?Chapter 1088:


    Back in school, he had watched her doze off at her desk, mouth slightly open, drool threatening to escape.


    And now, here he was, sneaking photos like some love-struck fool. His feelings were no less than Dunn’s, and he had done no less than Dunn.


    So why was he the one who had been cast aside?


    His phone buzzed—messages from friends, checking in, asking how he was doing. He hadn’t answered a single one. Even Dunn had texted. Rickey had ignored him too.


    But now, staring at Dunn’s name on his screen, something in him snapped. Before he could second-guess himself, he sent the photo of Aurora sleeping.


    “She’s been staying with me, taking care of me. Don’t worry about it,”


    he even texted.


    The moment he hit send, regret washed over him. But it was done.


    Dunn was in the middle of a meeting when his phone buzzed. “Mr. Finch?” his assistant asked, noticing the sudden shift in his expression. “Is everything alright?”


    Dunn didn’t answer. He rose from his seat, his voice cool and decisive.


    “Meeting’s over.”


    His assistant scrambled to follow.


    “Cancel all my appointments for the next two days,” Dunn said, already moving. “I’m going abroad. Personal matters.”


    After exhaustive cajoling from both Aurora and his father, Rickey finally relented and agreed to go to the hospital.


    With round-the-clock physicians and a squadron of nurses poised to fulfill his every whim, the ce was nothing short of a luxury retreat disguised as a medical facility.


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    Aurora found herself utterly baffled by his persistent sulking, reminiscent of an adolescent denied their favorite pastime.


    “You rest up. I’m heading back for a bit,” she said, slinging her bag over her shoulder.


    rm shed across Rickey’s face. “Where are you going?”


    Aurora, hanging by herst thread of patience, pierced him with a withering nce. “What do you think?”


    Rickey snatched a pillow andunched it at her. “Oh, so this is how you treat me? You im to care, swear we’re friends, but the second I’m stuck in a hospital bed, you’re running off to see some guy? If I died, would a single tear grace your cheek?”


    “What is wrong with you?” Aurora’s words cracked through the air like lightning, rendering him instantly silent. “Your father has been attending to your every need until he’s worked himself into a fever. I’m going back to check on him. And here you lie, throwing a theatrical fit worthy of a Broadway diva.”


    Rickey’s expression shifted from indignation to sheepish realization. “Okay.”


    With deliberate movements, Aurora retrieved the discarded pillow and tucked it beneath his head. “But yes, I am returning home soon.” The atmosphere crystallized between them, cold and brittle.


    But Aurora was already out the door before he could say another word. She hurried down the hallway, almost colliding with Emma on the way. Emma recognized her instantly and was about to greet her, but Aurora vanished around the corner.


    Emma thought perhaps it was for the best. With Aurora’s absence, she could at least approach Rickey without the suffocating sensation of trespassing where she didn’t belong.


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