Love Redux: Fated to the Handsome Doctor

“Andre! Nooo!” Lara screamed as the gunshot echoed along the road.

The sound of the pistol shot tore through the stillness of the night, blending with the pounding of their hearts beating faster.

The atmosphere became chaotic as the shots started to ring out. The foul smell of gunpowder smoke immediately filled their noses with the scent of death. Andre watched in horror as one of the men in suits fell with a gunshot wound to his chest.

“I’m fine, Ra! Th-they’re the ones dead!” Andre said, making sure that not only one man fell before them, but all four of them.

Lara, silent as she held her breath. She didn’t know how to react. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she saw the men lose their lives.

“What happened?” Lara wondered as their enemies were killed without warning. A voice suddenly startled them.

“Oh, my unfortunate Lara…”

“W-who is it?” Lara turned towards the source of the voice. There, a woman in a black robe with a burning cigarette was walking towards them. The glare of the dazzling car behind the woman obscured their view, coupled with the four bodies lying there, truly making everything a mysterious and suspicious affair.

“Don’t you recognize my voice?”

Lara was startled, her eyes squinting as she tried to identify the mysterious woman. Her face was vaguely visible under the dim light of the flickering street lamp around them. Her heart was pounding hard, afraid of the uncertainty that surrounded them. However, a moment later, everything became clear.

“Mother?!”

The woman smiled thinly, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes hidden behind the shadows. She looked at Lara meaningfully, as if she had a big secret to reveal.

“Yes, my dear Lara,” the woman said with a soft voice but full of a threatening cold aura. “I’ve come to save you from those cursed scoundrels.”

Lara felt her world spinning. How could her mother be here, amidst this chaos? Since when was her mother so skilled at firing a gun? “H-how?”

“Ssh… you’re safe now.”

Andre was also stunned. He couldn’t imagine that their situation would become more complicated with the unexpected presence of Lara’s mother. However, behind the surprise, he felt a bit relieved. Their lives were no longer in danger.

“Mother, why are you here?” Lara asked, her voice trembling with confusion and worry.

Lara’s mother approached them slowly, followed by the movement of the car behind which always trailed like a pet. Although her facial expression remained mysterious, Lara’s mother was different from usual. She no longer looked panicked and wanting to escape from the Interpol pursuit that had almost caught her.

“I don’t have time for a long explanation. What’s important now is that you must leave this place. Danger still lurks, my dear.”

Andre stared at Lara’s mother with a sharp gaze, trying to figure out the meaning behind her words. However, Lara’s mother remained silent, as if keeping all those secrets to herself.

“But, Mother, we don’t know where to go,” Lara said with a desperate tone. “We have no place to take refuge. They must already be at Andre’s apartment by now.”

Lara’s mother smiled, but her smile felt bitter. “You will find a safe place. Trust me.”

Andre sighed, accompanied by cold sweat pouring from his forehead and his whole body. He wanted to believe Lara’s mother, but there was doubt haunting his mind. Would they really find a safe place amidst this chaos?

“We have to move,” Lara’s mother suddenly said, cutting through the silence that filled the air. “There’s no time to think long.”

“Right, Doc,” the lawyer agreed. The driver also seemed not to mind. After weighing for a moment, Andre looked at Lara and nodded. “Your mother’s words have truth in them, Ra,” he said afterwards.

Lara just stared at Andre with blank eyes. She couldn’t think clearly. Lara felt mixed up with everything that was happening. On one hand, she didn’t believe her mother just like that, but, on the other hand, her mother’s solution was the only hope left.

A pat from Andre startled Lara. She snapped back to reality and answered the question thrown at her. “Okay, Ndre. Let’s follow her.”

Andre approached Lara’s mother firmly. “We’ll follow you. But, tell us, where are we going?”

“To a safe place that no one will find, dear. You’ll be safe there.”

Although Madam repeatedly mentioned the safe place, Lara still didn’t know exactly where the location was. Her mother didn’t leak any information and kept her wondering. Was this really the way of her mother’s life? Always filled with mysteries?

“It’s better to have a good reason for your disappearance all this time. Then I can decide whether to forgive you or not,” Lara muttered as she looked at the empty streets outside the window. She could see her mother’s reflection from there. There was no smile on her face. Her mother’s face looked serious and also restless.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“Why dwell on the past if it only hurts? Just focus on your future, Ra.”

Lara’s heart felt pierced, but she didn’t pay much attention to her mother’s words. In the corner of her wounded heart, her mother’s words were indeed true. Piling up curiosity would only blur rationality. Lara needed her sanity to win the trial against Seno. She must not be influenced by her past.

“Ra…” Andre held Lara’s hand tightly. He knew that Lara needed support at this moment. However, Madam’s words were indeed true. We must focus on the future.

The car continued to speed through the quiet streets, leaving the chaos behind with its loud engine roar. Curiosity and worry still enveloped everyone there. However, there was a belief that they were heading in the right direction, towards a safe place.

After a while passed in silence, Lara’s mother finally spoke again, her voice soft but full of certainty. “Well, we’ve arrived.”

The car stopped in front of an old building that seemed neglected. Lara’s mother got out of the car with elegant steps, followed by Andre, Lara, and their lawyer. The night air felt colder and quieter around them. The cold even pierced to the bone.

The old building looked like an abandoned house, with peeling paint and broken windows. But, amidst the neglect, there was a calming aura, as if the building held secrets and safety unseen from the outside.

“Don’t be afraid, this is just a disturbance.” Lara’s mother opened the door of the building with a key she took out from her robe pocket. The four of them entered, stepping into the dark hallway that stretched before them. The atmosphere inside the building felt cold and damp, with a distinct aroma of a place long uninhabited.

They walked along the dark corridor, followed by the echoing sound of their footsteps along the corridor. Lara held Andre’s hand tightly, seeking strength and courage amidst the uncertainty that

haunted them.

Finally, they arrived in a fairly large room, illuminated dimly by the faint light. Lara’s mother stopped right in that room, her smile widening.

“This room… holds everything you’re looking for.”