Lara never imagined that Seno—her supposedly changed husband—was playing with fire behind her back. She remained in the hospital as Seno bid farewell to return to work.Watching Seno leave, Lara smiled, reminiscing about the hot afternoon they had spent together.She patiently awaited the day she could return home, pending the final observation from the doctor.***"Good morning, Ma'am. How are you feeling?" Dr. Miriam asked during the morning check-up. Accompanied by an assistant and two nurses, they entered Lara's room promptly at 9 a.m.Lara smiled brightly. She felt multiple times better than before—no pain, overall, she felt healthy."I'm feeling fine, Doctor," Lara replied quickly.The morning sun streamed in, casting a warm glow through the window beside her. Lara squinted momentarily before a nurse intervened, drawing the curtains to restore comfort with the air conditioner."I'm glad to hear that. Let's check your condition once again before you're allowed to go home," Dr. Mir
The sky was getting darker, yet Seno was nowhere to be seen to pick Lara up. How could he even come? Even her calls were rejected by his voicemail, inviting her to leave a message.She didn't know who else to contact."Ugh..."Lara sighed deeply. She was truly confused.The orange hues added to the anxiety in her chest. She didn't know what to do. She gazed blankly at the fountain in the garden. For a moment, she suddenly remembered her mother.Back when she was a child, Lara was also in a dilemma like this. After school, her mother never came to pick her up.She kept calling her, but she couldn't be reached. Fortunately, Lara still had her father—before he ran away with another woman.She then called her father, and that brave man promptly picked her up. Who else could be relied upon in tough times like that, if not your parents? She felt very fortunate at that time.Her school—when she was still in elementary school in Canada—was located in the city center, quite far from home. She a
Lara stared in disbelief at her mother-in-law's words. She's always been like this, but Lara dislikes arguing with her. Their quarrels will benefit no one. She has to be patient, for the sake of the baby in her womb. "Once you know you're pregnant, take care of yourself. Don't be reckless! Oh God! How can you just cause trouble for others?" her mother-in-law continued to scold without even looking at her. She only glanced briefly, then resumed tidying up her makeup with the little compact powder she always carried everywhere. Currently, they were in the car heading home. Lara's home, perhaps? Or her mother-in-law's house? She hadn't asked yet. "Ma, whose house are we going to?" Lara asked, curious. "Oh Good Lord! When I asked you before, you say nothing! Yet, once you speak, you question everything!" Lara fell silent. It's really difficult to talk to her mother-in-law. She feels conflicted. "We're going to the main house. Is there anyone taking care of you at your house? There ar
Grandma in law, seated beside Lara, inquired, "How are you, Lara?" interrupting her wild thoughts. Lara replied, "Ah, I'm fine, Grandma. How are you?" "Thank God. I'm fine too. Take care of your health, dear," she said, gently caressing Lara's belly. "There are some types of women who easily get tired. I almost miscarried before. That's why your mother-in-law is like that," she said jokingly. Lara wanted to laugh, but her mother-in-law's gaze made her hold it back. She couldn't even breathe properly. "Just kidding!" her mother-in-law teased. My mother-in-law immediately pouted, hearing her grandmother's joke. She might be offended. Lara felt guilty. "Haha! The sulky one!" her grandmother retorted, deliberately teasing her, maybe? That's just how they are. "For the time being, stay here. Grandma will take care of you," she continued softly, looking straight at Lara. Lara nodded, smiling, following her grandmother's words. But suddenly, her mother-in-law spoke up. "Hah, how come?"
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
Lara, who had never felt nauseous in the morning, suddenly felt like vomiting because of her mother-in-law's rant. It wasn't even because of the overly salty fried rice.She wanted to empty her stomach because her mother-in-law was talking about poison. Was it nothing, she said? Was her food not poisoned? Then was she intending to poison her if given the chance?"HOEK!"Success. All the liquid contents of her stomach were emptied out."HOEK!"She couldn't hold back. Lara saw Grandma and her mother-in-law stunned, covering their mouths and noses. Meanwhile, she was still bent over, continuing to empty her stomach. She was truly disgusted with all her mother-in-law's words that were never kind to her."Oh My God! Sister!"After vomiting to her satisfaction and having no more strength to do so, she glanced towards the voice calling her. A woman's voice."Selly?" Lara muttered weakly.Selly—her sister-in-law—who was in high school, looked beautiful in her school uniform: a white shirt with
As Lara opened her eyes the next morning, she was surprised to see Seno had already packed their belongings into the suitcase. "Are we leaving?" she guessed. Hopefully, her guess was correct. The chirping of birds accompanied this bright morning. Seno was just wearing a green polo shirt, not his suit or work shirt. It seemed like he was off duty. "Yes, we're leaving today," he said, smiling at her. She was so happy. Finally, she could leave this house. It's such a relief! She couldn't barely breath in here. Seno was seen pulling their suitcase to the door. The room wasn't too spacious because it was actually just a guest room. Well, good news is, they didn't have to bother looking for their scattered stuff. The room is really small and tiny. "Ready to go?" Selly suddenly asked as Seno opened the door to their room. This time, she was wearing a tight purple t-shirt with matching training pants. It seemed like Selly would have a sports class in the first schedule. "Yes, Lara wants
The cigarette smoke curled and spiraled as Mahya gazed out over the rooftop of the Channel Insight office – the newsroom where she worked. She was waiting for the editor to arrive for a discussion before taking action.Mahya was preparing herself for a promotion, after three years as a junior investigative reporter without any advancement."You're here already?" she greeted the black-haired woman who had just emerged from the emergency exit."Yeah. So, any ideas for coverage?" she inquired, probing. Her brown eyes widened as if demanding a satisfactory answer from her conversational partner.Mahya smirked. The two women in their late twenties exchanged glances in silence. Mahya certainly had something to offer the editor. But before that, she wanted to pique the editor's curiosity even further."Do you remember the medical businessman featured in SOWA magazine? I've sniffed out something fishy about him.""SOWA? Which edition, geez!""Last month. Huh, can't even remember!""Hmm..."The