The afternoon light spilled through windows, it rays softened by the curtains that swayed each time the breeze found its way in.

Coils of rope were neatly arranged, their fibers were stacked on a low table beside a camera tripod. Everything looked prepared and deliberate.

Adrian adjusted the lens on his camera with precision, his long fingers twisting the focus ring before stepping back. He glanced toward the door, where his model lingered with a bag slung over one shoulder, ...