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Semua Bab Guiding Light to Rebirth: Bab 1 - Bab 10

13 Bab

Chapter 1

..."Mr. Hayes has lost his memory. He won't come back with us.""But we've reached out to the top neurologist. He'll get his memories back soon."The conversation was identical to the one from my last life, when I found the missing Ethan Hayes.This time, though, I felt no excitement or urgency.I turned it down and did two things.First, I went to the hospital for a full-body checkup.Second, with my ALS diagnosis in hand, I went to Ethan's parents to call off the engagement.His mother, Gloria Hayes, grabbed my hand and shook her head. "We can't call it off. Ethan loves you so much. He'd never marry anyone else."I stayed quiet and showed them a photo.In it, Ethan gazed at a woman playing a mermaid at the aquarium, obsessed."Rather than force him to marry a terminal patient like me, let's keep things as they are," I said. "Let him be with whom he loves. I don't want to hold him back anymore."In my last life, after Ethan vanished in an accident, I searched for him for

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Chapter 2

Her voice cracked into sobs. "I just want him by my side for a few more days." I listened quietly, but my gaze drifted past her to the man behind her.His eyes were fixed on me without blinking. His muscles tensed like a storm was brewing.The guy who once shadowed me like a protector was now her guard dog. He was ready to lunge and tear into me if I so much as threatened Hanna.I couldn't pin down the feeling in my chest. I just knew, in this new life, I couldn't selfishly tie him down anymore.I forced a smile. "Don't worry. I'm here to take you two back rather than break you up."Hanna jolted, staring at me in disbelief. "Both of us?""Yeah." I nodded. "You are his girl now. If I left you behind, he wouldn't come anyway. Pack up. You and Ethan are coming home."My voice stayed even as I added, "His parents know about you. They're fine with it."Overjoyed, she grabbed Ethan's hand and beamed at him before rushing off to pack.Only then did Ethan relax, sure I meant no harm

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Chapter 3

I went back into my room and boxed up all his old things, tossing them into the fire.Flames licked hot, but I felt soaked in freezing water.For days after, the yard echoed with banging and tearing.The whole garden of lilies Ethan had planted for me got dug up and replaced with Hanna's favorite red roses.The glass sunroom, where we played piano and watched sunsets, was smashed and turned into a pool for her workouts.Even the wisteria arbor where we first admitted our feelings got ripped out and dug into a pond she loved for lotuses.The day they planted the lotus seeds, Hanna blocked me in the yard.She lifted her chin, flashing the ring on her finger. "Ethan found this ring design in his room, saying it was for his future bride. He stayed up nights making it and proposed to me."She wiggled her finger. "What do you think, pretty?"The bird-and-fish pattern was my old favorite.I nodded, sincere. "It's gorgeous. Looks great on you.""But I hate it. We both know who that

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Chapter 4

The bodyguard grabbed me and hurled me into the water.The winter water bit me like knives. I shivered hard on contact, scrambling to get out, but he shoved my shoulder back down."No ring, no getting out." His voice was flat. "Want less pain? Find it fast."I bit my lip and gave in, bobbing in the filthy water. My fingers groped through the icy mud.Dirty water seeped up my sleeves, numbing my fingertips.From dawn to dusk, till Ethan's parents were due back, I finally snagged the ring.Gripping it, I dragged myself to Ethan's door and knocked.He opened the door, his eyes dark. "I'll let it slide this time. Just stay away from Hanna."He flipped his hand, and the ring sailed out of the window."Hanna doesn't like the style. I'll redesign one for her," he said.I watched the ring I'd fought for vanish into darkness and forced a smile.It made sense. He saw our past as baggage and naturally didn't want the ring that bore reminiscences....Even though Ethan's parents never

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Chapter 5

It seemed like a business rival Ethan had crushed and cornered lately.The man called Ethan, "Ethan, take a pick from your childhood sweetheart and your love post-amnesia. Who are you saving?"Ethan kept cool on screen, but seeing the bruises on Hanna's shoulder cracked him. "Touch a hair on Hanna, and I'll bury your whole crew!"I shut my eyes, a sour sting hitting them. Tears silently slipped down my face.No surprise. I should've known Ethan's pick.The kidnapper burst out laughing. "You think I'm giving you a choice?"At a gesture, his men dragged me into a glass box, shoving me against a warm body.The box got tossed into the sea, splashing huge. Weights on the bottom sped the sink.I yanked off my heels fast, slamming the metal spike into the glass.The torrent dragged at my limbs, glass shards cutting into my skin. I gritted my teeth, pulling the unconscious Hanna out of the container, and swam desperately toward the surface.By the time we broke water, I was spent, bu

