Chapter 111: Inner Turmoil

The paintbrush trembled in Olivia's hand, mere millimeters from the canvas. Her studio, usually a place of creative security, felt claustrophobic. The blank white space in front of her sneered at her uselessness to just put the turmoil in her head into coherent color strokes. Olivia growled in frustration and swept the brush across the room, clattering against the far wall with a smear of crimson paint—an accusation. "Damn it," she grumbled, collapsing to the floor and hiding her face in her paint-stained hands. For weeks, Olivia tried to wrap her head around the riot of emotions in her. Her feelings toward Nathan were intricate and strong and not susceptible to compartmentalization or dismissal. Mark, too, a relationship of three steady, dependable years. Guilt now weighed heavily on her confused heart. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, jolting her out of her thoughts. A text from Sophia: "Hey girl, haven't heard from you in a while. Everything okay?" Staring at the message, she wa