Chapter 135: Lingering Doubts

The trembling brush in Olivia's hand simply was inches from the canvas. In front of her, the half-finished painting—just one swirling mass of blues and grays—seemed to mock her indecision. With a frustrated growl, she flung the brush across the room to clatter against the wall, leaving a streak of azure paint upon the wall like an accusation. Olivia slid to the floor of her new studio, her back against the wall, and buried her face in her hands. The quiet apartment pressed in around her, Mark's absence suddenly palpable, while he was at work, entirely oblivious to the storm raging in Olivia's mind. "What have I done?" she whispered to the empty room. It had been three weeks since she and Mark moved in together—three weeks of navigating shared space and the merging of routines. Everything should have gone just perfect. Why was she feeling smothered? Before she could talk herself out of it, Olivia picked up her phone and dialed a number that was all too familiar. "Sophia?" she said