Whispers of the heart

Chapters 2–5 Summary

When Riley and Jiles are forced into an immersive art challenge in Gravemoor’s abandoned Winter House, their mutual contempt begins to fracture under the pressure of isolation. What starts as cold rivalry shifts into something far more dangerous: raw vulnerability, unspoken connection, and emotional intimacy wrapped in silence.

Back on campus, their haunting artwork draws the attention of powerful patrons—and the academy pushes them into the spotlight. Amid public performances, jealous rivals, and the ghosts of their pasts, Riley and Jiles create masterpieces that reveal more than they intend. Each stroke of paint becomes a confession. Each glance, a promise.

But the closer they get, the more blurred the line becomes between survival and surrender… and the more it costs to keep pretending they don’t care.