you!” Lara happily followed her. She walked with Sherly towards the table in question. Along the way, Lara saw banners displaying photos of the alumni’s college days.

The photos triggered nostalgic memories and laughter from the guests. Those who were now married and had families entered a time zone that presented beautiful moments from their college days.

The tables were neatly arranged, with various food and drinks on them. The dishes could be freely enjoyed by the guests. Not to forget, the vintage accents of the presentation, like in the campus canteen, also added color to the event.

“Wow, it’s been so long since we last met, hasn’t it! Lara looks more… beautiful and fuller, right!” Sherly exclaimed while scanning Lara’s body. Pregnant women indeed looked chubby. Lara’s face had also aged. She wasn’t as beautiful as she used to be when she was single.

“Yeah…” Lara looked awkward. Sherly and Lara used to be classmates before Lara got close to Mahya. Sherly seemed to hate Mahya for seemingly taking Lara away from her.

However, one thing Lara felt, when with Mahya, she no longer focused on her weight and appearance. It was very different from when she was with Sherly. Lara was always criticized and judged if she ate wrong or dressed wrongly.

“Well, these are our friends. Hello! This is Lara!” Sherly announced loudly. Everyone was stunned and couldn’t believe how different Lara looked.

“Hi,” Lara greeted warmly. Although, she felt uncomfortable with the stares of her former classmates as if they were dissecting her.

“Lara? Uh, yeah… how are you?” one of them responded awkwardly. Another person cleared their throat, and some even suppressed laughter when they saw Lara’s physical condition change.

“Fine,” Lara replied curtly. Her intuition was correct. She wasn’t considered here. Lara felt really uncomfortable.

“How did you get so big, Ra, your body?” asked a man who had been rejected by Lara before. He seemed to chuckle and openly mocked Lara. Lara just listened irritably.

“Pregnant,” she replied lazily. Lara then nodded and excused herself from the rude crowd. She had the right to determine her own comfort.

After Lara left for another table, the people who had greeted her earlier now laughed heartily and seemed to have found a new show. Lara’s heart hurt, but she didn’t want to dwell on it too much.

Lara intended to find another table and enjoy this event even without her classmates. She walked around the event hall and tried a glass of mocktail served on the table.

“Ah, so refreshing,” Lara murmured as she continued to walk alone amidst the crowd of the reunion. She tried to ignore the unpleasant stares and comments from some of her former classmates. Lara chose to focus on this reunion moment, although there was a feeling of disappointment and discomfort.

“Oh, there’s an empty bench,” Lara found a quieter corner at the side of the hall, where several empty chairs were available. Lara sat alone, leaning against the chair, and tried to calm herself. The reunion event, which should bring back beautiful memories, had now become a bitter experience for her.

While sipping the mocktail she held, Lara tried to soak in the reunion atmosphere. Entertainment performances on the small stage were underway, with successful alumni giving inspirational speeches. That’s when Lara saw Mahya’s figure.

Her friend from college, who had been behind the stage since earlier, was preparing to give an inspirational speech to their other colleagues. Lara smiled and felt proud of Mahya’s achievements. In her heart, Lara felt jealous of her.

“You’re amazing, Mahya,” Lara murmured, not taking her eyes off her friend.

After the speeches were over, the stage became lively again with music performances by an alumni band. Some people danced on the stage, while others danced in the event hall. They all enjoyed this event in their own way.

As Lara was about to leave to go back home, suddenly, Olivia’s figure surprised her again. This time, not because Olivia behaved strangely or spouted nonsense, which made Lara’s anger boil over.

Olivia’s gesture was very simple: clinging to… Lara’s husband!

“S-Seno?”