Shadows of the Forgotten Heiress

The Next Day,

The caretaker sat beside Seraphina's bed, scrolling through her phone. She had already cleaned everything— the room, the bed, and the patient. Now, Seraphina simply lay there, no longer attached to most of the machines, as the doctors had removed them.

As the caretaker scrolled, a faint voice reached her ears.

"Juliette..."

At first, she thought she was imagining things, but then she noticed Seraphina's fingers twitching. Her eyes widened in surprise. Wasting no time, she called the attending doctor.

After a quick examination, the doctor nodded and said, "She might wake up soon. Contact the patient's guardian immediately."

The caretaker's heart filled with relief. Without hesitation, she pulled out her phone and called both Reginald and Nicholas Grantham to share the wonderful news.

She had originally been employed by Reginald. Every day, she and the old man would gossip, play chess, take walks, and talk about life— just like old friends.

But ever since she had been assigned to care for Seraphina, she had been confined within the four walls of the hospital, with no one to talk to and no gossip to share.

She had felt incredibly lonely. Even though the salary remained the same whether she cared for the old man or Seraphina, she much preferred the former.

Now, with Seraphina finally waking up, she could return to her old routine with Reginald and fill him in on all the latest gossip.

Her excitement grew as she looked at Seraphina with warmth in her eyes.

Moments later, Seraphina's eyelids fluttered, a sign that she was regaining consciousness. Almost at the same time, Reginald and Nicholas entered the ward.

Seraphina stared at the ceiling for a moment before turning her head to look at the unfamiliar faces. She tried to lift her trembling hand but found that she couldn't.

Noticing her struggle, the caretaker quickly helped her sit up, propping large pillows behind her for support.

Seraphina gazed at them, confusion clouding her features. In a hoarse, stuttering voice, she asked, "Who… are you?"

Nicholas remained silent, but Reginald stepped forward.

"My child, I am Reginald Grantham. How are you feeling?"

Seraphina shook her head slightly, a faint frown appearing on her face. "Why am I here? Who… am I?"

A heavy silence filled the room. Both Reginald and Nicholas's expressions darkened. Nicholas immediately turned to the doctor.

The doctor examined Seraphina and reviewed her reports before speaking.

"Sir, based on my initial assessment, the patient appears to be experiencing memory loss. The trauma from her fall likely caused it. However, I am not her attending doctor, so he will be able to give you a more detailed diagnosis. For now, all I can say is that she has lost her past memories."

Reginald clutched his chest in pain, his face paling as the weight of the moment settled upon him. He hadn't expected this— he never imagined Seraphina would lose her memories.

Before he could steady himself, his body swayed, and he collapsed.

"Grandfather!" Nicholas was by his side in an instant, catching him before he hit the ground.

The doctor rushed forward, immediately having Reginald transferred to another ward for examination. After a thorough check-up, he reassured Nicholas, "It's just stress. He'll be fine after some rest."

Nicholas exhaled sharply, frustration flickering in his eyes.

After all this time, after everything they had gone through… she actually forgot?

Meanwhile, in Seraphina's Room.

Seraphina sat in silence, the weight of realization settling over her like a heavy fog. She had lost her memories. She didn't know who she was, why she was here, or what had happened to her.

With uncertainty in her voice, she turned to the caretaker and asked softly, "Did I… do something wrong?"

The caretaker hesitated, feeling anxious herself, but she knew she had to treat carefully. Taking a deep breath, she offered a gentle explanation.

"Well, it's just that… those two saved you and cared for you, hoping you'd recover. But now that you've forgotten everything, the old man is feeling really sad."

Seraphina bit her lip, guilt flickering in her eyes. "I'm sorry… I don't know what happened to me."

"Hey, hey, don't apologize," the caretaker said quickly, shaking her head. "It's not your fault. The people who caused this to you are the ones to blame. Don't think about them— just focus on the fact that you're alive, okay? Some people never wake up from a coma… some don't get a second chance. But you? You woke up after just one year. It's a miracle!"

She smiled brightly, trying to lighten the mood. "I even checked on ChatGPT, and it says that waking up after a year is a miracle. So maybe, just maybe, God is on your side."

Seraphina blinked, tilting her head. "ChatGPT? What's that?"

The caretaker's eyes lit up with excitement. Pulling out her phone, she opened the ChatGPT app and started explaining its features.

"It's an AI chatbot that can answer questions, help with writing, even tell jokes! Instead of searching through hundreds of websites, you can just ask this, and it gives you answers instantly!"

Seraphina listened intently, her lips curling into a faint smile. "That's… a great invention."

The caretaker nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, absolutely! And ChatGPT isn't the only one. There's Gemini AI, Copilot, and even a new one from China called DeepSeek. AI is amazing these days!"

She carefully explained their functions, and Seraphina absorbed the information with quiet curiosity.

Before long, exhaustion settled over her, her eyelids growing heavy. The caretaker noticed and gently helped her lie down, tucking the blanket around her.

"Get some rest," she whispered before stepping out of the ward, closing the door softly behind her.

Nicholas sat outside his grandfather's ward, his elbows resting on his knees, fingers interlocked as frustration clouded his expression. The caretaker quietly took a seat beside him, sensing the weight of his thoughts.

After a moment of tense silence, Nicholas exhaled sharply and muttered, "That woman… she's forgotten everything. I spent so much time trying to investigate her past, but nothing came up. My grandfather did everything for her— cared for her, worried about her— and now, after all that, she just… forgot? And because of it, he—"

His voice tightened with emotion, his hands clenching into fists.

The caretaker gently placed a hand on his shoulder, her tone calm yet firm.

"She didn't choose to forget, Nicholas. If she had a choice, do you think she'd want to wake up with no memories?" she said softly. "Your grandfather has been doing everything for her, yes— but have you considered that she might have been fighting just as hard in her own way? If she remembered, maybe she would have wanted to wake up and face everything head-on."

Nicholas remained silent, his jaw tense.

"The doctor said there's a chance she might recover," the caretaker continued, offering a reassuring smile. "You just have to wait. Waking up after a year is already a miracle— who's to say another miracle won't happen? Maybe one day, she'll remember everything and finally give you the answers you've been looking for."

Nicholas let out a slow breath, his gaze still fixed on the floor, but the tightness in his expression had softened— just a little.