Chapter 24: The Art Exhibition

The Hartley Gallery resonated with anticipation, its white walls now covered in raw, pulsing emotion. Olivia Greene stood before a full-length mirror in the small back room used as some sort of dressing area and barely recognized the woman looking back at her. "You look absolutely stunning," Sophia said, appearing in the reflection behind Olivia. She drew out a delicate silver necklace to settle around Olivia's neck, a gift she had insisted on buying for the occasion. "Are you ready for this?" Olivia took a deep breath, her hands running down the front of her emerald-green dress. It hung just a bit looser on her frame compared to when she bought it months ago, before the diagnosis and before the treatments. Tonight, with her hair styled and a touch of color on her cheeks, she almost felt like her old self again. "As ready as I'll ever be," Olivia replied in a barely audible voice. "God, Soph, what if they hate it? What if this whole thing is some huge mistake?" Sophia's hands came