Chapter 596

"Linda… Do you even know what you're saying?" William's voice turned cold, stripped of its earlier tenderness. "Of course I do," Linda responded. "I'm just telling the truth. If you find it unpleasant, you don't have to listen." Gone was her usual gentleness. She met William's gaze and continued, "You've no idea. At least a decade of liking you has drained all my courage and energy. "When I finally could stand beside you as your equal, I felt exhausted. I didn't feel as thrilled as I'd imagined—I felt stressed. "I began to wonder what I've been coveting. Was it happiness, or was it something else? I could've had a better life—I could've chosen a better path. "I love the Northern Lights. I love anything that makes me feel liberated. You're not one of them." "Linda, you weren't like this back then…" William stared at her in disbelief, as though he was searching for a hint of belying in her eyes. "What was I like back then?" she asked, looking amused. "Even I've forgotten. Why d