?Chapter 1083:


    “Dad, I dreamed of Aurora…”


    Just then, his father entered the room. “Silly boy. Aurora is really here.” The words sent a tremor through Rickey’s battered body.


    He struggled to pry his eyes open wider, but the world before him remained an indistinct blur. He could only make out a shadow—a presence more felt than seen.


    “Aurora?” he whispered.


    Her voice, steady as an anchor in a storm, reached him. “I’m here.”


    “You came to see me…” His voice wavered, colored with disbelief. “You really came!”


    “Rickey, calm down!” his father urged, worry edging his tone. “You’ve got more broken bones than I can count—you need to rest!”


    But Rickey wasn’t listening. Fear gripped him, whispering that Aurora was nothing more than a fleeting dream, a mirage conjured by his fevered mind. He reached out blindly, desperate. “Don’t go, Aurora! Please don’t go!”


    “I’m not leaving.” Her words were a quiet promise, spoken to steady him.


    Trembling, Rickey grasped her hand. His fingers, cool and frail, curled around hers with silent determination. In that moment, he swore he would never let this hand slip away again. Not even at the cost of his own life.


    He had been a fool. He had thought he could keep his emotions locked away, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. Without her, he was like an empty shell.


    And now, here she was. She had dropped everything to be by his side. She still cared.


    Fate had cracked open a door, and he had no intention of letting it close again.


    “Alright.” His father stepped forward, easing their hands apart. “Aurora, you’ve traveled far—you must be exhausted. Get some rest. Rickey needs it too.”


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    He had already prepared a room for her, right next to Rickey’s. Adrian and Joelle checked in with Rickey’s father, asking about his condition and reminding him to look after Aurora as well.


    That night, for the first time since the ident, Rickey surrendered to sleep, no longer afraid she would disappear while he wasn’t looking. Aurora sat by the window and made a call to Dunn.


    “Rickey is not doing well. Too many fractures. He drifts in and out, delirious…”


    Dunn’s mind leapt to one conclusion—Aurora would be staying longer than she had nned.


    But then, he thought maybe he was being too possessive. Rickey was badly hurt—it was only natural that she would want to be there for him. “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked, forcing his voice to remain even.


    Aurora stifled a yawn. “Not for now. But I’ll stay until he’s a little better. There are things I need to say to him.” Dunn knew he shouldn’t press further.


    As Aurora’s boyfriend, he should trust her, believe that she could handle thisplicated situation on her own.


    But the question slipped out before he could stop it.


    “Aurora, you and Rickey have known each other a long time, haven’t you?”


    “Yeah.”


    He hesitated, then pushed on. “Molly once told me he’s always been good to you. So good, in fact, that she thought he had feelings for you.”


    Aurora didn’t deny it. Instead, she spoke with quiet certainty. “Dunn, Rickey has been a pir in my life. Without him, I wouldn’t have grown into the person I am. When I was bullied at school, he was the one who stood up for me. He never let me fight alone.”


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