Page 138 of Finding Us
I laugh. “You’re the guest of honour, we can’t bail.”
“Am I going to have to walk around all night with a semi until we get home?”
“If the opportunity arises sometime throughout the night, I promise to take care of that for you.”
He arches an eyebrow. “You’ve never been into PDA in the past, what’s changed? Is this glittery dress you’re wearing bringing out your inner Sparkles?”
I narrow my eyes, and the smile on his face grows. “For that comment you can suffer for the rest of the night, Mr Bradley.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, I’m hereby reneging the promise I just made you.”
Chuckling, he tugs my body closer. “You never disappoint, Red.”
“Tonight, will be a first then.”
“Challenge accepted.”
“That’s not a challenge, it’s a fact.”
His hands move down to cover my arse, squeezing both cheeks. “We’ll see, Miss Maloney … we’ll see.”
I’ve never attended one of Logan’s functions before, but I was blown away when we first entered the grand ballroom he’d hired for tonight. My mum has always raved about the ones she’s attended in Melbourne in the past. The attention to detail is meticulous, from the ambiance in the room and exquisite table settings, right down to the seven course a la carte meal on offer. It’s first class all the way, but I guess when people are paying one thousand dollars a head to be here, you’d expect that.
We met my parents here since they’re staying at Brooke and Logan’s during this visit. We’re seated at a table with the four of them, at the front of the room, along with a few other VIPs. My mum and Mason are both speaking prior to the auction. Neither of them is particularly keen on getting up and pouring their hearts out to a room full of strangers, but Logan said it will help bolster the donations. These people may have money to burn, but still like to know where it’s going.
When the last course is placed in front of us, Mason’s leg starts bouncing under the table beside me. I reach for his knee, giving it a comforting squeeze. I know this isn’t easy for him. He’s a private person, and since my brother’s close to his mother’s case, Mason’s identity has been shielded from the press up until now. They know there’s an existence of a child, but no details. One of his father’s colleagues came forward after his mother’s murder made the news, and said Warren had told him years earlier that his son had gone to live with his mother. That started rumours of a second murder, but thankfully, because the police know the truth of his whereabouts, that notion was quickly squashed.
Logan gets up to say a few words first, then invites Mason and my mother to the podium. “Good luck,” I whisper, then he leans in for a kiss before he stands. I have butterflies in my stomach for him … for both of them.
Mason takes the microphone from Logan and introduces himself to the room. “Hi, my name is Mason, and I not only run a charity right here in the heart of Sydney, called Bridge, that helps feed our local homeless population, I’m also the founder of Rebecca’s Place. Did you know that two-point-three million women, which is twenty-three percent of our population, and seven-point-three percent, which is roughly six-hundred-and-ninety-two thousand men, experienced intimate partner violence in Australia last year? Among the G20 nations, Australia ranks eighth when it comes to domestic violence against women, and on average, one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner.
“You may have heard, or read about one such case that was recently in the news. A former Supreme Court judge by the name of Warren Bradley, who tragically murdered his wife seventeen years ago … her body was not discovered until after his death.” His voice cracks as he speaks and tears sting the back of my eyes as I wring my hands together under the table, because I desperately want to go up there and give him a hug. He’s only putting himself out there like this to help his cause. To save women like his mother, and mine.
“The not so honourable Judge Bradley, told the world that his wife had left him—that she’d disappeared in the dead of night—and everyone believed him. But the real truth is, he’d been abusing her and their young son for years. One day he took that abuse too far, which resulted in her untimely death. Because he was a coward, and not man enough to admit what he had done, he blamed his young son for her disappearance, telling him he was the reason she had left. Those words took a heavy toll on that child for many years to come.
“To cover up his crime, Judge Bradley buried her body under a slab of concrete in the backyard of his premises, and erected a shed on top.” He looks up from the piece of paper in front of him and engages the room. “That woman’s name was Rebecca, and she was my mother.”
The entire room gasps when he says that. Mason bows his head and swallows thickly, and I can tell his struggling to keep his emotions at bay.
My mum places one hand on his back and reaches for the microphone with the other. I know he had more to say, but the words he managed to get out were enough.
