Never

“Linda, didn’t you agree to have dinner with me?” William asked.

Linda glanced at her phone screen–it was 2:30 pm.

“Mr. Wilson, do you eat dinner in the afternoon?”

“I’m worried you might get stuck in traffic.”

“I won’t. Just pick a restaurant,” Linda replied.

While they were talking, Jimmy’s IV finished. Without waiting for the nurse, he pulled out the needle

himself.

“Are you crazy?” Linda was at a loss for words.

Who would pull out their own IV?

“I’m not.” Jimmy dismissed her concern.

“In Usnan hospitals, we have to do it ourselves,” Jimmy explained.

“Alright, then. Let’s go,” Linda said, pulling her car keys from her bag.

“Goodbye, Mr. Wilson. I wish you a speedy recovery,” Jimmy provoked, causing Willian’s mouth to twitch.

Linda drove Jimmy back to his hotel and then returned to her own. As she lay down on the bed, a message from William came through.

“Do you prefer Cheshire food, Weshim food, or something else?

“If you want home–cooked food, I can have the housekeeper prepare it and bring it over.

“Is there anything specific you’d like to eat?”

Looking at these messages, Linda thought about her past self. There was a time when she was just as humble, longing for William’s response. But he never reciprocated.

It seemed that everything about Linda was insignificant to William. He could even skip her birthday to attend a meaningless business dinner.

After some thought, Linda replied to the message, “I’m treating you to dinner, Mr. Wilson. So, you should order whatever you like. After all, I never had a say, did 1?”

William seemed to be holding his phone all this while. His status changed to “typing” almost immediately

after Linda sent the message.

He texted, “Linda, you’ve always had the right to choose…”

Linda then replied, “William, all your gestures of goodwill now mean nothing to me.

“The 28–year–old Linda is no longer the same as the Linda who was madly in love with you.”

Linda’s heart was now scarred, and all her actions were meant for self–protection. She put down her phone, ignoring any further messages from William.

She lay down on the bed. Perhaps it was from the exhaustion from thinking, but she drifted off to sleep. When she woke up, Chloe was sitting in the living room.

“Linda, you’re awake?” Chloe asked without even looking up. She was working on some tasks.

“Yeah,” Linda replied, heading to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.

“What time is it now?” Linda asked.

The sky outside was dark. As it was winter and night fell quickly, it was hard to tell the time.

“6:45 pm.

“I’m going out to have dinner with William later. Make sure you eat, Linda said, putting down her glass

and preparing to return to her room to change.

Chloe was puzzled. “Why are you having dinner with William?”

“He said that the matter with Lucy will be settled if I go out to dinner with him,” Linda explained.

Chloe understood. There was no other way to deal with William’s relentless persistence.

“Do you want me to go with you?” Chloe asked.

“It’s fine. He won’t dare do anything to me.”

“Then, call me if you need anything.”

“Okay. Just remember to eat,” Linda reminded Chloe again.

Chloe often forgot to eat when she was busy with work.