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Semua Bab His Signal Played Favorites: Bab 1 - Bab 9

9 Bab

Chapter 1

After sending the photos, I tightened my grip on my phone."Nora, do you seriously have to keep score right now?"Someone from the towing company kept telling him to sign the paperwork.Jason lowered his voice. "They impounded the RV. If I don't fix this today, the whole trip falls apart. Just send the money first.""So you saw the photos?""Yeah.""And the medical report?""I don't have time for this, Nora. I'm not letting all this content go to waste.""I told you three months ago I was done paying your bills.""You were mad. I didn't think you meant it. I'm on the road—I can't keep up with everything back home."I stared at the IV taped to my hand."Everything back home? Is that what my emergency surgery was too?"Wind howled through the phone.Then Mabel cut in."Jason, are we still going live tonight?"He went quiet for a few seconds. "I've put too much into this trip to stop now. Just help me fix this, and we'll talk when I'm back.""When you livestreamed the sunr

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Chapter 2

I stayed planted in the doorway.Jason glanced down the hall. "Nora, don't let the neighbors see this. Just let her in.""When I got rushed to the ER, didn't that count as sick?"He looked away. "Don't drag up old fights. You just got out of the hospital. Go rest."In the end, I stepped aside.Mabel rubbed her eyes. "Don't blame Jason. He was struggling with the altitude too, and he still stayed with me all night."She looked at him. "Out there, I was the only one with him."I pulled up that video.Jason was using the satellite phone to livestream the sunrise for her."When she had chest pain and couldn't breathe, you stayed. When I was on my knees outside the ER from the pain, who stayed with me?"Jason reached for Mabel. "Sit down."He used to help me the same way whenever I had a fever."Do you still have that medicine? Mabel needs a couple too.""It's fine, Jason. I can handle it."He handed her a glass of water."Don't push yourself."I watched in silence.Then Ja

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Chapter 3

The employee looked at Mabel.Mabel gripped the skirt.Jason stepped in front of her. "Nora, it's just a quick shoot. Don't make it a whole thing."I looked at him."So now even the wedding dress is up for grabs?"His jaw tightened. "Everyone's watching. Do you have to humiliate me?"The MC stepped in to keep the program moving and announced the thank-you segment.Then I heard the MC mention the bridal bouquet.I turned toward the stage.My bouquet had been torn apart.Some of the flowers were pinned to Mabel's dress. The rest were scattered across the stage and photo area.I looked at Jason. "Do you even know I picked that bouquet myself?"He went quiet for a second."It's just flowers. I'll buy you another one."A relative called to ask if the wedding was off.Then she asked why social media was blowing up with posts about Jason and Mabel's fan event."Stop being so controlling."Jason heard her."See? Everyone thinks you need to grow up."He reached for my hand.

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Chapter 4

The recording ended.The whole ballroom went dead silent.The same people who'd been screaming for me to apologize stood frozen, phones still raised.Jason's hand hovered over the audio cable.He couldn't decide whether to pull it or leave it.The MC recovered first."There may be some misunderstanding. Everyone, please stay calm—"I didn't look at him.I only looked at Jason."Is it a misunderstanding?"He turned around.His face had gone pale, but his voice stayed low."Nora, you can't take that out of context. We were joking.""A joke?"I played the next recording. "Then let's hear the whole thing."The RV door slammed through the speakers."Jason, isn't this too cruel? Nora already mortgaged her apartment for you."Jason laughed."She'll never leave. Her biggest fear is me dying out there."Someone in the crowd gasped.The recording kept going.Then Mabel's voice came through, way steadier than it had been onstage."What if she finds out you actually have sign

