THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 310: Are You A Part Of My Lost Memory?

"Steffan, even in this state, you are still very hilarious. I’ve missed you terribly," Lauren heard the woman say in the same honeyed voice she had spoken to her in.

"I missed you too, Dolly. But what are you doing here?"

Lauren did not wait to hear the woman’s response as she was instantly overwhelmed by a wave of sadness.

She stepped back and quietly closed the door, retreating to the visitors’ area. She sank into a chair, her mind swirling with questions and doubts.

Who is this woman named Dolly? They seem so close and intimate. Was she a part of Steffan’s past before she met him?

Were they dating in the past? And most importantly, why couldn’t he remember her, his fiancée whom he was on the verge of marrying?

As she sat there, lost in her thoughts, Lauren couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease that settled over her when she remembered that Steffan was all alone with that woman.

Fearing she might take advantage of him as a result of his memory loss, she rushed back into the ward.

The two people who were chatting without a care in the world were stunned at the sudden intrusion.

Their heads turned in sync to the door and saw Lauren standing there, with a fierce formidable look.

Steffan’s brow rose in confusion. Isn’t she the same woman by my bedside when. I regained consciousness? What’s her name again... 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Hey, there," Dolly said jovially. "We meet again."

Steffan’s frown deepened. "You two know each other?"

Lauren couldn’t help but notice that Steffan’s initial guardedness against her dropped a little when he thought Dolly and her were acquainted and her heart hurt at that knowledge. How much does he care for this woman to care about the people she knows?

As Lauren hesitated, unsure of what to say, Dolly’s eyes met hers, and for a brief moment, a flicker of something unreadable passed through them.

Then, with a graceful tilt of her head, she offered a polite smile, and said, "Not exactly, Steff, we bumped into each other a while ago. We had no idea we were actually here for the same man."

There was a special implication to the way that sentence came out that didn’t sit well with Lauren, but she chose to let it go for now. This was neither the time nor place to deal with that.

"Oh," came Steffan’s reply and turned his attention back to Dolly.

"So you are here to see Steffan? But I don’t seem to remember your face," Lauren smirked.

"Yes, you won’t because I’ve been away for far too long. But since we’re meeting for the first time and I guess we’ll be seeing more of each other, why don’t we familiarize ourselves?"

"I am Dolly Thompson, Steffan’s best friend and colleague. I have just been transferred here as an assistant HOD of the Neurology Department."

There was an air of confidence bordering on arrogance, a subtle smirk playing at the corners of her lips as Dolly proudly extended a fair dainty hand towards Lauren.

From a closer look, Lauren could see that, Dolly’s skin was smooth and flawless, her features delicate yet striking, with high cheekbones and full, red lips.

But despite her beautiful outward appearance, there was something about her that didn’t sit right with Lauren.

In order not to appear snobbish and leave the wrong impression on Steffan who was observing the whole nonsense, Lauren reached out and with an equally captivating smile which amply did justice to her two sexy dimples, took Dolly’s hand.

"I am Steffan’s fiancé," she so wanted to flaunt, but remembered Dr Sullivan’s words and settled for a simple, "I am Lauren Holmes."

Dolly appeared to be taken aback as Lauren did not fall into her trap and stared at her but quickly readjusted her mood with a "Nice to meet you, Lauren."

"Same here, Dolly," Lauren returned with a challenging look.

The two stared at each other like two predators fighting over the same prey before disentangling their hands.

Steffan looked at the two with a complicated expression, wondering about the strange vibe each of them were exuding.

"I’ll be seeing you around, Steff," Dolly said and picked up her labcoat and stethoscope that she had placed at the foot of the bed.

Steffan: "???"

When did he suddenly have a nickname?

"Make use of the little time you have," Dolly murmured as she brushed past Lauren, leaving Lauren staring after her, her heart racing with countless thoughts.

"So you are Lauren?" Lauren heard behind her.

’It seems he was in the mood to talk. But should I be grateful to Dolly for that?’

Lauren took a deep breath and walked towards the bed. "Yes."

She drew one of the visitors’ chairs in the ward and sat down. She needed to relax her taut nerves after that silent battle.

"Why were you the one by my bedside when I regained consciousness?"

"Because I’m your fiancé, dumbass and you were shot trying to save me. Who else is more qualified to stay by your side than me?"

Of course that was all in her mind but outwardly, she said, because I was with you at the scene of the accident and brought you here."

"I had to stay until your parents came around before leaving."

"So you are my saviour?"

"No, it’s the other way round, you took a bullet for me?"

Steffan’s eyes narrowed, "Why would I do that?"

"Exactly! That’s the same question that’s been bothering me these past few days. Why would you take a bullet for someone you do not know?" Lauren repeated.

Maybe if he knows he took a bullet for her, he might personally want to know more about their past relationship. But she has made up her mind she won’t force him to remember anything.

Like her mother and Sarah had said, if he truly loved her in the past, the same feelings will come with time. She was not in a hurry. She had waited all these years for a partner, a few more days, months or at most years wouldn’t matter, right?

"There are so many things I don’t know or seem to understand for now," Steffan confessed.

He was shocked to wake up in a strange hospital in Baltimore far away from the country where he worked.

To make matters worse, he seemed to have lost more than five years of his life, otherwise how would he explain the sudden growth of Sophia and the sudden appearance of a cute little nephew?

What are the things that took place in those years that got erased from his memory?

Tears welled up in Lauren’s eyes, but she quickly blinked them away, and with a gentle smile, she squeezed his hand gently."You don’t need to stress yourself. You will understand everything with time. But concentrate on your recovery first,"

Steffan angrily pulled back his hand. "You don’t need to coax me. I’m a doctor and know what is happening to me."

After some time, his gaze rested on Lauren’s chestnut-colored hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders, framing her lovely warm amber eyes that were now filled with concern as he stared at him.

"Are you a part of my lost memory?" he suddenly asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.