Chapter 189: Ties That Bind and Blind

“Have you considered therapy or positive psychological affirmations?”

“It hasn’t gotten that severe.”

“So, what’s up with you? Why the sudden insomnia?”

Sophia remained focused on the topic of insomnia, though she had been mocking Easton about not having him as a son just moments ago. The drastic change in her tone made Easton question, “Mom, are you really done interfering with me and Ellis? Didn’t you always treat her like your own daughter and call her your only daughter-in-law?”

“What can I do? You both never listened to me!” Sophia sipped her hot tea. “Loving someone like a daughter and having a daughter aren’t the same, you know?”

She only had one son and no daughters. Ellis had charmed her way into being her daughter-in-law, and though Sophia loved her like a daughter, it didn’t mean Ellis always received the same treatment as if she were her biological child.

Ultimately, no matter how much Ellis charmed her, she could never be as important as her own son, whom she had raised “through thick and thin.”

Whenever Easton occasionally complained that she favored Ellis over him, Sophia saw it as his way of expressing dissatisfaction or acting childishly. She didn’t believe he truly thought she would choose Ellis over him.

Actually, a choice could be made, depending on whether it touched on something genuinely significant.

With Sophia’s response, Easton understood the difference well. He had once despised how his mother forced him to marry Ellis, disliked her meddling in their marital affairs, and hated when she commanded him not to divorce or to remarry Ellis.

Now that his mother seemed indifferent to whether Ellis was his wife, Easton felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest and even found it hard to believe her apparent disregard.

“What if I found someone else to be your daughter-in-law? Would you accept her?” He looked up, intently watching his mother’s face for any sign of reaction.

“As long as it’s not Victoria, you make your own decisions. I respect that.” Sophia knew she couldn’t control her son’s life choices anymore and didn’t want to be blamed again for forcing him into a marriage.

Easton paused, “So, what is Ellis then?”

“Your ex-daughter-in-law.” Sophia frowned slightly. “Look at you, signing a prenup with Ellis, leaving her with nothing. I tried to compensate her, and she refused. You went too far!”

Sophia didn’t meddle in how her son managed his marriage, but she was deeply dissatisfied with how harshly he treated his former wife, causing her to question whether there was a flaw in her parenting.

“You offered her compensation?” Easton repeated, surprised.

“How can you even say that? She was married to you for three years, and you left her with nothing. Is that fair?” Sophia stood on common ground with Ellis as a woman. “You’re lucky she has a good temper. Anyone else might have called you a scumbag to your face!”

“Mom, you still see Ellis through rose-colored glasses. She has a bad temper.” Easton couldn’t count how many times Ellis had cursed at him. “She just pretends to be well-behaved and charming to win your favor.”

To secure and maintain her position as Easton’s wife, Ellis had indeed gone out of her way to please his mother, always acting obedient and understanding in her presence, which his mother clearly fell for.

“I may not have lived with Ellis day and night, but you did. You know her better than I do, but I see no issue with her trying to win my favor.” Easton’s lips tightened, and Sophia, puzzled, asked, “I’m her elder and your mother. What’s wrong with her trying to please me?”

It wasn’t that a daughter-in-law must curry favor with her mother-in-law; if she chose to get along with her mother-in-law like family without causing her husband any trouble or distress, that was a sign of intelligence, and Sophia valued that.

“You’re the one being pleased; of course, you’d say there’s nothing wrong.” Easton resented Ellis’s manipulative charm, all because it seemed driven by her self-serving motives.

“That’s something to say!” Sophia finished her tea, barely holding back her irritation. “Ellis made quite an effort to please you too, didn’t she? And you enjoyed it. You can’t criticize her for trying to please us both, right?”

Even though Ellis and her son were divorced and she was no longer her daughter-in-law, Sophia couldn’t erase the genuine care Ellis had shown both mother and son, even helping Ellis alongside her son.

“Let’s drop the subject.” Seeing his mother getting upset and wanting to steer away from talking about Ellis, Easton abruptly changed the topic.

“Since we’re on the subject, let me make things clear!” Sophia wasn’t about to indulge her son’s attitude. “From the time she dated you, wanting to marry you, she’s been consistently trying to win my favor. That’s not just smart; it’s gratitude,