THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 395: I Thought We Were Friends?

Steffan’s expression turned cold as he stared at Dolly. "So you knew I was Lauren’s fiancé before I lost my memory?" he repeated, his voice tight with disbelief.

Dolly’s composure instantly slipped. "I... I ... I didn’t want to risk triggering a relapse, even Dr Sullivan was of the same opinion that you should be allowed to remember things naturally without forcing anything on you " Dolly stammered, "so I thought it was best..." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"In other words, you knew," Steffan interrupted, his voice dripping with contempt.

"You knew all along that I was in love with Lauren, that I planned to marry her, and yet you kept that from me? You tried to convince me I was making a mistake just now when I said I wanted to propose to her? Some friend you’ve turned out to be," he said bitterly.

"It wasn’t entirely my decision... We were waiting until you were strong enough to handle it, to tell you the truth,"

Steffan laughed, a harsh sound that cut through Dolly like a knife. "The truth? You, of all people, should know better as a neurosurgeon. When exactly did you think it would be the right time to tell me, or did you ever plan on telling me at all?"

Dolly’s breath caught, and she searched Steffan’s face for a flicker of understanding, but all she found was utter disappointment.

"Steffan, please," she whispered, her voice faltering as she reached out, but she couldn’t bring herself to bridge the distance between them. "You have to believe me..."

Steffan stepped back, his voice measured but cold. "Dolly, if you want any chance of saving what’s left of our friendship, I suggest you keep your distance."

Steffan’s words cut her last thread of hope and her hand dropped limply by her side.

She opened her mouth to argue or even plead with him but his resolute expression dried up the words in her throat.

"I was only trying to protect you," she finally snapped when she could no longer bear the silent contempt. She tried to regain her composure but still was unable to hide the desperation in her eyes. "But I guess I failed and now it’s too late..."

"Too late for what? To sink your claws into him?" Lauren interjected, her tone sharp as she moved to Steffan’s side, linking her arm through his.

Her nose turned up in disgust, "When are you going to stop this, Dolly?" She asked. "Steffan knows what he wants, and it’s me. You need to back off."

"Never, you conniving bitch!" Dolly suddenly exploded, her voice echoing in the room and catching both Lauren and Steffan off guard.

"I’m not letting go of Steffan! What makes you think you can just walk in out of the blues and claim him? I’ve known him for years, stood by him when no one else did. I know him better than anyone!"

Lauren’s smirk widened, but her eyes darkened. "What kind of friend fights against what makes her supposed friend happy?"

Dolly’s eyes blazed, her voice rising in defiance. "I want his happiness more than anything else! And I know I can give it to him, because I love him!"

She pointed at Lauren, her hand trembling. "You don’t expect me to just stand by and let someone else take him away from me!"

Steffan’s expression froze, disbelief etched into every line of his face as Dolly’s words hung in the air like a bomb that had just detonated.

This was the second shocker he had received within the space of five minutes and while he was still trying the process the first, this one which was more heart wrenching than the first was cruelly delivered to him.

"Dolly," he finally said, his voice low and filled with disbelief. "What are you saying?"

Dolly took a step closer, her eyes pleading. "I’m saying I love you, Steffan."

Steffan recoiled as if the space between them had suddenly become too close. He didn’t believe she would repeat it.

Dolly had always been the only reliable female friend in his life... the one who didn’t play games, who didn’t have ulterior motives.

He had let her in precisely because she wasn’t like the others, because she wasn’t trying to use him or twist their friendship into something else. And now she was standing there, telling him she loved him. How was that even possible? It is definitely the joke of the century.

"You’re in love with me?" he repeated, as if saying it out loud would make it sound less absurd.

When he saw her head bobble up and down, his heart sank.

"Dolly, I... I don’t understand," he said, shaking his head as if trying to clear the fog of confusion that clouded his thoughts.

"I thought we were friends. I never..." he stopped, searching her face for some sign that this was all a mistake, that he had misheard her.

But there was no mistaking the way she looked at him, eyes filled with longing that he had somehow been blind to all these years.

She wasn’t joking. This wasn’t some misguided prank. She meant every word.

"Yes, Steffan," Dolly said softly, plunging his sinking heart into deeper misery. "I’ve always been in love with you. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did."

"How long?" he suddenly asked in a cold voice edged with a sharpness that made Dolly flinch. "How long have you felt this way?"

"Steffan, it’s not..."

"How long, Dolly?" he pressed impatiently. "Was our friendship all a lie? Were you just waiting for the right moment to... to turn this into something else?"

Dolly flinched, her face crumpling at the accusation in his tone. "Steffan, it’s not like that..."

"Then what is it?" he cut her off sharply

Steffan’s mind raced, images of their friendship flashing before his eyes. Every laugh, every shared moments, every time he’d confided in her about how disgusting he found those other women’s advances without hesitation. Had it all been a lie?

Had she been quietly yearning for something more while he was blissfully unaware? The thought made his stomach churn.

Dolly’s eyes filled with tears, and she reached out, but Steffan instinctively stepped back, putting a gulf between them that was both physical and emotional.

He could see the hurt on her face, but all he felt was anger. Anger at her for disrupting the equilibrium of their friendship and anger at himself for not seeing it sooner.

"Steffan, please," Dolly pleaded. "I didn’t plan this. I just... I couldn’t help how I felt."

Steffan laughed bitterly, the sound harsh and cold. "I let you in, Dolly. I let you close because I thought you understood that what I wanted was pure friendship... nothing else. That’s why I kept you around."

"How could you do this?" Steffan repeated in a voice lazed with betrayal. "You’ve been lying to me this whole time?"

Dolly’s eyes widened, her face crumbling as she shook her head. "No, Steffan, I never lied to you! I just didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to lose you. I didn’t want to ruin what we had."

"What we had?" Steffan laughed, the sound cold and bitter. "What exactly did we have, Dolly? A friendship? Or was it just a game to you? A way to get closer and make your move?