Chapter 268 Turning to Kinship
Ava Anderson repeated to herself silently that it was okay; all she did was fall in love with a man. Loving someone didn't always mean having to possess them. It should be enough to just wish for their happiness.
This thought comforted her. Despite the unhappiness she felt along the way, she and Alexander Mitchell had never come to blows.
Even if Alexander had his faults in the past, he had also faced his grandmother's wrath, which was no light affair.
Loving someone was exhausting, but hating someone was even more so. She neither wanted to love nor hate anymore.
Suddenly, her phone chimed. Ava quickly grabbed her phone and turned off the silent mode. It was a message from William Bennett.
"Are you asleep?" he texted.
Ava responded, "No, just laid down. What's up?"
Meanwhile, Alexander Mitchell opened his eyes and noticed Ava on her phone, seemingly chatting with someone. His gaze grew heavy with curiosity. Who would message her at this late hour?
"It's Victoria Bennett. She's been asking me to add her to your WhatsApp," William wrote back.
"Why? Does she need something?" Ava wondered.
"She just wants to add you. But I haven't given her your number yet. I wanted to ask you first," replied William.
Ava pondered for a moment and typed back, "It's okay. If she wants to add me, go ahead and give her my number."
William really did respect her wishes. He would ask for her opinion even when others wanted to add her on WhatsApp. He was really something...
Ava stole a glance at Alexander Mitchell. He seemed asleep with his eyes closed.
She decided there was no point in making comparisons. Everyone is unique, and comparing would only seem like another form of snobbery.
"Alright, I'll give her your WhatsApp number. But don't worry too much about her feelings. If she upsets you, just ignore her, or tell me, and I'll set that bratty girl straight," William assured her.
Ava smiled faintly and messaged back, "It's fine. Victoria Bennett is a decent person. She's not mean-spirited."
"You're pumping her tires. Just don't say that to her face, or she'll get too cocky," William joked.
Ava Anderson typed swiftly to her brother-in-law, "I get it, but as an older brother, you shouldn't be so serious with your own sister. Having siblings is nice—I've always wished I had an older brother."
No sooner had she sent the word "brother" than her eyes involuntarily flicked toward Alexander Mitchell.
Wasn't he the perfect "older brother"?
Alexander Mitchell wanted to be her brother.
But she couldn't see her ex-husband as a brother. It just felt weird.
William Bennett replied instantly, "In that case, I really should be nicer to Victoria Bennett. If you had a brother, Ava, he would surely dote on you."
Ava Anderson replied, "I wouldn't know. I've never had a brother, so I don't know what it's like. Alexander Mitchell says he thinks of me as a sister, that he wants to be my brother, but I don't feel it."
"Why not?" William asked.
"I don't know," Ava confessed. "Let him think whatever he wants. Our relationship, whether as ex-spouses or siblings, isn't fundamentally changing."
William Bennett typed back with a hint of humor, "I don't think you guys can play siblings. That's just comical. A lover is a lover, and an ex is an ex. This sibling idea seems like a way to step down from a mistake."
He quickly added, "I mean his mistake, Ava. You haven't done anything wrong."
After hesitating for a few seconds, Ava asked, "Do you think two people in love could eventually turn into just family?"