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Chapter 5

The fan event video blew up online.I never read the comments.I was at the hospital, sitting with Mom while she got an IV.When she woke up, Jason wasn't the first thing she asked about."Nora... does it still hurt?"I held her hand."Not anymore."She stared at my pale face, her eyes filling with tears."I wasn't talking about the surgery."I lowered my head.After a long silence, I said, "It used to. Not anymore."Even I paused at that.Maybe that was what letting go really felt like.Not falling apart.Just finally being done making excuses for someone.The next day, Mabel posted a video.She sat against a plain white wall, eyes red and swollen, claiming Jason had fooled her too."I thought Jason and Nora were already over. I admit I depended on him, but I never meant to hurt anyone. In those recordings, I was just asking a random question. I never thought it would turn into this."I watched it, then sent my lawyer screenshots from the security cameras outside my

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Chapter 6

Third-Person POVEarly on the third morning, Jason started scrolling through their old messages.At first, he just wanted proof Nora had forgiven him before. Proof their relationship had meant something.But the farther he scrolled, the quieter he got.Before every snowstorm, Nora warned him.[The temperature's dropping tomorrow night. Don't drive after dark.][This supply station closed. I contacted the next one for you. Here's the number.][The mechanic said your RV's right rear tire was badly worn at the last service. Don't put it off.]And how had he replied?[Got it.][You don't have to worry about everything.][Nora, I'm not a kid.]Sometimes, he hadn't replied at all.He used to think Nora was annoying—a rope always yanking him off the road and back home.Now he understood.She hadn't been holding him back.She'd been his lifeline.Then he found a viral video.Standing beside a snow-covered highway, he told the camera, "If Mabel hadn't warned me not to keep goi

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Chapter 7

Jason tried to make things right, but he rushed it—and got everything wrong.The first time he came by, he brought food.I opened the container. Seafood chowder."I can't eat this after surgery."He froze. "I asked the cashier. They said it was easy on the stomach.""You used to remember that I'm allergic to seafood."His grip tightened on the bag. "I... I've had a lot on my mind."I didn't take it. "You should go."The second time, he brought roasted chestnuts.He waited downstairs for two hours. When he finally saw me, he looked like he'd found a piece of our past."Nora, these were from your favorite place."I glanced at the bag. "They opened a location around the corner. They're not hard to get anymore."Jason had nothing to say.I still didn't take them."Besides, the smell makes my incision ache now."His face went pale.He knew exactly which day I meant.Back then, he'd given half the bag to Mabel and thought handing me the leftovers would win me back.The thir

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Chapter 8

I stood in the doorway and watched him for a second. "You can keep those."Jason looked up, desperate hope flashing in his eyes.I said, "I don't need them anymore."The hope vanished.He couldn't stop thinking about the ER voice message I'd never released.He knew he had no right to hear it, but not knowing ate at him.He texted me.[Can I listen to it just once?]I didn't answer.Another message came in.[I'm not asking you to forgive me. I just want to know what you went through that day.]This time, I replied.[What would that change?]Jason stared at the screen, typed out a dozen replies, then deleted them all.In the end, he sent one line.[At least let me know how badly I failed you.]I never answered.Two weeks later, we met to sign the agreement ending our engagement.Jason showed up in a suit, half an hour early. He ordered my old favorite tea and checked the menu twice.He probably thought we could share one last meal.I brought only the paperwork.The s

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Chapter 9

Nora's POVA year later, I went to Northreach.Not with Jason. Not chasing an RV.I joined an official guided road-trip group, signed the safety waiver, and got the full breakdown—route, supplies, hotels, emergency contacts, rescue hotline.At every stop, the tour leader did a head count in the group chat.[Nora, copy?]I replied:[Got it.]Two simple words, but they made me sit quietly in the car for a long time.Back then, those were the messages I sent Jason most.[Jason, copy?][Did you make it?][Did you stop for the night?]I spent too many nights waiting for an answer. Eventually, even my phone buzzing made my heart race.Now, it's different.The lead vehicle waits. The tour leader does a head count. The people with me say there's no rush.The day we reached the base of the snow-covered mountains, the weather was perfect.The tour leader warned us not to climb too fast and to speak up if the altitude got to us.One of the women glanced at me. "You came alone. A

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