When Indigo first approached her at the gallery, his smile was disarming, his voice smooth as the varnish on the canvases. He offered to paint a portrait of her, promising to capture the “essence of her soul.” She, naive and hungry for validation, agreed. The session began with gentle strokes, but soon his brush became a weapon. He whispered compliments that turned into veiled threats, his hands lingering too long on her cheek, his eyes never leaving the canvas. The room seemed to close in, the air thick with the scent of turpentine and something far more acrid—fear.