Chapter 28: Physically and mentally

I paced the living room, the soft hum of traffic outside doing nothing to calm my nerves. Evan was due back from the surgery at any minute. I should’ve been excited. I should’ve been looking forward to seeing him, hearing about his time away. But instead, there was this gnawing dread. I checked the time on my phone again, running my fingers through my hair.

I moved to clean up the paints and brushes scattered across the coffee table, remnants of an earlier burst of creativity that had distracted me for a while. But now the nervous energy had returned, curling tight in my chest. This was the life I’d been preparing for—waiting for Evan to come home, talking about wedding plans. Everything we’d discussed since he proposed.

It should have thrilled me, but lately, the idea of it all felt wrong. After I had put all my supplies away, I sank onto the couch, hugging a pillow to my chest, my gaze drifting to the half-finished painting leaning against the wall—a chaotic swirl of colors.

I di