Chapter 115: Self-Discovery Retreat

Gravel crunched underneath tires, shattering the predawn silence as Olivia's car twisted up the mountain road. The first strokes of sunrise started painting the high clouds with blush-pink and gilding. Olivia hung onto the steering wheel with such force that her knuckles registered white; this solo retreat felt more like an escape than a journey of self-discovery. She rounded a curve, and there it was: a retreat center with cabins tucked in among big pines for shade. Olivia let a breath escape her lips that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. This would be her home, her safe place for the next week—a sanctuary for her chaotic heart and mind. Registration was a jumble of paperwork and soft directions; in no time, Olivia stood inside her small cabin, everything banked by so much silence that it seemed to have a weight of its own. "Alright," she whispered to herself, "now what?" The first day blurred past in a frenzy of orientation sessions and lots of awkward small talk with othe