People often say, “Why doesn’t she just leave?” The reality is, it’s not the easiest thing to do. No relationship is ever black and white. Then there are those who indirectly suggest the woman provoked an abuser by saying, “Well, what did she do?”
Trust me when I say—no woman ‘asks for it.’
For too long, victims have been told to be quiet, to feel ashamed, and are forced to shoulder the blame and suffer in silence.
This is wrong.
On average, twenty-four people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States. Nearly one in ten women in the U.S. have been raped by an intimate partner, while one in six have experienced stalking victimization in which they felt fearful or believed they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed. Those are staggering numbers.
To the strong women who shared their truths with me, thank you. I salute your bravery, resilience, and capacity to love. You are beautiful, capable, and worthy. You are magnificent and strong—and more powerful than you can imagine.
If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE.
MUSIC PLAYLIST
Thank you to the musical talents who influenced and inspired The Sound of Silence. Their creativity helped me bring this story to life.
“Smooth Operator” by Sade (The Ultimate Collection)
“Perfect Duet” by Ed Sheeran & Beyoncé (Perfect Duet)
“My Soul I” by Anna Leone (Wandered Away)
“I Feel Like I’m Drowning” by Two Feet (A 20 Something Fuck)
“Preach” by John Legend (Preach)
“When the Party’s Over” by Billie Eilish (When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?)
“Troubled - Stripped” by Halsey (Room 93)
“Howling” by Cathedrals (Howling)
“Con te partirò” by Andrea Bocelli (Bocelli, remastered)
“Moves Like Jagger: by Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera (Hands All Over)
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” by Frank Sinatra (Ultimate Sinatra)
“Moonlight Sonata” by Ludwig van Beethoven, Luke Woodapple (Peaceful Moments)
“When Yo Were Young” by Benjamin Francis Leftwich (When You Were Young)
“Nothin To Lose” by VASSY (Nothing To Lose)
“Too Close” by Next (Rated Next)
“Chandelier” by Sia (1000 Forms of Fear)
“Love Song” by Lana Del Rey (Norman Fucking Rockwell!)
“Take Me Under” by Three Days Grace (Three Days Grace)
“The Sound of Silence” by Pentatonix (The Sound of Silence)
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY
The Real Maisie
This little bug captured the hearts of so many on my social media accounts, I couldn’t help but give her a place in one of my stories…
Maisie, September 2020
About Dakota Willink
Dakota Willink is an Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Author. She loves writing about damaged heroes who fall in love with sassy and independent females. Her books are character driven, emotional, and sexy, yet written with a flare that keeps them real. With six published titles, a magazine publication, and the Leave Me BreathlessWorld under her belt, Dakota's imagination is constantly spinning new ideas.
The Stone Series is Dakota's first published book series. It has been recognized for various awards, including the Readers' Favorite 2017 Gold Medal in Romance. The Cadence duet was a finalist in the HEAR Now Festival Independent Audiobook Awards. In addition, Dakota has written under the alternate pen name, Marie Christy. Under this name, she has written and published a children's book for charity titled, And I Smile. Also writing as Marie Christy, she was a contributor to the Blunder Woman Productions project, Nevertheless We Persisted: Me Too, a 2019 Audie Award Finalist and Earphones Awards Winner. This project inspired Dakota to write The Sound of Silence, a dark romantic suspense novel.
Dakota often says she survived her first publishing with coffee and wine. She's an unabashed Star Wars fanatic and still dreams of one day getting her letter from Hogwarts. She enjoys spending time with her super-supportive husband and two witty teenagers, her two Labrador Retrievers, and her spoiled rotten cat. During the summer months, she can often be found soaking up the sun on the Great Lakes with her family.
Don’t miss out on Dakota’s latest news, including sales and upcoming book releases. Subscribe here: https://www.dakotawillink.com/subscribe.html.
For more books and authors in the Leave Me Breathless Collection, please visit
WWW.LEAVEMEBREATHLESSBOOKS.COM.