Chapter 1

The heavy steel door of the industrial loft groaned as I pushed it open, the sound echoing into the cavernous space like a distant thunderclap. My heels clicked against the polished concrete floor, a sharp, rhythmic counterpoint to the low hum of the city traffic filtering through the high, wire-meshed windows. The air inside smelled of turpentine, linseed oil, and the distinct, dusty scent of aged plaster—a perfume that instantly pulled me back to my childhood, though the context had shifted entirely. This wasn’t the cramped apartment we used to live in, nor the quiet suburbs where I spent my teenage years trying to escape his shadow. This was his domain. The place where he built his reputation, the place where he had spent decades capturing light and shadow, and now, the place where he was waiting for me. I stepped further inside, the door clicking shut behind me, sealing us in a bubble of solitude. The studio was vast, an open-plan expanse of exposed brick and soaring ceilings, illuminated by the late afternoon sun slicing through the dust motes dancing in the air. Canvases of various sizes were scattered across the room, some leaning against the walls, others propped