A/N: This novel is in the process of being rewritten and retitled "Whispers of the Heart" with a sequel titled "Whispers of the Heart II: Shadows Between Us."
Whispers of the Heart
A Teen Romance Novel
16-year-old Rosalie Jansen had her mind made up. She wants to remain a virgin until she is married. She firmly believes in saving herself for the man she marries and giving herself completely on her wedding night. But when newcomer Chadwick, “Chad” Newcastle, moves to town, Rosalie begins to fall for the handsome newcomer. Rosalie learns to trust Chad when Rosalie’s life is turned upside down with a false sex scandal that brings back memories of Rosalie’s forgotten childhood. Will Rosalie keep her vow of chastity or give in to temptation as she becomes closer to Chad?
Chapter 1: A Promise Written in Stone
Sixteen-year-old Rosalie Jansen sat quietly in the last pew of the small white church while the youth choir practiced around her. Sunlight poured through the stained-glass windows, painting soft colors across her pale blue dress.
She twisted the silver purity ring on her finger.
Rosalie had made her decision two years ago, after watching her older cousin cry through a broken relationship that had shattered her confidence and dreams. Love, Rosalie believed, should mean forever. She wanted her first kiss, first love, and first time to belong to the man she married.
Not everyone understood.
At school, girls whispered that Rosalie was “old-fashioned.” Boys stopped asking her out after hearing she had strict boundaries.
But Rosalie didn’t care.
At least… she thought she didn’t.
That Monday morning, everything changed when Chadwick Newcastle walked into American History.
Tall, dark-haired, and confident without trying, Chad instantly drew attention. Even the teacher paused mid-sentence when he introduced himself.
“Chad Newcastle,” he said casually. “Just moved here from Seattle.”
Every girl in the room stared.
Including Rosalie.
And when Chad looked directly at her and smiled, Rosalie’s heart stumbled so hard she nearly dropped her pencil.
Chapter 2: The Boy Everyone Wanted
By lunch, Chad Newcastle had become the center of conversation.
“He’s gorgeous.”
“He plays guitar.”
“He’s on the soccer team already.”
Rosalie tried ignoring the endless chatter from her friends, especially loudmouth Kendra Miles, who immediately declared Chad “future boyfriend material.”
Rosalie kept her focus on homework.
Or tried to.
Because every few minutes, she caught Chad glancing toward her from across the cafeteria.
Finally, he stood and walked straight to her table.
“Mind if I sit here?”
Rosalie nearly forgot how to speak.
Kendra answered for her. “Absolutely.”
Chad laughed softly before sitting beside Rosalie.
“You’re Rosalie, right?”
She blinked. “How do you know my name?”
“You answered every question in history class,” he teased. “Hard not to notice.”
Rosalie felt warmth spread across her cheeks.
For the first time in years, she found herself hoping a boy would notice her.
Chapter 3: Rules and Boundaries
Over the next few weeks, Chad and Rosalie became inseparable.
He walked her to class.
They studied together at the library.
He learned she loved old romance novels and strawberry milkshakes.
She learned he secretly wrote songs in a notebook he carried everywhere.
One chilly Friday evening, Chad invited Rosalie to the town carnival.
Under glowing lights and spinning rides, everything felt magical.
Until Chad gently reached for her hand.
Rosalie froze.
Chad immediately pulled back. “Sorry.”
“No—it’s okay.”
But her nervous expression gave her away.
Later, sitting beside the Ferris wheel, Rosalie finally confessed the truth.
“I’m waiting until marriage,” she said quietly.
Chad looked surprised but not mocking.
“For sex?”
Rosalie nodded.
“And honestly… for a lot of things.”
He studied her carefully. “That’s important to you?”
“Yes.”
Most boys laughed when she said it.
Chad didn’t.
Instead, he smiled softly.
“Then I’d never ask you to betray something you believe in.”
That single sentence made Rosalie trust him more than she trusted herself.
Chapter 4: The Nightmares Return
The nightmares started again after the carnival.
Rosalie woke trembling nearly every night.
Dark hallways.
A little girl is crying.
A man shouting.
A door slamming.
The dreams felt painfully real, but she could never remember faces clearly.
Her mother dismissed them as stress.
“Your imagination runs wild sometimes,” her mother insisted.
But Rosalie knew these dreams felt different.
Then one afternoon, while helping clean the attic, Rosalie found an old photograph hidden inside a dusty box.
A picture of herself as a small child.
Standing beside a little boy.
A little boy with dark hair.
On the back was written:
Rosie and Chad — Summer 2014.
Rosalie’s blood ran cold.
Chad?
Chapter 5: Forgotten Memories
Rosalie confronted Chad the next day after school.
“Did you know me before moving here?”
His face paled instantly.
“You found out.”
Rosalie’s heart pounded.
Chad explained that when they were very young, their families had once been close friends. But after a terrible incident involving Rosalie’s father, the families were separated suddenly.
Rosalie remembered almost nothing about her childhood before age seven.
Only scattered shadows.
“What happened?” she whispered.
Chad hesitated.
“Your father was arrested.”
Rosalie stared at him in shock.
“My father died when I was little.”
“That’s what your mother told everyone.”
Rosalie felt dizzy.
Her entire life suddenly felt built on secrets.