Chapter 88: Olivia's Choice

Olivia woke to the first light, which spilled through the windows of her studio, softly highlighting the canvases surrounding her. She was sitting on the paint-splattered floor, surrounded by a whole sea of sketches, photographs, and memories. To her left lay a heap of mementos from her days with Nathan—ticket stubs from their first date, the flower that had dried up, which he had given in a bouquet—and pictures of the two of them laughing at open galleries. To the right were tokens from her life with Mark: a hospital bracelet from when he'd spent weeks by her side during treatments, a handwritten note of encouragement he'd left in her lunchbox, and a small sculpture they'd bought together on a weekend getaway. Olivia's fingers outlined the edges of a photograph: her, Nathan, and Mark at her last exhibition opening. The tension between these two men was so real that she could feel it even in this picture, but what struck her most was how she looked. She seemed to be torn and conflicte