Chapter 1: Shadows of the Past Charles Gordon leaned back in the leather chair of his photography studio, the faint hum of the overhead lights blending with the soft jazz playing through the speakers. He adjusted his glasses and scrolled through the proofs from his latest shoot—a tasteful boudoir session for a blushing bride-to-be. Business was good. Life was better. After years of chaos, he’d carved out something stable, something real. His wife, Jillian, was the anchor of it all—beautiful, sharp-witted, and totally unaware of the man he’d been before they met. The phone on his desk buzzed, snapping him out of his daze. He glanced at the screen: an unknown number. Frowning, he swiped to answer. “Charles Gordon Photography,” he said, his voice smooth and professional. “Well, well, if it isn’t the king of cumshots himself,” came a gravelly voice on the other end, dripping with mockery. Charles’s stomach dropped. He knew that voice—Lou Decker, a sleazy producer from his old life, th...