Finding Love in Paris

Synopsis

I traced my finger along the delicate arch I'd sketched, losing myself in the graceful lines of the Parisian façade that existed only in my imagination and on this worn page. These quiet moments with my sketchbook were the only times I felt truly myself anymore—when Ryan was at work and our apartment held nothing but silence and the soft scratch of my pencil against paper. Seven years. Seven years of my life poured into a relationship that had somehow morphed into a hundred days of cold silence, punctuated only by Ryan's critical remarks or dismissive grunts. How had we gotten here? The question haunted me as I shaded the intricate stonework of my imaginary building. My phone buzzed beside me, shattering my concentration. Madison Clarke's name flashed across the screen. My stomach tightened. Madison had been our junior at UCLA—always hovering around Ryan with admiring eyes and cutting remarks disguised as compliments for me.