Chapter 307 Of her being

Stephan pressed his thin lips together and looked at her with concern. “Yes.”

Alana closed her eyes briefly.

There was no way this photo could have appeared in the hospital room out of nowhere, let alone been left lying on the floor.

The only possibility...

Someone had been in Grandma’s room and accidentally left a photo behind.

And that person was...

Alana took a deep breath; deep down, she already had a hunch.

“Let’s step out of the room first. We don’t want to disturb Grandma.”

Stephan nodded.

The two left the room together, and Stephan closed the door behind them.

He glanced at Alana and noticed she looked a bit dazed, as if lost in some unknown memory.

He didn’t ask her anything; he remained quiet, not wanting to disturb her.

After what seemed like an eternity, Alana finally spoke. “The woman in the photo is my mother.”

Her face remained calm as she spoke.

It was as if the word “mother” stirred not a single ripple in her heart.

Stephan paused for a moment, then slowly reached out and gently embraced Alana, resting his chin on her head. “Mm, I see.”

Alana’s tone was flat. “I never would have thought she’d come back after all these years.”

She paused. “I thought she had abandoned Grandma because of me. I even secretly blamed myself for a long time because of that.”

Although Grandma blamed her Mom for abandoning her, arguing with her endlessly, and even telling her to get out and never come home again.

But the deeper the love, the harsher the criticism.

Late at night, when all was quiet, she had seen her grandmother silently shedding tears out of longing for her mother.

Grandma must have felt utterly helpless.

And the one who caused all this was her.

She had once thought that if only she hadn’t been there, none of this would have happened.

Without her, none of this might have happened. She was the one to blame.

Stephan felt a sharp twinge in his chest. She was the one who had been abandoned; she was the most innocent of all.

Yet she still blamed herself for the pain her grandmother felt at losing her daughter.

How could her small, fragile frame bear so much?

Stephan clenched his teeth. “This isn’t your fault. The ones at fault are your parents. It was their selfishness and shirking of responsibility that led them to abandon you. You were so young back then, what could you possibly have done to change things? So, whatever you do, don’t fall into this trap of self-blame and let it shackle you with guilt.”

Seeing that she remained silent, Stephan pulled her into a tighter embrace.

He kept reassuring her, doing his best to mend her fragile heart.

“Alana, it really isn’t your fault. You’ve done a wonderful job. You’re strong, gentle yet resilient. You’ve built the person you are today all on your own. Believe in yourself. You’ve always been amazing, you were amazing before, you’re amazing now, and you’ll only get better from here on out. Just be yourself and stop overthinking things, okay? It breaks my heart. I’m so worried about you. Do you know that?”

Hearing this, Alana seemed unable to hold back her emotions any longer. Her eyes instantly turned red, brimming with tears.

She clenched her teeth tightly.

These words, she had always kept buried deep within her heart, never sharing them with anyone.

She was used to enduring it all, because she had once been abandoned as a burden, she felt like a complete outsider.

Would things have been different if she hadn’t been there? She had once given up on herself.

But because her grandmother had never abandoned her and had always given her warmth, she began to feel that she wasn’t so worthless after all.

At the very least, there was someone by her side who cared for her and loved her.

Her grandmother cared for her, and she cared for her grandmother.

It was because of her that Grandma had a falling out with her own daughter and lost her. Seeing her grandmother in pain hurt her more than anyone else.

So she blamed herself for all of it.

Even though it wasn’t her fault.

But her grandmother was the only relative left who was willing to love her, so she cherished her with the utmost care and guarded her with the utmost care.

How could she bear to see her grandmother sad?

She kept these worries bottled up inside, holding them in, holding them in, perhaps until they turned into a heartache.

But now, she had confided these worries to Stephan. He had comforted her; his tenderness and compassion had opened a small crack in her heavy, barren heart.

Through that crack, tender new shoots seemed to sprout, and her heart felt much lighter. The power of words is truly that strong.

“Is that true?”

“Do you really think I’m that amazing?”

“Yes, my Alana, you are.”

Faced with abandonment by her parents, mistreatment from those around her, endless rumors, and even bullying, yet she never gave up on herself, never let herself sink into despair.

Every day, she continued to live with strength and determination, growing wild like a weed, resilient and beautiful.

How could she not be amazing?

If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have been able to do what she did.

Alana smiled, her eyes brimming with tears.

Because she, too, felt that Stephan was right. Deep down, she was slowly coming to accept herself.

She felt amazing, too.

Alana looked up at the man’s handsome face, her beautiful eyes moist and flushed.

“Stephan, kiss me.” She had intended to thank him, but those words of gratitude suddenly turned into “Kiss me.”

He had once said that he preferred actions over mere words of thanks.

Stephan gazed deeply into her eyes for a few seconds, then lowered his head without hesitation and pressed his lips against hers.

His kiss was passionate and lingering, yet tinged with tenderness, a love that penetrated to the very core of her being.

Alana felt the man’s overflowing love for her, intense and passionate.

She couldn’t help but wrap her arms around his neck, constantly meeting his kiss and responding to him.

The two of them, locked in each other’s embrace, longed to merge into one another.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally parted.

Alana breathed heavily, her red lips parting slightly. “Stephan, I want to make love to you so badly...”

Stephan’s breathing was slightly ragged. Upon hearing this, his dark eyes fixed on her, seemingly in disbelief.

“What did you say?”

Alana’s cheeks were flushed an intense shade of red.

She hadn’t expected herself to suddenly utter such a bold statement.

She had always been... so reserved and conservative.

But at this moment, she longed to be held tightly in his arms, to become one with him in body and soul, to feel his fierce, domineering love seep deep into her very bones...

She lifted her moist eyelashes and bit her lip. “Stephan, I... want to make love to you.”

His eyes darkened instantly. Having been together for so long, how could he not know her true feelings?

His large hand clasped the back of her head.

“Then let’s do it!”

“Now, right this minute!”

Alana’s mind went blank for a moment.

Now? Right now?

Before she could gather her thoughts, he scooped her up and carried her into an empty hospital room.

He quickly locked the door, then took a few strides and pinned Alana down on the bed.

Before she could react, his thin lips pressed hard against hers.

Hurriedly, her clothes were stripped away.

The man moved his attention from her cheeks to her neck, working his way down, kissing every inch of her delicate skin.

He spared not a single inch.

Her body reacted before her mind could catch up, and Alana couldn’t help but cling tightly to him.

Suddenly, the man paused.

Alana looked at him nervously. “What’s wrong?”

Stephan was already on the verge of losing control; his large hands gripped her slender waist.

He buried his handsome face in her chest, breathing heavily, forced to restrain himself.

“I forgot to bring a condom.”

Alana bit her lip and whispered. “Then we don’t need it.”