Coming Back To You by Donya Lynne Read Free Book Online Page A

want and who I want to be. I began standing up
for myself. All my life, I let people walk all over me. I never
stood up for myself.” Karma grinned at the memory of when she let
loose on that bitch Jolene at work and then again at her parents’
house on Memorial Day. “After I met Mark, all that changed. I
refused to take other people’s shit, anymore.”
    “So, Mark helped you find your voice, too?
And he helped you feel more confident, in general?”
    “Yes.”
    Jan quietly eyed her then said, “Have you
ever considered that maybe Mark’s purpose in your life was simply
to be a catalyst?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “It sounds like he brought out the best in
you. He helped you discard old beliefs and old ways of thinking
that weren’t serving you. Maybe that was his purpose in your
life.”
    Karma had benefited in so many ways from
knowing Mark. She was a better person now than she had been a year
ago, and it was all because of him. But if he had only been a
stepping-stone for her, wouldn’t that mean she had been the same
for him?
    “Well then, what was my purpose in his life?”
    The tiny laugh lines at the outside corners
of Jan’s eyes crinkled as she smiled. “That’s for him to find out.
We’re here to help you .”
    Karma’s brow furrowed as she glanced out the
window at the partially frozen pond. She felt like she was missing
something. Some vital clue about Mark, his intentions, or maybe his
purpose in her life
    She didn’t feel as if he’d been just a
stepping-stone.
    So then…what was he?
    By the end of the hour, Karma felt both
relieved and conflicted. As if a weight had been lifted and
another, lighter weight, had replaced it. Recounting the details of
her special times with Mark had ripped her heart open all over
again…and yet healed a tiny piece of it at the same time.
    “I want you to keep writing in your blog,”
Jan said, setting her tablet aside. “Every day, even if only a
paragraph or two.”
    “Okay.” Karma gathered her purse and dabbed
another tissue on her damp cheeks.
    “Also, before our next appointment, I’d like
you to make a list of all the things you enjoyed before you met
Mark. Besides writing, what were you passionate about? Think all
the way back to when you were a kid. What gave you the most
joy?”
    Karma tossed the tissue in the trash can. “Do
you want me to write that in my blog, too?”
    “That would be perfect.”
    Karma’s mind was already sifting through her
memories, trying to come up with all the things she used to like.
Had life really existed before Mark? Sometimes it didn’t feel like
it.
    Jan opened the door and led her through the
quaint reception area. “Great session today, Karma. You’re already
making big breakthroughs.”
    “Thank you.” Karma pressed her fingertips to
the puffy, heated skin under her eyes. She sure didn’t feel like
she was making progress. In fact, she felt like she was getting
worse.
    But then, maybe that was what Jan considered
big breakthroughs. Maybe repairing her wounded emotions was like
rehabbing an old house. She had to tear down all the walls and gut
the place before she could rebuild. She sure felt gutted.
    After returning home, Karma slipped into a
pair of sweats and a sweatshirt, grabbed a bag of Doritos, trudged
to the couch, and flopped down on the cushions.
    She pointed the remote at the TV and turned
it on.
Click…click…click…
    She was becoming a pro at channel surfing.
She stopped when she reached the Food Network. The Barefoot
Contessa was on, demonstrating how to make French-style sole.
Karma’s mouth watered, and she scrunched her nose at the bag of
Doritos before setting it aside. Then she turned up the volume and
watched Ina Garten pour butter sauce over her lightly poached sole
fillets and slip them into the oven.
    Hmm, that looks pretty good. Simple,
too.
    She used to love cooking, not that she had a
huge repertoire of dishes, but she made a mean homemade
lasagna.
    Thinking about the