Semua Bab The Call That Undid Us: Bab 1 - Bab 10

10 Bab

Chapter 1

I just stood there, frozen, staring at the phone.The girl paused, then said, a little thrown, "Liam? You there?"That voice—I knew it.It was Nina. Eighteen.Memories slammed into me like a wave. Twelve years ago, around this time, Nina called to tell me she was in love.I forced the panic down. My voice came out dry. "What do you want with Liam?"She hesitated. "Who is this?"I dodged it. "You're calling Liam Lambert... planning to confess, right?"She coughed, surprised. "How do you know that?"Just like I thought.I shut my eyes, fighting the sting in my chest. "Don't do it. Twelve years from now, you'll break his heart."Silence.Then she fired back, sharp and sure. "No way!"I could almost see her face—young, stubborn, full of fire.Back then, she loved hard. She had no clue who she'd become.I glanced down, ready to say more—but the door swung open.I hung up fast, shoved the phone in my pocket, played it cool.Right before the line cut, I swear I heard her mumb

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Chapter 2

Her words hit like a gut punch."If you're so into Ray, just sign the papers. Be with him for real.""Liam Lambert! When did I ever say I liked him?" she snapped, yanking the papers from my hand. "And where do you think you're even going? You're thirty, haven't worked in seven years, totally out of touch. Who's gonna hire you now? How are you gonna survive?"Cold. Brutal.Seven years ago, Nina and I were both prepping for interviews at one of the top companies in Avendale.The day before, I got into a car crash while out grabbing fruit—for her. Shattered my leg. Three months in bed.She went solo. Nailed it.When the offer came, she hugged me tight, whispering, "Liam, you got hurt because of me. My job's just starting, and Sasha's still little. Stay home with her. I'll take care of us."Thinking about it made my chest twist. I wanted to snap back, say something—anything—but the words just died in my throat.Nina ripped the divorce papers to shreds. That's when her anger finall

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Chapter 3

"The day after Liam's birthday, he'll get jumped on his way home. He'll get his hand sliced."Nina didn't even pause. "Got it. I'll be careful."Click. She hung up.I slid the phone back in my pocket. It was already past midnight.Still no sign of Nina or Sasha.Usually, I'd be pacing like crazy. But tonight? I just brushed my teeth and crashed.***Next morning, the house was dead quiet. They hadn't come back.I didn't feel much—until I noticed my hand. Smooth. No scar. I froze.Then it hit me. A whole new set of memories crashed in:Day after my eighteenth birthday, I was heading home like usual when some guy jumped me, waving a knife around like a psycho. Before he could land a hit, Nina showed up—with cops trailing right behind her. They tackled him in seconds.The past actually changed.I laughed, half in shock, half in disbelief, tears rolling before I even noticed.Then my phone lit up. Young Nina again.I answered, and she burst out, buzzing with adrenaline. "Than

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Chapter 4

My chest tightened. Something was off—I could feel it. I took off running for the bar.Nina's voice looped in my head: "Then tell me—how exactly do I hurt him in the future?"Right before I got there, I clenched my jaw, unlocked my phone, and called 18-year-old Nina.'Nina, you better listen up. Thirty-year-old you wrecked everything.'The second I stepped inside, I saw her. Nina was straight-up brawling with another woman.Total chaos—chairs flipped, tables sideways, glass everywhere.I was about to jump in when Nina's secretary, Poppy, grabbed my arm."Mr. Lambert, please—don't. You could get hurt."I frowned. "This isn't like her. What happened?"She looked down, sighing. "Some women were all over Ray. Ms. Reid snapped and started swinging—"Poppy froze, shot me a glance, then scrambled, "I-I mean, I was just rambling. Don't take it the wrong way."I didn't answer. My eyes were already locked on Nina.And then my stomach dropped.Sasha—my six-year-old—had somehow wander

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Chapter 5

I gritted my teeth and forced myself up.Poppy ran over. "Mr. Lambert, are you okay? I saw you take that bottle for Sasha..."She reached out, but the second her hand brushed my back, she froze."Oh my god. You're bleeding bad! This is serious. How did Ms. Reid not even notice?"She ended up driving me to the hospital. They patched me up.I went home alone.Just like I figured—Nina and Sasha still weren't back.I checked the old phone. No clue when the call had dropped.Not long after, it buzzed again. I picked up.Nina's voice came through. "You're Liam from the future, aren't you?"My fingers twitched. I didn't say a word—but she knew.She kept going. "What you told me earlier—about the awful stuff I said to Liam—that wasn't a guess, was it? You lived through that."A bitter smile crept in. "Yeah.""Liam, the way I hurt you in the future... That's why you begged me to stay away, isn't it?""Right."Silence.Then she asked, "Do you regret marrying me?"I took a breath

