Silver Preston was supposed to be America’s next figure skating sweetheart—until a brutal injury shattered her Olympic dreams and left her stranded at Yale, miles away from the ice that defined her. All she wants is to stay invisible, to escape the suffocating grip of her former coach-mother, and to outrun the whispers that she’s finished.

But Yale hockey isn’t quiet, and neither is Eli Hayes—the team’s captain, campus golden boy, and infuriatingly unreadable. To Silver, he’s arrogant, cold, and everything she swore she’d avoid. To Eli, she’s reckless, stubborn, and a distraction he can’t afford. Their worlds were never meant to collide—except the rink has a way of pulling broken people back onto the ice.

When gossip turns cruel and secrets from the past threaten to destroy her for good, Silver is forced to decide whether she’ll keep running or fight for the life—and the love—she thought she lost. And as Eli battles his own demons under the unforgiving glare of NHL scouts, their fragile connection becomes the one thing that could save them both…or break them completely.

Full of sharp banter, late-night study sessions, stolen glances at the rink, and the electric push-pull of enemies who might be more, this is a story of ambition, redemption, and the thin line between pride and passion.

Skaters didn't need microphones to make daggers.


Silver learned that brutal truth the hard way, sitting in the girls' locker room at Ingalls Rink where the air always carried the sharp bite of ice and the metallic tang of blade polish. The space wasn't built for privacy—it was all white subway tiles and industrial benches, designed for function over comfort. Sound bounced off every surface, amplifying the clatter of protective gear and the rhythmic scrape of blade guards against concrete.


They were sharp enough to slice deeper than any fall on unforgiving ice, precise as the edge of a freshly sharpened blade finding the exact spot where it could do the most damage.


Chapter 55 - Locker Room Whispers