?Chapter 1080:


    “Stop talking nonsense! Stay awake, you hear me?”


    But Rickey’s words came again, unchanging. “I’m dying. Will youe see me?”


    “You are not dying! Don’t you dare give up!”


    “Will youe see me?” His voice was faint but unyielding.


    Aurora’s nails bit into her palm as her heart thundered against her ribs. She stood mere steps from the restaurant entrance when Dunn appeared, searching for her.


    “I’m sorry, Dunn.” Aurora met his eyes, her gaze unnaturally steady. “Rickey, I’m booking a flight right now. You stay alive until I get there!”


    Rickey’s consciousness slipped away as the world tilted around him.


    The phone fell from his grasp.


    Dunn reached her side, instantly taking in her ashen face. “What happened?”


    Aurora tried to exin the situation to Dunn with as few words as possible.


    “I’m so sorry, Dunn. Rickey’s been in a car ident overseas. It’s serious—he’s in critical condition. I have to go to him.”


    Dunn’s brows furrowed. “Rickey?”


    “Yeah. He’s a childhood friend, someone I’ve known for years.”


    Dunn didn’t hesitate for even a heartbeat. “I’ll go with you.”


    “No.” Aurora shook her head. “Your parents, my parents—they’re inside, waiting. This dinner matters. We’ve spent so much time trying to mend things between them. If we both walk out now, everything we’ve worked for could unravel.”


    She needed him to stay—to hold the fort—while she went to face whatevery ahead.


    The dinner had been carefully arranged, every detail nned, every seat filled. Walking away would be an insult they couldn’t afford.


    g???????ν??????.??0?? – Next part


    Dunn took in her words, understanding settling in his eyes. After a brief silence, he nodded. “I’ll have my driver take you to the airport. I’ll handle your flight—don’t worry about anything.”


    Relief softened the tension in Aurora’s face. “Thank you.”


    Dunn opened the car door, his fingers lingering on the handle for just a moment. Aurora slipped inside, her mind already racing miles ahead.


    “Call me the second you get any news. Your friend is my friend, too. You don’t have to bear this alone,” he said.


    Aurora swallowed hard, willing herself to stayposed, though fear gnawed at her insides.


    She dreaded the thought of arriving toote and finding Rickey gone.


    But Dunn’s words were a lifeline, anchoring her to hope.


    Rickey was tough. He’d walked away from reckless motorcycle crashes with barely a scratch. A car ident wouldn’t steal his life away.


    They were supposed to grow old as best friends.


    “Okay. I’ll leave our parents to you,” she said. “Got it.”


    Dunn stood by the curb, watching the car until it vanished into the night. Then, bracing himself, he turned and walked back into the restaurant.


    He saw no reason to keep it a secret. The moment he reached his parents, he told them the truth.


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