“Good evening, everyone,” my mother says, and I feel incredibly proud as I watch her. She’s come so far over the years, and no longer resembles the woman that was once afraid of her own shadow. “My name is Grace Maloney, and I’m a survivor of domestic violence. When I was eighteen years old, and fresh out of high school, I met my abuser … he was much older than me, and my first serious boyfriend. I was young and impressionable, and completely smitten by his charm, charisma and the unwavering attention he bestowed on me. Yes, you heard me correctly, in the beginning he was wonderful, like a dream come true, because the truth is, most monsters don’t show their hand straight away. It’s part of their grooming … a calculated plan, and how they draw you in.” Mason shoves his hands into his pockets and dips his face, staring down at his feet. After seeing his parents wedding album, and how happy they seemed in those images, he knows his mother’s story is eerily similar to my mum’s.
“Back then, I had so many dreams and aspirations for my future, I wanted to go to university and earn a degree, but that all changed when I met him. I was young and in love … completely under his spell. My parents didn’t approve of our relationship from the very beginning, but he used that as a weapon to try and turn me against them. When they threatened to disown me if I didn’t break it off with him, he persuaded me to carry on our relationship in secret, which I willingly agreed to. Four months later, I fell pregnant with my daughter, and he convinced me to run away with him, he said it was our only option, and that my family would make me terminate my pregnancy if they found out. I believed him, so I did as he asked and left my old life behind.
“I was completely unaware of what lay ahead, and once he had alienated me from my family and friends, our relationship started to change. I suddenly found myself at his mercy, and under his complete control. If I didn’t follow his orders, I’d be punished for my disobedience. It didn’t take him long to earn my complete submission. My life depended on it. With a young baby to care for, I felt like I had no choice … I was imprisoned by a man who was supposed to love and care for me. What else could I do? I had nowhere else to go, no skillset, no money … and nobody to turn to for help.
“Over the years things progressed to a point that I no longer recognised the person I had become. I was conditioned to the abuse. People often say, why didn’t she just leave, but I can assure you, it’s not that easy when you are in a situation like I was. I was petrified of this man, but I was also completely dependent on him. Not only did he constantly threaten to kill me if I ever attempted to leave, he also said he’d take my daughter away from me. That was a fate far worse than the one I’d been living. My little girl was my pride and joy … my sunshine and theonlyreason I chose to get out of bed each morning.” Tears are now streaming down my face as Brooke’s hand reaches for mine under the table.
My mum straightens her shoulders, and her eyes are glistening with unshed tears when her gaze meets mine. “It was easier for me to take the beatings if it ensured her safety.” Mason wraps his arm around her shoulder as she continues to tell her story … a story I’ve never heard before. “Every time I suffered at the hands of that man, the severity of my punishment would escalate. I knew it was only a matter of time before I became a statistic, like Rebecca, but I had no idea how to get myself and my daughter out of the situation we were in. There was nobody I could trust with my secret, or so I thought. I was living a nightmare, but I’m happy to say that I am standing here today because of one woman, her name is Brooke Cavanagh, and she was my daughter’s dance teacher at the time.” I look to Brooke and smile, as Logan leans in and places a kiss on the side of her head.
“You see, we had no landline at the house, again, it was part of my ex-husband’s isolation and control, and unbeknownst to me, Brooke had noticed something was off, and gave my daughter a secret phone to use in case of an emergency. That day came when Jacinta, my twelve-year-old, found me unconscious on the kitchen floor with a fractured skull, missing teeth, and numerous broken bones. I’d been beaten until I was black and blue … I was barely recognisable.” She bows her hand and swipes her fingers under her eyes to catch her tears. “I owe my life to my daughter who despite her own fear, was courageous enough to make that call, and to Brooke, who didn’t hesitate to come to my aid.”
Once my mother regains her composure, she raises her head and looks around the room, and I’m pretty sure there’s not a dry eye in the house. “This is why Rebecca’s Place is a cause close to my heart. This safe house will save lives, and give women in situations like I was, a fresh start, a chance for a future … and hopefully a happy ending like the one I got.”
When she places the microphone down, everyone in the entire room rises from their seats, giving Mason and my mother a standing ovation.
