Silence (Silence #1)(61)

“What’s wrong? Where are you?” I questioned, and frantically searched for my keys. “Oakley, where are you?” I repeated sternly. Please just tell me!

“Um,” she whispered, trying to catch her breath as she sobbed. It took her a minute to explain to me where she was. She kept coughing and clearing her throat. It must hurt her to use her voice after she hadn’t for over a decade...

I kept her on the phone and sprinted downstairs and out to my car.

“Cole?” Mum shouted, jumping up as I ran past her and Dad on the sofa.

A journey that should have taken thirty minutes didn’t even take twenty. I slammed my breaks on and pulled over at the side of the road, where she thought she was. Jumping out of my car, I shouted, “Oakley? Oakley?” She appeared from behind a couple trees, stumbling on the uneven ground as she made her way to me. She was hiding? God, what had happened! I closed the distance between us quickly and wrapped my arms around her.

“What’s wrong?” I mumbled against the side of her head. Her whole body was trembling, and she gasped for air. “Oakley, calm down.” She gasped and gripped hold of me so hard her nails cut into my back.

She was scaring me to death. I was terrified of finding out what was wrong. I continued stroking her hair and whispering in her ear until she calmed down and her breathing steadied.

“I need you to tell me what’s wrong, okay?” She nodded against my shoulder. I tried pulling back to see her, but she clung to me tighter and whimpered. “What is it?”

“I– I don’t want you to look at me,” she whispered, her voice cracking and body shaking with silent sobs.

My stomach twisted with unease.

“Why wouldn’t you want me to look at you?”

She was quiet for a minute. I was sick with worry. What the hell was she about to say?

“I can’t. Can’t do it again.”

“What? What can’t you do?”

She shook her head and dug her fingers in my back harder. My back stung, but I didn’t care.

“You can tell me anything, you know that. Why is this so hard for you to tell me?” I asked her, terrified. “Oakley, please, what can’t you do?”

I was getting desperate, and I just needed to know what was wrong so I could fix it.

“Why are you alone?” Where the hell was Max?

“I thought it s-stopped.” She took a ragged breath and continued, “It stopped when I was thirteen, but he’s… he’s ba–back.”

“Who’s back? What stopped?” I shook my head, trying to make sense of what she was trying to say. Something stopped when she was thirteen, but someone’s back? It didn’t make sense. Who was back? No one left when she was thirteen.

“F-Frank,” she stuttered, sobbing harder. Her legs gave way, and she slumped against my chest.

“Who’s Frank? I don’t know anyone called Frank.”

I had to wait until she calmed down again. Those two minutes were the longest and most painful of my life.

“You met him at the Christmas party at that hotel.”

Hotel? Oh, her dad’s work Christmas party. That was years ago. I didn’t really remember anyone. Oakley took a deep breath.

“He’s the man who hurt me.” Her voice was quiet as she confessed, so quiet I barely heard her.

“Hurt you,” I repeated. “How did he hurt–”

I froze mid-sentence as I realised what she was trying to tell me.

“Hurt you. He… Touched you?” I couldn’t say the words. She didn’t need to confirm it. Her reaction did. She burst into fresh tears, crying hysterically. I had no strength left; her confession knocked everything out of me. We both fell to the floor with her in my lap.

I gripped hold of her and buried my face in her hair. My lungs burned from where I was holding my breath for so long. Every single muscle in my body was aching. Someone had hurt her. I squeezed my eyes closed and held her tighter as if that would magically fix everything. As if it would turn back time and stop it from happening.

“Where is he?” I asked through clenched teeth. Wherever he was, I was going to kill him. I didn’t care that he was probably double my age or more.

“At our c-camp,” she murmured against my neck, stuttering and sobbing.

My heart stopped. Why would he be at their camp?

“But your dad’s there.” Her whole body tensed and she stopped breathing. No.

“Oakley?” I whispered, terrified of her answer to my next question. “Does he know?”

I held my breath, waiting for her answer. Oh god, please say no, Oakley. She just nodded in confirmation. I felt like throwing up. Blood boiled in my veins. He knew some sick pervert had hurt her, and he was sitting around a fucking campfire with him!

I pulled back to look her, but she lowered her head, staring at the ground in shame. I tried to life her chin up, but she refused.

“Look at me.”

She shook her head, letting out a quiet little sob, tears dropped from her chin to the floor.

“Please, baby.” I bent my head down awkwardly and managed to see half of her face. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying so much.

“Oakley, did your dad...did he? Did he...you know?”

She shook her head again.

“No, but he let him.”