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Chapter 6

...Word spread through the hospital that Ethan flew in some top shrinks worldwide to check Hanna for any trauma from the water.After her checkup, Hanna cooed that she wanted to share a lemon with Ethan.His voice was helpless and pleading. "Sharing a lemon brings bad luck. I don't wanna be apart from you."Right then, a random memory popped up in his head.It was a sunny day. A breeze jingled wind chimes at the window, carrying a wisteria scent.A girl bit the lemon he offered, loving it. Then she shoved the rest into his mouth.He freaked out, realizing what he had eaten. "Sharing a lemon brings bad luck. I don't wanna be apart from you."The girl gaped at his drama, but her face blurred like fog."Are you that scared of us breaking up?""Hell yeah, and I'll never give you the chance to leave."Ethan clutched his chest, his heart pounding from the flashback.He treasured that girl obsessively. Letting her go would drown his life in endless rain.Panic hit him, and he wo

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Chapter 7

Ethan saw through her act right away but went along, letting her bury herself into his arms.He patted her back and rang the bell to alarm the doctor.This routine had played out too many times, and Ethan finally caught on.Whenever he mentioned Debbie, Hanna would fake sickness to distract him.He sensed her fear, but he didn't get her nerves. After all, Debbie and he were just childhood friends.His mind was in turmoil until a wild idea popped up. "If Debbie and I were in love, how could she stand me with Hanna?"But he soon squashed the thought.He silently brushed Hanna's hair aside and looked at her fluttering lashes.He knew she was faking sleep, but she was his chosen love. Even clearing things with Debbie wouldn't change that.That would only upset Hanna. It was not worth it....With that in mind, he never mentioned Debbie again and stayed attentive to Hanna like before.But the calmer his mind, the more thoughts wandered unchecked. "If Debbie were my old love, wha

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Chapter 8

"You always say your birthday is at the start of the month, so you can't see the moon." The girl's voice trembled with sobs. "From now on, even without the moon, it's fine. I'll give you a whole galaxy instead."Ethan reached out to wipe her tears. The warmth at his fingertips burned his heart with pain.He struggled desperately in the water. Not for air, but to push aside that fog and see the face.His brain throbbed like countless needles stabbing it. He curled up in agony but refused to let go of that sliver of clarity.After what felt like forever, just before his consciousness faded completely, he finally saw it.Those eyes, teary yet smiling, belonged to Debbie."Debbie..." he murmured.As the water engulfed him, all the sealed memories rushed in like a tidal wave....These days abroad had felt like a century. From the initial culture shock to settling in now.My stepbrother, Cole Norton, took great care of me. He accompanied me to every hospital, big and small.He fo

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Chapter 9

I wondered, "What does Cole mean? Like Ethan? Like how he'd suddenly forget me one day and hurt me for someone else?"I quickly shook the thought out of my head.Cole wasn't Ethan. He'd never do that.But his vague words still bugged me.He always did that, dropping half-sentences and leaving me guessing.I stomped out to the yard, grabbed a shovel, and hacked at the ground a few times, pretending the snow was Cole's smug, mysterious face.The shovel suddenly slipped from my hand, thudding to the ground.I tried to bend down and pick it up, but my arms froze mid-air. I couldn't move them.Before I could call for help, my body was lifted off the ground. Cole scooped me up steadily in his arms.Pressed against his chest, I heard his strong, steady heartbeat. Thump after thump, like a reassuring drum.According to doctors, ALS was an incurable illness. Drugs and care could only slow it down.Muscles would gradually lose strength, stiffen, and waste away. Eventually, I'd be froz

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Chapter 10

The name echoed in Ethan's mind. It carried a dull familiarity.A slender figure suddenly surfaced in his memories.The girl stood amid a yard full of lilies, smiling at him. "Ethan, the butterfly orchids in the greenhouse are blooming. Let's go check them out together."He watched himself hurry over eagerly. But as he touched her, she shattered into countless butterflies and flew away.Her sad, ethereal sigh lingered in the air. "Ethan, we have no future."In the hospital room, Ethan's eyes snapped open.His cry shattered the silence. "Debbie!""Ethan! You're awake!" Hanna's face lit up with joy, then crumpled. "Thank God. If you didn't wake up, I wouldn't know what to do. Your folks would hate my guts, and I'd feel guilty forever. I never should've asked you to get the rosary beads for me. It's all my fault."Ethan listened quietly. His gaze fixed on the woman he'd treasured during his amnesia.He rasped, "Where is Debbie?"Hanna froze, then bit her lip. She wasn't giving u

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