Chapter 38: A Walk in the Botanical Gardens

The morning rays of the sun had a canopy of lush green leaves as they filtered down to rest in several dappled shadows on the winding path ahead. Olivia drew a deep breath, enjoying the heady scent of blooming flowers and rich earth. Her eyes sparkled in childish wonder, and she turned toward Mark. "I can't believe I have lived here all this time and never visited the botanical gardens," she reflected, itching to get the beauty surrounding them down inside her sketchbook. Mark beamed with pride at his surprise. "Sometimes some of the most amazing things in life are right in our own backyards. We just tend to need someone to remind us to look." As she meandered along, her senses were suffused with a tapestry of colors and textures: delicate orchids in shades of lavender and pink nestled beside hardy ferns with fronds unfurling into the breeze. Nearby, the pond reflected the sky above, its mirror-like surface broken only by the occasional ripple disturbed by a passerby or a lazy Koi f