Page 1 of Broken Silence
Chapter 1
Oakley
Itook my usual route as I strolled along the beach, my sandals in hand so that I could feel the soft, golden sand between my toes. Most nights, I would walk along the beautiful east coast of Australia, feeling the soft breeze on my face.
The warm air was still just about holding out, and the moon reflected off the ocean, creating rippling shadows on the water’s surface.
As beautiful as my life was out here, it wasn’t whole. I wasn’t happy.
A couple ahead of me walked hand in hand, gazing happily at each other. The man leant over and kissed the side of his partner’s head. He reminded me a little of Cole with his messy hair and flirtatious smile.
Keeping my head down, I passed them quickly, the ache in my heart doubling.
Almost four years, and I still missed himso much, I found it hard to function sometimes. Cole meant the world to me, yet I’d walked away.
I’d almost gone back a thousand times, but my brother Jasper, Mum, and I needed to heal. We needed time and space.
It would’ve been impossible for me to have given Cole a functioning relationship when I was broken.
I wasn’t sure how long we’d be here, but the longer we stayed, the harder it was to think about leaving the safety Australia offered us. We had family here, too. My uncle was supportive and had welcomed us with open arms.
So much had changed… none of which were my feelings for Cole.
Sometimes I wished I could get over Cole because it would make my life so much easier. Mum and Jasper wouldn’t have to put up with me moping around so much, either. Instead, I was trapped in endless heartache that was impossible to hide.
After I first left, Cole and I had messaged each other, but it became too hard to keep turning him down every time he offered to come out here, so I stopped replying and went back to drafting the texts but never sending them.
He stopped trying two years ago.
Letting him go was as hard as speaking up about the abuse I suffered as a child and the fact that my own dad allowed it, but Cole had a life in England, and he had been only seventeen when we’d left.
I loved him far too much to be selfish.
I knew Mum and Cole’s mum Jenna still spoke often. They emailed, mostly, because it was easier with the time difference and they were stuck in the nineties, so I knew Cole was doing well.
He went to the university he was hoping for, and he’d landed his dream job straight after. Mum never mentioned if he had a girlfriend or not—or worse, a fiancée or wife—and I didn’t want to know. It would be too painful, but I hoped with all my heart that he was happy.
So, I tormented myself endlessly instead, my mind creatingscenarios where someone who wasn’t me slept in his arms every night.
I walked along the shore and up the steps towards our house with Cole still fresh in my mind, and our last goodbye seared into my memory. His tortured eyes, the way he fell to the ground when our car pulled away…
All of it was hell.
Jasper leapt in front of my face when I walked through the door. Since the truth had come out, he’d barely left my side. He had gone from overprotective to almost suffocating. No one could come within ten metres of me without my brother being there to check them out first. I didn’t need a babysitter. I’d moved halfway across the world to befree.
He stood in front of me now and bent his head to look into my eyes, checking to see if I was okay. “You were gone ages. Everything cool?”
“Yes, Jasper.” I sighed and headed into the kitchen.
His concern was tiring, as if he never expected me to be okay. He’d ramped up on the protectiveness, too, and I knew it was because the trial of both our dad andFrankwas looming, casting a darker shadow over our lives.
Mum stood at the counter, making three mugs of hot chocolate. That was our little routine now. Every night, after my walk on the beach, we’d sit in the lounge, drinking hot chocolate and chatting.
Even Jasper would make it every night. Four years ago, he would have laughed at the idea and gone out clubbing instead.
His life changed immeasurably when he left England with us. He was settled at uni, his ex Abby had been back in his life, and he’d had good friends. I could handle him being a bit overbearing. He’d given up a lot for me.
“So, have you spoken to Miles today?” I asked Mum, smiling innocently as I leant on the kitchen island.
