?Chapter 1043:


    Rickey’s face reddened even more. He opened the letter, and after seeing the name, he frowned and asked her to return it privately.


    They had been friends since elementary school and had seen the best and worst of each other over the years. They could talk about almost everything, from the most trivial topics to the most serious things.


    Their bond was like that of siblings, and Aurora could never see it going beyond tonic.


    She couldn’t tell if he meant it when he said he liked her, because he was never the type to take things seriously. Though he had always tried to act mature, he’d always end up making a mess of things.


    It was unexpected, but Aurora knew they could never go back to how things were between them.


    “I do,” she said, keeping her voice firm and steady. “In fact, we’ve been seeing each other for a while now.”


    A long, suffocating silence stretched between them. Then, Rickey’s voice broke through, strained. “Have I lost you forever, Aurora?”


    If he weren’t drunk, Rickey would never have the guts to talk about this with her.


    This was the first time since going abroad that he regretted not holding on to her when he had the chance.


    But would that regret define their futures?


    Rickey clung to a bottle of wine, his sobs quiet and raw, echoing through the halls of the bar as his heart poured out in drunken mumbles. “Can’t we go back to before things changed between us?”


    Everything had been great before Aurora’s college entrance exam. Dunn hadn’t yet realized his feelings for her, and Rickey couldugh and joke around with Aurora every day.


    It was said that affection could blossom into love. If he hadn’t left the country, maybe they would have already been together. He would never have left her side, ensuring she wouldn’t have the time to think about anyone else.


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    Back then, Rickey had never truly understood love. But now he saw it as a fierce, overwhelming desire to possess. He didn’t want Aurora to look at other men, talk to them, or even offer them a polite smile. He wanted her eyes and heart to belong to him alone; he wanted to be the only man in her life.


    Just the thought of Aurora being with Dunn sent a sharp pain through Rickey’s chest.


    He had been a fool, letting go of someone so precious, only to realize it now, drowning in regret.


    “Aurora… Aurora…” He murmured her name over and over, lost in the haze of alcohol and his emotions.


    “Rickey, stop it.”


    “Aurora!”


    “Rickey!”


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