Falling For My Stepbrother

Prologue

All of my works are copyrighted under the copyright, Designs and Patents act 1988. This includes all chapters, prologues/epilogues and associated content. Any unauthorized copying, broadcasting manipulation, distribution of selling of this work constitutes as an infringement of copyright. Any infringement of this copyright is punishable by law.

Copyright © 2013-2016 starlightclarity.

PART ONE: UNRAVELING TYLER HUDSON

Prologue

My life changed completely when my mom and my dad got divorced. I was no longer a happy teenager who had both her parents to love and care for her. I was instantly transformed into an unhappy girl with only one parent-my mom-while watching jealously from the sidelines as my dad embraced his new girlfriend, called Meredith, who was his office secretary, and her expanding middle that contained a hateful new baby. The cause of my misery.

The divorce came as a surprise to me and my siblings. We thought our parents had been getting along pretty well. Words would never describe the anger and betrayal that I'd felt within me when I heard that my dad had been having an affair with the blonde and curvy Meredith Bloomberg for over a year now, and now he was dumping his lovely family for her, just because he'd gotten her pregnant. My feelings were nothing compared to what my mom must have felt.

Since then, everything in my life fell out of place. Dad moved out and got a new house across town, taking my sister Bailey and my brother Jeff along with him. I missed them so much that I'd cry sometimes at night when I was in bed alone. My mother drifted off into a world of her own, and started to neglect me. I couldn't keep track of the days I'd spent home alone after school when she went to work and didn't return home until late afternoon. When she did return, she'd tell me to prepare myself dinner and drift off into her room to watch a soap opera. Most likely, one with cheating husbands and the like.

Sometimes my best friend Hannah Woods would come over after school to keep me company. Hannah's parents were divorced too. We'd watch movies, do homework, braid each other's hair, and just talk about life in general. You know, the kinds of things best friends did. Hannah understood me in ways no one else could. We always hung out at school and were together through thick and thin.

One Friday afternoon Mom came out of her room, dressed elaborately in head to toe black, with a suitcase in one hand. Her blonde hair was styled perfectly atop her head in an elegant bun. She wore makeup, something I hadn't seen her do in ages. By this dramatic transformation I knew somethig was definitely up.

Hannah and I had been seated on the floor, playing a game of Scrabble when she approached us, taking slow, steady yet confident steps in her high heeled shoes. Hannah glanced at me curiously. I just shrugged, having no idea what was going on.

I worked up the nerve to ask, "Mom, where are you going? It's late,"

"Annabella,would you mind holding the house for me while I go visit some friends for the weekend?" Mom asked.
"I'm going to New York and should be back first thing Monday morning for work."

"Um, okay," I said uneasily. "Well, could Hannah stay over? I don't wanna be here all by myself,"

"What a brilliant idea!" My mom declared with surprising enthusiasm. I couldn't help but stare at her as if she were an alien.

After she made arrangements with Hannah's parents, my mom departed for the train station that would take her to New York.

"Why do you think your mom is going to New York?" asked Hannah.

I buried my face in my hands. "I don't know. All I hope is that she comes back alive and okay. She's been acting pretty aloof of late ever since my dad left with Bailey and Jeff,"

Hannah patted my hand comfortingly. "It will all get better in time, Annie. When my parents got divorced, they were always feuding on who got to keep me most of the time, even though I chose to stay with my mother. Eventually my dad came to accept that he could only see me on weekends, or never at all," She said.

I scowled, wiping away tears from my eyes. "This is all my dad's fault . If he had calmed his raging hormones and not made that stupid Meredith pregnant, we'd still be a family by now."

"I know. But sometimes things happen for the best. Look at it this way. Your mom no longer cries or is moody of late, is she? As she was when your dad was out late and stuff, but tonight she seemed like a totally different person," Hannah said, mystified.

"I'm wondering what's up with her myself," I confided. "There has to be something going on her life to make her jolly all of a sudden. I strongly suspect she's seeing someone. Maybe or maybe not, but I'm gonna find out,"

"How are you gonna do that?" Hannah asked curiously.

I used the house key to open my mom's room and soon came back with her laptop.

"Through this,"I said smugly.

Hannah looked uneasy. "I don't think we should be prying into your mom's personal life,you know,Annabella. I mean, if she finds out-"

"She won't." I interrupted. "I can assure you that. Besides, if she is dating someone, at least she could've told me. I'm the only one she has left and she owes it to me to tell me, especially since I do most of the work around here anyways,"

Hannah sighed. "If you say so. But don't think that I'm in any way happy to be accomplice in this," she added, narrowing her dark eyes at me.

I rolled my eyes at her and powered up the laptop. Luckily my mom was still signed into her messenger. I skimmed the list of contacts keenly, only coming across people we both knew or business associates. Just as I was about to give up, the name of a strange man met my eyes. It was a man called Ronald Hudson. Nope, the name didn't ring a bell in my memory.

"Bingo! Han, let's read their messages," I said.

Hannah and I settled down on two cushions and lay across our stomachs skimming through the messages exchanged between my mom and this Ronald guy. My eyes widened.

I learned that they had actually met on some dating site over the internet. Since when was my mom so desperate for a man's love to scout the internet for them? She should know that doing so wasn't at all safe!

They had been dating online, on and off for about four months when my mom decided to meet up with him in New York.

Sighing, I got up and shut down the laptop,then put it back where it belonged. I was too upset to do anything else fun for the night so Hannah and I crawled into our sleeping bags and fell asleep.

The weekend passed by quickly, and before I knew it, my mom was back. She looked youthful, rejuvenated and tanned. I felt slightly envious, glancing at my winter pale skin, but happy for her that she was finally able to relax and have a good time with her "friends."

"How was your stay with your friends, Mom?" I asked sarcastically.

"Oh, it was good." Mom replied nonchalantly, missing the sarcasm in my voice.

The weeks went by and by as usual. School closed up for the summer and Mom went off to spend yet another weekend in New York with her boyfriend Ronald. She'd never gotten around to telling me as yet, but by the looks of it, she would pretty soon.

One day in July, Mom sat me down for a chat.

She retold everything to me about Ronald. He was apparently some rich associate of some bank in New York . He was divorced and had two children, a son one year older than me and a three year old daughter. I was squirming in my seat the whole time, not liking the sound of this one bit. As Mom related her love for Ronald to me, I couldn't help but face the fact that the dreaded question was about to come soon.

And it did...

"Annabella, would you like to move to New York ?" my mom asked eagerly, her bright blue eyes shining.