Chapter 266
Lilac kept playing the family card. 

Colin insisted that I should settle this by seeking legal action. He told me not to show any mercy toward Lilac or I would continue to suffer in the future. 
But Lilac was crying so badly. She mentioned that her mother was old and her regretful father was serving jail time. 
My heart grew soft, and I told her I could spare her if she wrote a letter of confession. Additionally, I reserved the right to persecute her in the future. If she committed another crime in the future, I could press charges 
altogether. 
Afraid that I would use the letter of confession to blackmail her into doing my bidding, Lilac refused to write it. 
I sneered. 
The letter of confession was my ultimatum. I refused to fold no matter how hard she begged me. 
This was my bottom line. 
She had to choose either one of the options–be persecuted or write a letter 
of confession. 
Surely, she was smart enough to pick the best option. 
Lilac resigned. She wrote a remorseful letter of confession and signed it before giving it to me. 
I then had the police officer be the witness. 
As the mediation was a success, the officer was very happy. 
Colin didn’t like how merciful I was. Felix, too, was surprised by my 
decision. 
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+15 BONUS
But I was doing this for myself and Colin. 
Felix had said many years ago that he’d only marry Lilac in his life. Given that Colin and I might date, I figured things could get very awkward if Lilac and I became a family one day. It would put the elderly in the family in a difficult position too. 
Now that the whole debacle had ended, I couldn’t care less about what Felix and Lilac would do. I just prayed that they’d stay away from me. 
At the moment, I was busy with the competition. I was also in a dilemma, thinking whether I should make it official with Colin. 
More than two weeks ago, I had agreed to consider making my relationship with Colin official. During that period, Colin asked me nearly every night for my answer. At times, he’d act like a sad puppy or a happy–go–lucky person. At times, he’d seduce me and make my heart race like crazy. 
I might act all professional when it came to my art, but when it came to love, 
I was an idiot. Why else would I think I still stood a chance when Felix clearly had no feelings for me? 
Felix had drained my adolescent passion. 
Matthew showed me the ugly and convoluted side of human relationships. 
Colin proved that I was capable of loving. 
I was a 22–year–old adult now. But to me, a relationship was more than a personal affair. It also involved the future of both families. To be extra safe, I decided to ask Mom about it. 
I had no class on Friday afternoon, so I booked a plane ticket to return to Southsville. 
During breakfast, I told Colin that I’d be going home. Colin tried to dissuade, me, saying that there wasn’t any special occasion and making a back–and- 
2/3 
+15 BONUS 
forth trip in two days could be mentally taxing. 
“I just want to ask my mom if she’s okay with me dating you. If you don’t think that’s important enough, I guess I don’t have to go back,” I teased 
him. 
Colin’s face brightened up. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms behind his head. Excitedly, he exclaimed, “Oh, my! Finally, 20 years of effort are paying off.” 
To convince my parents better, Colin decided to come with me. 
We didn’t inform anyone about our return. Instead, we went to my previous home right away. 
Mom and Dad worked close to my previous home. They lived there when I was abroad for sentimental reasons. After all, they used to live there for 
more than two decades.