Chapter 633 Psychological Manipulation
After lunch, Mia said she had to leave, and Ava walked her to the door.
Mia said she needed to say a few words to Ava alone, so William stood at a distance.
"Mom, what do you want to say to me?" Ava asked.
Mia shrugged and said, "Oh, nothing much, really. I see you and William have a good relationship. You trust him, right?"
Ava nodded. "Yes, he treats me very well."
"I heard about the restaurant incident," Mia said. "Have you forgiven William?"
"Did Alexander tell you everything?" Ava asked.
Mia nodded.
"So he sent you to persuade me into forgiving him?"
"He's worried about you, so I came to check on you. No other reason."
"Mom, no matter what, I've moved on. I hope he won't interfere in my life anymore. Please tell him for me that from now on, my decisions are mine. Even if they're wrong, I'll bear the consequences myself."
"And what about the child?" Mia gently stroked her belly. "Have you thought about how he would feel if he knew that you had his child, and that his child might suffer one day in the future?"
"You know he's marrying Isabella tomorrow?" Ava said. "He said so at the restaurant yesterday. And in the future, he probably won't even have time for Isabella's children."
Mia closed her eyes helplessly, let out a sigh, then slowly opened them, looking heavy. "I want to tell you something."
"What is it?" Ava asked.
"Have you ever wondered why someone like Dalton would agree to you being his daughter-in-law, especially when he knew from the start that you were pregnant and that it wasn't his son's child?"
Ava looked puzzled. "I didn't know he already knew I was pregnant. Now that you mention it, it's weird. But back then, I was so eager to help William that I didn't think about it."
"When I was seventeen, I was with Dalton. Later, he dumped me for a rich girl. Recently, he had you reach out to me, not just for the loan issue. You get it now?" Mia explained.
Ava was shocked. "Mom, I had no idea about any of this. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"I didn't expect you and William to get married so quickly. If I had known, I would have told you earlier. Dalton even asked me to divorce George and go back to him. He deliberately let you marry his son so he could use you as a hostage to threaten me," Mia revealed.
Ava was incredulous. "But why was he so confident I'd marry his son?"
"Because he understands human nature. He can see through people at a glance; that's his gift. Besides, his son is no saint either," Mia added.
Mia glanced at William.
Ava felt a pang in her chest. "Mom, are you saying William and his father are in this together... No, that can't be true. William has a woman he loves. He wouldn't go to such lengths just to marry me. Besides, he wouldn't have succeeded if I hadn't agreed to marry him. It was mainly my own decision, so this kind of thing..."
"Do you know what psychological manipulation is?" Mia interrupted her.
Ava frowned. "You think I am manipulated?"
"I'm not sure," Mia said. "You need to figure that out on your own. And even if I told you, you wouldn't buy it."
