THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 396: Only A woman Understands Another Best

"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?

"Was this why you were always so eager to be around me? All these years, you were hoping for something more? Was that the reason you never told me about my engagement with Lauren?"

"It wasn’t like that!" Dolly pleaded, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Lauren was right," he murmured, almost as if talking to himself. "She warned me about you, said you were more invested than I realized. I didn’t believe her. I defended you.

Dolly’s eyes widened at the mention of Lauren, guilt and anger flaring within her. "So what now? You’re going to believe her over me? After everything we’ve been through?"

Steffan’s gaze was unwavering, cold. "It’s not about choosing sides, Dolly. It’s about trust. And right now, I feel like I’ve lost something I can’t get back."

Dolly opened her mouth to argue, but the look on Steffan’s face stopped her. He wasn’t just disappointed—he was hurt, betrayed in a way that cut through all her defenses.

She had hoped that confessing her feelings might open a door between them, but all it had done was slam the one door she had cherished shut.

She had believed that of one day she eventually confesses, there’s no way he would place Lauren who just appeared briefly in his life over her that had been by his side all those years.

"Steffan, I—"

"I need space, Dolly," Steffan said with a finality that left no rein for arguments.

The thought of her love felt like a betrayal of everything he’d trusted in their friendship.

He had always despised women who threw themselves shamelessly at men, women who defined their self-worth through the affections of others. He had never expected Dolly to be one of them.

Lauren stepped in, her presence grounding him as she squeezed his arm in reassurance. "I told you, Steffan," Lauren said softly but firmly, her eyes never leaving Dolly’s. "She’s been after more than just your friendship from the start."

If looks could kill, she would have died a million times from the deadly glare Dolly threw her way. Her animosity was so palpable that Steffan gave her a warning glare.

He was suddenly reminded of the undercurrent that always existed between Lauren and Dolly. She had always seen Lauren as a rival, that’s why they have never gotten along.

He nodded slowly, the pieces finally falling into place. He thought of all the times Dolly had hovered too close, inserted herself into moments that weren’t hers to take, edging Lauren as far away from him as possible.

The jealous glances, the way she always seemed to be there, unceremoniously showing up in his parent’s house under the pretext of treating his constant headache.

If not that he wasn’t reconciled to the idea of sharing his bed with a woman that wasn’t his wife, he would have given in to her seeming harmless offer to stay close so she could observe him closely in case of any sequel.

He couldn’t even bring himself to think of what would have happened if he had foolishly downplayed his sister in-laws averseness to the idea then.

Now he saw it clearly... Dolly had been just a little too eager, a little too investednin the relationship than he had realised until now. How could he have been so naive?

Even his mother and sister in-law had warned him before. They’d told him repeatedly that Dolly saw him as more than just a friend, that her loyalty and eagerness to please him were not just platonic.

But he had brushed it off, confident in his understanding of their relationship, convinced that Dolly was different from those women he despised.

No wonder his mother had also been wary of Dolly... they saw right through her. Indeed only a woman understood the heart of another woman.

"You were right, Lauren," Steffan said, his voice tinged with regret as he glanced at Lauren. "Maybe I should have listened to you and my family."

Dolly’s face contorted with rage as she glared at Lauren who had a triumphant smile on her face. She’d deal with that later. What mattered now was getting back Steffan’s trust. So she ignored Lauren and with trembling hands, reached out one last time to Steffan. "Steffan, please, don’t do this. You know me. You know who I am."

Steffan’s gaze turned steely, his jaw clenching as he spoke with finality. "I thought I did, Dolly. But now... now I’m not so sure. I need you to leave. I need you to stay out of my life until I can figure out what’s real and what’s not."

Dolly opened her mouth to protest, but the resolute look in Steffan’s eyes told her there was no room for negotiation. He had made up his mind, and there was no going back.

As she stood there, trembling and defeated, Dolly realized with a sickening clarity that she had not only lost the man she loved but also the friend she’d cherished above all else.

Lauren’s triumphant gaze never wavered as she tightened her hold on Steffan’s arm. "It’s over, Dolly. He’s made his choice, and it’s not you. You need to let him go."

Dolly’s shoulders slumped, her defiance crumbling under the weight of their combined resolve.

She looked at Steffan one last time, searching for any hint of the man she had loved for so long. But all she saw was a stranger, standing beside the woman who had unjustly taken her place.

"Now if you’ll excuse us we’ve got a lunch date to catch up with," Lauren announce,

Putting no effort into hiding the mockery from her voice.

Dolly stood there, feeling like the air had been sucked out of the room. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, her mind a whirlwind of indignation and heartbreak.

She even appeared to not have heard Lauren gloating over her now as she seemed to have lost her soul and her fighting spirit.

She was a complete opposite of the woman who had always held such spite and confidence when facing Lauren in the past.

Without another word, Steffan walked over to the door and opened it for Dolly to leave his office. He was displaying his highest form of self control not to throw her out already.

Dolly watched as Steffan held the door open for her to leave his office and probably his life forever and was incensed at his callousness.

He actually flushed their years of friendship down the drain just because of the simpleton beside him.

’We’ll see about this disgrace and shutting me out of your life. Very soon, you’ll come crawling back to me and that is when you’ll understand what it means to spite my love. I’ll never let this slide,’ she promised herself.

Her pouty mouth thinned into quite an ugly line and she flounced out without another word, fuming with frustration.

As she exited the office, she heard the door click shut behind her, leaving her standing alone in the hallway, her knuckles white around the clipboard she clutched.

A nurse passed by, offering Dolly a friendly smile, but she barely registered it. Her thoughts were a tangled mess of jealousy and resentment.