The Crimson Sketchbook

Chapter 1: Arrival Isla Menon arrives in Mumbai from Kerala, seeking anonymity and escape. She settles into a dilapidated heritage building in Byculla. Introductions to her new life: work, city’s chaos, isolation. Attends an art gallery opening on a whim. Meets Julian D’Souza — warm, perceptive, oddly familiar with trauma. Julian introduces Isla to Roman Fernandes — magnetic and raw. The subtle pull of their friendship begins. Chapter 2: The Triangle Forms Isla grows closer to Julian and Roman; they invite her into their circle. Scenes of subtle intimacy: shared meals, deep conversations, casual touches. The monsoon rains, thunder, and shared balcony sleep scene — all three share a kiss, unspoken but binding. Julian and Roman’s contrasting personas draw Isla into emotional complexity. She senses secrets but is too enamored to pull away. Chapter 3: First Cracks Isla witnesses Roman’s violent assault on a man outside a bar but is gaslit by both men afterward. Julian soothes her with therapy jargon; Roman insists it was justified. Isla finds a strange sketch of herself, sleeping, in Roman’s studio. Uncertainty blooms—she questions her memory and sanity. Small hallucinations and dreams hint at something darker. Chapter 4: Past Lives in Shadows Isla discovers disturbing elements: other portraits of women in the studio, a locket not hers, cryptic initials. She researches missing women in Mumbai and Goa — matches some initials. Fragmented dreams where other women appear, whispering warnings. Julian and Roman become more controlling under the guise of “helping” her cope. Chapter 5: Deepening Obsession The romance intensifies; scenes of simultaneous intimacy with both men blur Isla’s sense of reality. She confronts her trauma, trying to find agency but is trapped in emotional manipulation. An argument where Isla asks for space; Julian insists “you’re safest with us.” Roman’s warning is more threatening. More sketches and diary entries surface, revealing how deeply Isla is watched. Chapter 6: The Sacred Space Isla follows the men to the Versova bungalow. Horror mounts as she discovers the gallery of portraits of herself and other missing women. The list of names, dates, and notes cements the realization: Julian and Roman have a serial pattern. Emotional confrontation: Julian breaks down, confesses love, claims to protect her. Roman enters; the two exchange the chilling smile revealing their conspiracy. Chapter 7: Flight and Collapse Isla escapes into the stormy night, barefoot and bleeding. She reaches the police and tells her story, but evidence is missing. The bungalow is clean, empty, untouched. Authorities doubt her; she’s forced into a psychiatric ward. Chapter 8: The Return Months later, Isla is a shadow of herself in a Thane psychiatric facility. She watches the world outside with distant eyes. Julian arrives as her new therapist — clean, calm, predatory. Roman watches from the observation room, waiting. The pattern is set to begin anew. Themes & Motifs to Emphasize The city as a labyrinth of madness and beauty Obsession masquerading as love and care The artist’s destructive muse Gaslighting and fractured memory Female agency eroded by emotional control The cyclical nature of trauma and manipulation