Read Torn: Part Two (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) (The Torn Series Book 2) for Free Online Page A

really long story.” I let out a short, pathetic groan, wishing I hadn't said anything in the first place.
    “I have all the time in the world.”
    I open my mouth to speak but then see the waiter bringing us our drinks and close it again. We ramble off our orders and then I sit patiently while she squeezes a wedge of lemon into her tea and tops it off with two packets of Splenda before stirring. If I can remember this, I'll earn brownie points when she requests that I make her tea and I can do it without asking her how she likes it.
    “So are your brothers from your mother's side or your father's side?”
    “They're actually not related to me by blood,” I reply hesitantly. It's a reminder that I shouldn't be saddled with them in the first place. Technically, they're nothing to me.
    “Then why would you have to come back for them?”
    I furrow my brow, trying to think of how to explain things. “Our parents died, so I had to come back to finish raising them.”
    “How tragic.” She pulls the spoon out of her tea and sets it aside.
    “It is tragic. I left a life I loved behind for them, and we're not even related.” It's not exactly true. While I was satisfied with my life, I didn't exactly love it. Anything is better than this, though. “So this is what happened.” I exhale deeply, preparing to completely unload.
    Ann holds out her hand to stop me. “You don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to, Piper.”
    “If you don't want to hear it...” my voice trails off.
    “No. It's not that.” She shakes her head. “I can just tell that the subject makes you uncomfortable.”
    “It does. But I might feel better if I talk about it.”
    “Then I'm all ears.” A soft smile spreads across her face.
    My tongue darts out to lick my lips, my mouth feeling suddenly dry. I take a drink of water, but it seems like the moisture evaporates the second that I swallow. I just hope I can get through the story without falling apart.
    “My father died of prostate cancer when I was eleven. It was a hard time for me. He was my everything. I had always been a daddy's girl.” I stare through my glass of water, not really seeing it. Memories of fishing with my father and us playing with my dolls and him teaching me how to shoot a bow roll through my head like a happy montage of times past.
    “I'm so sorry, dear. You've experienced so much loss for someone so young.” Ann takes a sip of her tea, her eyes ever attentive.
    Ignoring her kind words, I continue, “My mother had always been the caregiver. My father was the fun parent. For that reason, my mother and I weren't particularly close. I didn't think we ever would be. For the longest time, I wished it had been her instead of him who had died.
    “His death brought us closer together though. In the following years, she really stepped up to the plate. She did whatever she could to fill his shoes. She became like...the best mom ever.” My eyes begin to water as I think of those happy years when we did everything together and shared everything like best friends. “But then she met a man,” my tone takes a sullen turn.
    “Your step-father?” She puts the pieces together.
    “Yes.” I nod, feeling bitterness pooling in my heart. “It wasn't bad at first. He seemed nice. People aren't always what they seem, though.
    “No, they're not.”
    “He had two sons. One was just an infant, the other not much older. When he and my mom began getting serious, I ended up saddled with babysitting all of the time. My mother became distant to me. She seemed obsessed with dating this man. I became less of a daughter and more of a maid and nanny.
    “I talked to my mom about it, but she never listened. She had turned into someone else. Her focus was solely on making Vince happy and building a life with him.
    “They got married and then somehow both forgot how to be parents,” I let out a disgruntled huff. “To make matters worse, Vince and the boys were like wrecking balls. All