Breaking The Silence

The smell of hot chocolate could be smelled throughout the room, as Braelyn took in the delicious smell. She stirred her hot drink, and slowly sipped it until she was satisfied with the amount she’d taken in.

When Braelyn and Nick arrived at the front door of her father’s house, he happily invited them in, wanting to talk to his daughter, and ended up making hot chocolate. But Nick did not come in, and excused himself, telling Braelyn that he would wait in the car. He knew that Braelyn and her father wanted to talk in private.

“I must apologize for that burn I gave you on your neck,” Braelyn’s father said as he sat down in the wooden chair opposite the girl.

Braelyn chuckled slightly, shrugging the apology off. She cleared her throat again. “Dad, you apologize every time. I know you’re sorry and every time I forgive you for it.”

“I feel horrible for doing that though.”

“Why did you move states, Dad?” Braelyn asked. Again she had to clear her throat, but soon enough, she gave up, realising her voice was going to stay croaky for a while before it went back to normal. It was what she got for refusing to speak for three years.

He shrugged. “I’d rather not be near your mother,” he reasoned. “And I got a job here, so I thought, ‘why not?’. If you were to come home with my after that court trial, I would have not moved because I knew how much you loved that state.”

“Can’t you and Mom try and work things out?” Braelyn suggested, a little stubbornly. “Then you wouldn’t be here in San Diego.”

“As much as I’d like to, I’d rather not have to talk to her again,” he said.

“Why?” she asked, intrigued by his answer.

Braelyn’s father chuckled lightly. “I suppose you wouldn’t know then. She wouldn’t have told you anyway,” he said, referring to his wife. He cleared his throat. “You remember that trial case to see who got custody of you?”

Immediately, shivers were sent down Braelyn’s spine when the court case was mentioned. It wasn’t a good experience for her, as she ended up with acid burns on her neck. Why did she have to have her hair tied up in a bun then?

Braelyn nodded once, and waited for her father to continue.

“Believe it or not, you’re mother bribed the judge to make sure you stayed with her if you didn’t say her name, up on the stand.”

Braelyn froze, suddenly shocked with what she’d just heard. It felt like a defensive wall fell over her, because all she wanted to do next was to go back home and scream at her mother for doing something so horrible. How could her mother do that?!

“So that’s why you bought the acid?” She remembered the words he said to her, it wasn’t for you; it was for your mother. “Wait, you knew about this before the court trial?”

He nodded once before speaking again. “Your mother mentioned she’d do something like that, so I came prepared. Sadly, I missed.” He frowned.

“Dad, don’t worry about it,” she said. “It’s doesn’t matter anymore what happened, okay? I’m okay now so I guess that’s what matters.”

He shrugged. “Your mother never told me exactly how you were doing,” he said. “Every time I’d asked your mother she’d end up giving me a one word answer. ‘How’s Braelyn doing?’ I would ask. ‘Fine’, ‘Good’, ‘Wonderful’, she would answer.”

“Mom lied,” Braelyn revealed. Not long after the court case, that was when Braelyn had stopped speaking, but she didn’t tell her dad that. She didn’t want to make him worry anymore.

He shrugged, suddenly not seeming to care about Braelyn’s mother anymore. Braelyn could understand that. Especially after everything the family had been through.

“Sorry about your mother then,” he said quietly.

“So you’re staying here in San Diego right?” Braelyn asked. “You’re not coming back at all?”

Braelyn’s father nodded. “Sorry, kiddo,” he frowned. “I know how much you want me to come back but I’d much rather stay away from your mother.”

Suddenly, an idea popped into Braelyn’s mind and she quickly stood up excusing herself. “I need to go and see Nick,” she said. “I’ve got to tell him something.”

Braelyn walked out of the house and to the rented car that was parked in front of the house. As she approached the car, Nick stepped out of the vehicle with a slightly worried look on his face.

“Is everything alright?” he asked.

Braelyn nodded and smiled.

“You know, I’m so happy that you’re talking,” he complimented. “I wouldn’t have to put up with silence – though I did get used to you writing on that same notepad every time. And now I also wouldn’t have to be worrying about if I should be breaking the silence.”

Braelyn chuckled lightly.

“So if everything’s alright, how come you’re out here?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m staying with my dad here in San Diego,” she decided. “I think I’d be much happier here with him than my mom right now.”

Nick pulled the brunette into a hug and smiled before quietly talking into her ear. “I’m so happy for you,” he said.

Braelyn blushed slightly and wrapped her arms around his torso. Suddenly, something came over her – a feeling she had never felt before. For once in her life, she felt safe. Safe in his arms, and that was where she was meant to be.