THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 305: Return As A Man-less Woman

Given the current situation, Lauren decided not to spend the night in the hospital anymore.

"Mom, I think I should leave," she said to Sarah.

"But why dear? I thought you forgave Mom?"

Lauren took Sarah’s hand in hers and stared straight into her eyes to reassure her and also convince her that she wasn’t trying to deceive her. "Like I said before Mom, there’s nothing to forgive."

"Then why are you leaving?" Sarah looked downcast. Has she given up on Steffan so soon?

"Steffan doesn’t recognise me so there’s no point in me staying. Knowing Steffan’s character, he might not want me to do anything for him since I’m not a nurse or a doctor," Lauren explained patiently.

"I have thought over things and feel that it’s best I stay away for now until he heals."

Sarah’s countenance dropped further. "I understand, dear. But you can’t stay away from him completely. We need to gradually get him to accept you. The more he sees you, the more he will gradually get used to your presence."

Lauren took some time to process Sarah’s argument. "OK, mom. But for tonight, let me leave. He might not be too pleased to see me by his side when he wakes up again."

"Remember the doctor said his brain needs to heal first and we shouldn’t put pressure on his brain by forcing him to remember anything."

"Yes, my dear. Thank you for your understanding. God bless you, child."

"Amen," Lauren responded, rising to her feet. I need to get going now."

"Alright. Let me get the driver to drop you off."

Lauren shook her head. "No need. I’ll go by myself."

"But it’s already getting late, how will you go back?"

"I asked my brother to send my car earlier and it’s parked at the parking lot. I’ll be fine, Mom." Lauren bent down and gave Sarah a peck on the cheek. "Please, do take care of yourself."

"You too, dear. Bye." Sarah said as her gaze followed Lauren’s figure until she disappeared from her sight.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Such an understanding child. How can Steffan forget her? I will never forgive him in this life if he makes me lose such a unique daughter."

She never had a female child as God only gave her two sons, Steffan and Stanley. As a result, she had always had a soft spot for daughters.

Coupled with Laurens’s impeccable character, it didn’t take her any time to completely win her over after Steffan introduced her as the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

So she started treating Lauren the same way she treated Candace, her first son’s wife.

Just when she was about to officially own a daughter all to herself for the second time, tragedy struck.

"I’ll do all I can to make sure she stays. Even if Steffan can’t recover his memory, I will help them cultivate his feelings for Lauren afresh. That’s what I’ll do."

With a smile lighting her stressed face, she rose from her seat and headed to Steffan’s ward. She felt energized again after suddenly coming up with such a wonderful project.

She was sure it was going to add spice to her gradually boring life again.

Meanwhile, Lauren arrived at the parking lot and suddenly encountered a problem.

"Where will I go from here?" she thought.

She didn’t want to go home and face her parents’ sympathetic gaze or risk seeing them getting worried when they find out the reason why she wasn’t at the hospital with Steffan.

They might get all worked up again after knowing that Stefan no longer had any impression about them as his parents-in-law.

Even if they’ll find out, at least not tonight. They deserved some rest after all the stress they’d been through throughout the day.

Also, she needed a place where she could cool her head to think clearly, so she drove straight to the first option that came to mind— her coffee shop.

Luckily she had declared a holiday for her staff for them to attend the wedding.

Thus the coffee shop was expected to be empty and quiet. It was the perfect place for a troubled soul.

She didn’t need to go home or call her manager to open the door as she always kept a spare key in her car. She reached out into the pigeonhole and retrieved the spare keys.

Standing outside the closed shop, the familiar scent of roasted beans and pastries wrapped around her like a comforting blanket.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside, the silence of the empty shop echoing her sense of loneliness.

As she looked around, every corner of the coffee shop seemed to hold memories of Steffan. The table where they would share quiet moments over cups of coffee after everyone had gone home, the counter where he would stand and watch her work with a fond smile after he finished his shift in the hospital.

Each reminder of their time together felt like a dagger to her heart.

When she got to the middle of the shop, she remembered standing there to inform the staff that they’d be having the weekend off as a holiday to attend her wedding. She remembered the joy on their faces as they applauded and toasted to her happiness.

Who would have imagined that she would return to this same place as an almost man-less woman? (If there’s any English like that. ;)

She wandered through the shop, hardly finding any place that did not remind her of Steffan. "Argh... Why did I choose to come here?" She groaned.

She tried to push away the memories, but everywhere she looked, she was reminded of Steffan’s absence.

And to make matters worse, she couldn’t erase the alienated look she saw in his eyes as he asked her that heart-rending question, "Who are you?"

"Why did you forget me, Steffan? How could you do this to me?!"

Unable to bear the weight of her grief any longer, Lauren stepped outside the coffee shop and into the cool evening air. With no destination in mind, she let her feet carry her through the quiet streets.

She found herself drawn to a nearby park and as she wandered among the trees, she stumbled upon a secluded bench under a sprawling oak tree and sank onto its withered surface.

Closing her eyes to shut out Steffan and all he represented at the moment, she consciously drew in a deep breath to allow the air to permeate every part of her frayed nerves.

Afterwards, she exhaled with the same intensity, as she tried to consciously let go of the pain and sadness that threatened to consume her.

Like magic, with each passing moment, she felt a sense of peace wash over her and she continued with her self-discovered life-saving hack.

Probably due to the accumulated stress of the day or the gentle breeze that blew around her from the rustle of leaves, in addition to the soft chirping of birds that filled her ears, she somehow drifted off to sleep.

She opened her eyes halfway when she felt a hand on her shoulder.