Chapter 227

Third-Person POV

Max washed up his brush and stepped back from the canvas, surveying his work. There was silence in the studio except for the soft rustling from the breeze through the open window. The painting that he just completed was raw pain and longing—hauntingly beautiful—a portrait of Megan in a way that he had managed to capture. He'd poured his feelings into every stroke as he'd tried to depict the battle he felt raging beneath her exterior.

"Max, this is great," a voice broke through his concentration. Elena, one of the studio's artists, swayed over to him. She regarded the canvas with eyes riveted on the face. "You surely have a way of capturing emotion."

"Thanks, Elena," Max replied with a subdued voice. "I have been working on this for a while now. I wanted to get it just right."

"You're still thinking about Megan?" Elena asked softly, turning her eyes to his.

"Yeah," Max nodded. "She's been in my head more often than not l