Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 274: I need you to at least pretend to cooperate

Meanwhile, somewhere across the city, Fiona was slowly drowning at the bottom of a glass.

The slap and Fredrick’s harsh words replayed relentlessly in her mind, leaving her so humiliated she could barely contain the weight of her disappointment. What hurt even more was the betrayal. He had pampered her all her life, indulged every want, every whim, only to turn on her when she needed him most.

"How am I a disappointment to you, Dad," Fiona muttered bitterly, her voice slurred as she tipped another drink back. "I did everything you asked me to."

She had lost track of how long she had been sitting there, replaying the same scene again and again in her head. The shouting. The slap. The look in his eyes. Each memory fed the storm of rage burning through her veins.

Her vision blurred as she stared at the crowded bar, laughter and chatter swirling around her like a world she no longer belonged to. Just then, her phone rang again.

She glanced at the screen and scoffed. "Why does she keep calling me?" Fiona snapped to herself. "Doesn’t she get that I’m not in the mood to talk?"

With an irritated swipe, she ended Venus’s call without answering.

What Fiona did not know was that after she had stormed out of the house, Ester had tried repeatedly to reach her. When her attempts failed, worry had set in, and she had instructed Venus to keep calling instead, hoping at least one call would get through.

Frustration boiling over, Fiona switched her phone to silent and continued drinking, determined to drown her thoughts until the ache in her chest dulled, at least for a while.

***

The night stretched on, quiet and restless.

Anna lay in bed, staring at the ceiling after Daniel had left the room to finish some work. He had promised it would not take long, that he would be back soon so they could curl up together and sleep.

But more than half an hour had passed, and there was still no sign of him.

She glanced at the door for what felt like the tenth time and sighed. She had tried to sleep, really tried, but her body refused to relax. Somewhere along the way, she had grown used to falling asleep beside Daniel, breathing in his familiar scent, feeling his steady presence.

"Ah... what is taking him so long," Anna muttered as she pushed herself upright, ready to march out and check on him.

That was when a faint blinking light on the nightstand caught her attention.

Her brows drew together as she reached for her phone, but the screen went dark just as her fingers brushed it. She frowned, then tapped it awake. She had placed the phone on silent earlier, not wanting any disturbances.

More than five missed calls stared back at her. All from Fiona.

Anna’s expression hardened. "Why is she calling me?" Doubt flickered in her eyes, suspicion creeping in. Maybe this was just another tactic, another attempt to get under her skin.

"Whatever. I’m not entertaining her," Anna decided, setting the phone down and turning toward the door to go find her husband.

Just then, the phone rang again.

Anna froze.

***

[Bar]

"Ma’am... ma’am, are you okay?"

One of the bar staff gently tapped Fiona’s shoulder when she failed to respond, her body slumped awkwardly against the couch. The half empty glass dangled loosely from her fingers.

The woman exchanged a nervous look with her colleague. "She’s breathing, right?"

"Yes, but she’s completely out," the other whispered, worry evident as they checked on her. "She was fine a while ago. Well... fine is a strong word."

Just minutes earlier, Fiona had been very much conscious and very loud.

The staff member vividly remembered approaching the table to serve another drink when Fiona suddenly started yelling at her phone, slurring curses at whoever had dared not answer her calls. She had declared, rather dramatically, that the person on the other end was ruining her life and that she would personally go and confront them.

That plan had lasted exactly three seconds.

Fiona had stood up, swayed like a broken pendulum, taken one heroic step forward and immediately collapsed back onto the couch, mumbling something incoherent before passing out cold.

The bar staff were still debating whether to call an ambulance when a familiar figure hurried inside.

Anna scanned the bar anxiously, eyes darting from table to table until they landed on the unmistakable sight of Fiona sprawled on a couch like a fallen warrior.

"Oh my God," Anna muttered, rushing over. "She actually did it."

Relief washed over the staff as Anna approached. "Ma’am, you need to take your friend home"

"Yeah that’s what I am here for." Anna said with a least bothered expression leaving the girls even more confused.

She crouched beside Fiona and gently patted her cheek. "Fiona. Hey. Wake up."

No response.

Anna tried again, louder. "Fiona, if you don’t wake up right now, I’m telling the bartender to give your remaining drinks to someone else."

Almost instantly, Fiona groaned. "Mine... don’t touch..."

Anna blinked. "Wow. That worked better than expected."

With a low grunt, Fiona cracked one eye open, squinting at Anna as if she were trying to solve a complicated puzzle.

"Anna?" she slurred. "You finally picked my calls, you bitch."

The entire lounge went silent.

The staff and a few nearby patrons stared at Anna in pure disbelief.

"Hehe... that’s her way of talking to me," Anna said with an awkward smile, offering a weak laugh to ease the tension.

The unimpressed expressions did not change.

Anna slowly turned back to Fiona, her smile disappearing instantly. "You dare call me that again and I will leave you right here," she warned quietly.

To be honest, Anna had not wanted to answer the call at all. But the endless ringing had finally worn down her patience. When she picked up, it had not even been Fiona on the line, but an unfamiliar voice informing her that her friend had passed out at a bar and needed to be picked up immediately.

Who was I? Her chauffeur? Anna had huffed under her breath while rushing over.

Now she slipped an arm under Fiona’s shoulder, trying to haul her upright. Fiona swayed dangerously, mumbling something unintelligible.

"Feet on the ground," Anna instructed. "I need you to at least pretend to cooperate."

Perhaps sensing Anna’s seriousness, Fiona went quiet, allowing herself to be guided. With considerable effort and a lot of patience on Anna’s part, she managed to get her safely out of the bar, thanking herself silently that her threat had finally worked.