Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 305: You just don’t like admitting it

By the time Kathrine and Anna wrapped up their meeting and stepped out of the restaurant, their attention was drawn to a familiar car parked across the street.

Kathrine’s brows furrowed instantly, while Anna’s lips curved in quiet amusement.

"Does he always follow you around like a lost puppy?" Kathrine muttered, already knowing the answer as the passenger-side window rolled down to reveal Daniel’s devilishly handsome face.

Anna didn’t bother replying. She simply lifted her hand and waved, which only made Kathrine sigh and roll her eyes.

Kathrine could see it clearly—Anna was already growing fond of him. Still, she trusted that her sister wouldn’t ignore her warning. When her gaze met Daniel’s, her expression hardened. Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked toward her own car.

The moment Anna settled into the passenger seat, Daniel spoke, unable to stop himself. "Your sister... she bothers me."

Anna laughed softly, catching the way his jaw tightened, the irritation he made no attempt to hide after Kathrine’s glare. "She was your potential match once," she said, adjusting herself before turning to face him. "And now she bothers you?"

Daniel’s scowl deepened, and Anna tilted her head, studying him. "So tell me," she added lightly, though her heart wasn’t nearly as playful as her tone, "what changed? You were so determined to marry her once. