The Painted Souls

When Eli Mercer accepts a quiet job as a curator at the Halcyon Museum of Modern Art, he anticipates a life filled with color, silence, and solitude. But the moment he touches a mysterious antique painting, he's drawn to a disturbing truth: the museum's most enigmatic artwork is more than it seems. Each painting traps a soul, its story woven into pigment and brushstrokes, crying out to be heard. With the help of Claire, a dynamic art restorer, Eli uncovers a forgotten legacy left by a mad artist whose obsession with immortality turned creation into a prison.
As he frees one soul after another, Eli begins to see visions of a painting that never existed-a painting that seems to depict his future. Now, he must confront a terrifying possibility: his fate may already be sealed. Combining gothic mystery, supernatural suspense, and rich emotional depth, The Painted Souls is a tale of redemption, identity, and the stories we leave behind-whether on canvas or in the hearts of others.