Chapter 1206:

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He had just gotten off a call from the hospital. Patsy’s condition had taken a turn for the worse, and there was even a chance she would need treatment overseas. He had already been in a terrible mood, and being stopped by Kristine had only made it worse.

Without thinking, he had snapped at her. “Can you stop bothering me? I don’t have feelings for you. Just leave me alone.”

Even after hearing that, Kristine hadn’t disappeared from his life. If anything, she had shown up even more often, always finding reasons to cross paths with him. Because of that, he had arrogantly convinced himself that his rejection hadn’t really hurt her. Perhaps somewhere deep in his heart, he had always believed Kristine would never truly leave him.

Only now did he understand that even the deepest feelings could be worn away, little by little, by cruel words.

This time, everything was different. When Kristine stood before him and confessed, he didn’t push her away. Instead, he took the letter she had written and looked at her quietly. “Thank you.”

Class had just ended, and the hallway was full of students. Everyone who witnessed the exchange froze in shock.

The moment Kristine was out of sight, several of Colton’s friends rushed over. One of them immediately asked what everyone was thinking. “Hold on. Don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for Kristine.”

Another stared at him in disbelief. “Seriously. You’ve never treated any other girl the way you treat her.”

A third jumped in. “Wait, are you two dating now?”

S𝘩𝘢𝗿е 𝘺𝗈u𝘳 𝘵𝘩ough𝘁𝘀 оn 𝘨a𝗹𝘯о𝘷𝘦𝘭𝗌.𝖼𝗈𝘮

Their voices echoed around him. Everything felt vivid. Far too vivid. Nothing about it felt like an ordinary dream.

Colton merely smiled and kept his thoughts to himself.

What unsettled him most was that nothing jumped ahead this time. Instead of skipping from scene to scene the way dreams did, everything unfolded naturally, one moment flowing into the next with the steady rhythm of real life.

It felt so real that he began to wonder whether he had truly gone back to his university days. The possibility ignited a fierce hope inside him.

Later, when Kristine sought him out again and worked up the courage to confess once more, he looked at her for a long moment, holding back the excitement threatening to show on his face. “Have you really thought this through? Are you sure you want to be with me?”

“Of course I am!” Kristine replied.

Her eyes sparkled with certainty. They shone so brightly that they reminded him of stars scattered across the midnight sky.

Slowly, Colton held out his hand to her. “Then I’ll say yes. But first, I need you to promise me something.”

Curiosity lit up Kristine’s face. “What is it?”

“If you choose to be with me, there’s no way out. I want your word that you’ll stay by my side no matter what happens. If you can’t do that, then it’s better not to start at all.”

Far from being intimidated, Kristine seemed even more determined. She looked him straight in the eye and answered without hesitation. “I promise.”

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