LEO couldn’t believe what happened. For a minute there, he thought he had imagined everything. That the woman just looked like his ex-girlfriend. But when he looked into her wide eyes and saw the shock there, he confirmed that it really was Karma. And the fact that she bolted like a scared little mouse—that gave her away.
Karma Camille Reyes—the woman who was once his life and everything. The woman he hurt three years ago. The reason why he followed to America, just to forget her. She was the one who got away.
He would never forget her beautiful face. Even if she looked so different now. Her long, straight hair back then was now short. Her hair was now shoulder-length with side bangs. She had gained a little weight, but in the right places. He never thought he would see her again. He had no intention of seeing Karma again because the last time he tried, she made it very clear that she wanted nothing to do with him and that she was done with him.
“Um, what happened?” said the woman who appeared with Karma.
Nicole looked at her. “Let’s go and follow Karma upstairs, Brenn.”
He and Enzo were left in the kitchen. His step-brother looked at him, confusion playing on his face. “Do you know Karma?” he asked, eyebrows meeting.
He let out a deep sigh before answering. “She’s my ex-girlfriend,” he admitted.
“Really? Wow. What a small world.”
“Small world, indeed,” he whispered. Seeing Karma again had unlocked something inside him. He would be lying if he said that the girl had never crossed his mind while he was in America. Forgetting her had not been easy. And now that they were face to face again, he didn’t know what to do. Maybe fate had brought them together again so they could become friends and start all over. Besides, he believed that everyone deserved a second chance. But the problem was Karma. Because she didn’t believe in second chances.
“I-I CAN’T do this. I’m sorry. I don’t want to be a bridesmaid, I just want to go home,” Karma blurted out to her friends as they entered the room.
“No, please don’t think like that, Karm,” said Nicole.
“Karm, what happened?” asked Brenna. “That was definitely not the reaction I was hoping for from you. Yes, you ran away, but you looked like you saw a ghost. Look at yourself—you’re pale!”
Her knees gave way, and she sank onto the bed. She caught her reflection in the vanity mirror, and Brenna wasn’t exaggerating. She looked so pale, like she had seen someone decapitated.
“Karm? What really happened?” pressed Nicole.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then looked at her friends. “I know him… Enzo’s brother. He’s Leo.” She closed her eyes again, trying to push the thought out of her mind.
“Oh, son of the flying cheesecake! Leo? The ex-boyfriend Leo? As in Leo Ledesma?”
“Leo? Your ex-boyfriend?” Nicole’s eyes went wide with surprise. Karma nodded miserably.
Brenna furrowed her brow. “But Enzo’s last name isn’t Ledesma, right?”
“They’re not actually siblings. They’re just stepbrothers,” Nicole explained. “Enzo’s father married Leo’s mother four years ago. Since then, they lived in America, except for Leo, who went to America a year later. That was three years ago, the same year I met Enzo.”
“Three years ago…?” Brenna looked at her. “That’s the time when…”
“We broke up,” she finished, cutting off what she was about to say. She remembered Leo saying his family was in America. She hadn’t met his family yet because they only met a few months after his mother’s remarriage. Leo became her client—she was his interior decorator when he got a penthouse. When they first met, sparks flew, and that’s when he decided not to follow his family to America. He was a civil engineer at a big company and had only planned to finish the project he was working on before moving. But because they met, that never happened. Not until they broke up.
“No wonder he looks familiar to me,” Brenna said, glancing at her friend. Brenna had only seen Leo once, back when his hair was still long. She hadn’t been a department head at the time and was assigned elsewhere.
“So what are you going to do now?” Brenna asked.
Karma rubbed her palms over her face. “I don’t know. I want to go home. I’m so sorry, Nik. I just don’t know how to act normal when he’s here.”
“I suggest you stay, Karm,” Brenna said. “Leaving now is basically admitting that you’re still affected by him. Besides, you’re here for Nicole and Enzo’s wedding, not for him.”
“Brenna’s right, Karm,” Nicole added. “Please stay—for my wedding.”
She sighed at her friend’s words.
Brenna sat beside her. “Or maybe… you take revenge.” She glanced at her suddenly. “He hurt you back then—he broke your heart. This is your chance, Karm. Didn’t you say you wanted to hurt him too?”
“I-I…” Karma looked at her friends, her gaze darting around. Yes, that had been on her mind three years ago. But now, facing Leo again, she didn’t know what to do. “I don’t know if I can do that, Brenn,” she whispered.
“Or just ignore him as best as you can!”
Karma looked at Nicole, who let out a deep sigh. “I don’t know how Leo hurt you back then, or how much pain he caused. That’s your decision, Karm, and whatever you decide about him, we’re right here as your friends. I’m only asking you, please don’t leave. Please stay for my wedding.”
She bit her lower lip, thinking. Maybe she could avoid Leo. After all, the house was big. And if he cornered her, her friends—especially Brenna—would be there to help. Yes, seeing Leo again affected her. It shouldn’t be so hard to remain unaffected, but it was. Still, did she really need to back out and go home? Brenna was right—it would basically show Leo her weakness.
She looked at Nicole and nodded. “Okay. I’m not going home.” she said.