Page 111 of Broken Silence
Cole
Four days later, and all I’d managed to do was show her a gym she loved, and another look around a house I wanted her to also call her own.
Would it be enough?
Fuck, wouldIbe enough?
She wanted a break from everything to do with Max and Frank, which meant I couldn’t bring up her staying, either. It was killing me, consuming me. We were against the clock.
I made sure she had fun. Dates, nights out, endless paint chart sessions, and showing her how much she meant to me in bed.
She’d laughed and smiled.
Now we were back in court, awaiting the sentence. This time, she seemed stronger. That, or she was pretending. I didn’t think so, though. I could feel her pulse as I stroked the inside of her wrist. Her breathing was normal, pulse steady.
She was fucking amazing.
Sarah sat on the other side of Oakley, and Jasper was beside me. He muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like expressing his desire to murder.
Something we shared.
There were a few reporters in the room, but their attention was mostly on Frank. The case was all over the papers, but the locals were more respectful, not staring and whispering. At least not about Oakley.
“It’s almost over,” she muttered to herself.
I squeezed her hand.
Yes, baby, you did it.
This was the only part that would ever be over, though. We could all try to forget, but it would never happen—especially not for her.
I looked to my side, knowing where Frank was standing. As my eyes locked on his face, I felt my stomach burn. Who the hell could abuse achild? What the hell was wrong with him?
Oakley had once referred to his eyes as beady, and I saw what she meant. Looking at him, I saw her as a child, scared and confused, and I could see how cold he might have looked as he stared back at her.
Dead gaze like everything else about him.
Disgusting prick.
My jaw ached. My muscles ached. Everythingached. I wanted to jump over there and end him.
Oakley kept her head forward, watching the judge. Her breathing shallowed. I wanted to do something to help her… but what could help?
I didn’t have a damn clue what to say. There weren’t any words that would make it okay. I could never take back the years of pain and betrayal she’d suffered.
I pulled her against my side and kissed her temple. “Are you okay?”
Was she going to pass out again? I didn’t think so, but she was definitely struggling.
“Do you want to leave?” I whispered.
She shook her head. “Not a chance.”
Leaning heavily against me, she watched on, leaving me to wonder what was going on in her head. I couldn’t begin to imagine what this was like for her.
The room was full, and there was a strong smell of someone’s perfume nearby that stung the back of my throat. She wiped her cheek. I had no idea who she was. No one else had come forward to accuse Frank, though there were other photos of children on his phone.
None could be linked directly to him because he kept himself out of shot. Oakley was the only one who’d spoken up.