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Chapter 6

Nina used to say she liked stacking big days—like our anniversary and my birthday.But on my eighteenth? Her confession never came.After graduation, we drifted. I ended up confessing first.She turned me down. Hard.Then picked a college in a totally different city.Didn't matter how much I begged for a reason—she never gave one.Back then, I didn't get it. But that cold switch-up haunted me for years.Even in college, with girls constantly hitting on me, I never said yes to anyone.After that, I buried myself in grad school.Climbed my way up—until I landed a lecturer job at my old university.Two sets of memories twisted in my head, fighting for space—Until a warm hand on my shoulder snapped me out of it.I turned. A soft voice asked, "Dr. Lambert, are you okay? Is it low blood sugar?"She pulled a candy from her pocket and handed it over.That title—Doctor—hit me like a jolt.It was real. Everything had changed."Dr. Lambert, are you sure? Want me to walk you to th

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Chapter 7

Nina and Ray's presentation wrapped, and the room broke into applause.I clapped with the rest, catching them out of the corner of my eye as they slid into the second row. I could just make out her side profile.Ray popped open a water bottle and passed it over. She smiled—soft, sweet.I looked away, eyes back on the stage.After the lecture, I headed out with two of my students.We took a quieter exit. The second I stepped into the hallway, someone grabbed my arm.I turned—Nina. Tense."I need to talk to you."Once I said bye to the students, she pulled me the other way. We walked until we hit an empty corner. I yanked my arm back."Whatever it is, say it here."Her stare was ice. "Tell me what's going on. Why did I suddenly go from living at home to crashing at the office?"My chest clenched.I kept my tone steady. "No clue what you're talking about."Her eyes lost their spark. "What really happened between us twelve years ago?"I raised a brow. "You turned me down. Pic

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Chapter 8

Out of nowhere, Julia dropped a familiar name. "You remember Nina Reid? From that last lecture?"The other girl lit up. "Yeah, what about her?""Her assistant, Mr. Chapman? He confessed—and she shut him down."The girl's jaw dropped. "Wait, I thought they were already a thing."Julia grinned. "Nope. They just flirt so much, everyone assumed."The girl dragged out an "ohhh." "But why'd she turn him down? I heard she's super nice to him. Bet she likes him too."Julia gave a sly smile. "No clue. But get this—someone said during a meeting, she totally spaced out. Then outta nowhere, she starts telling people she's married... and has a daughter yay tall." She held up her hand."Now people think she's cracked from the stress."I raised a brow. "Seriously? That bad? Is that even true?"Julia nodded fast. "Swear. My friend's an intern there. She saw—"She froze, eyes darting behind me. "Hi, Ms. Reid."I turned. Nina had appeared out of nowhere, giving me a small nod."Dr. Lambert,

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Chapter 9

Ever since the promotion, work had been nonstop. Late nights, back-to-back deadlines—I was barely staying afloat.Then I crashed. Literally. Midweek burnout earned me a forced break."We'll handle everything. Just rest for a couple days. We're heading back to work now."I hung up and dropped my phone on the nightstand. Tried to sleep. No luck.Then the doorbell started going off—again and again.Groaning, I dragged myself up, completely wiped."Who is it?"I opened the door—and there was Nina, arms loaded with meds and supplements."Heard you were sick. Thought I'd check in."Too tired to ask how she even knew. I just turned. "Come in."She walked in quietly, set everything on the table. Bottles and boxes spilled across it."This one's for the cold, this one's for nutrients, and this one..."She kept going, pulling out chicken like she was on some mission."I brought mushrooms too. Thought I'd make you some cream soup."I glanced at the pile of stuff and gave a weak wave.

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Chapter 10

My tone was sharp—no room left for her to linger. Nina pressed her lips together, eyes full of hesitation."Liam... do you really want me to leave that badly?"I didn't answer.She looked at me for a beat, then suddenly grabbed my hand."Liam, won't you give me another chance? I swear, I'll get it right this time!" She raised her hand like she was making a vow.My thoughts drifted.This version of her—kind, gentle—it didn't feel real. It'd been forever since she acted like this.As I looked at her, her face blurred into the eighteen-year-old Nina I used to know... then morphed into the cold woman who once pushed me away for Ray.Memories tangled. I stared, dazed. "Who even are you?"She blinked, then smiled soft. "I'm Nina."Yeah. She was. Eighteen or thirty—it was all still her.She placed my hand over her heart, eyes full of everything she was trying to say."So... will you give me another chance?"Her gaze was steady, sincere. I looked right back and said quietly, "I'm

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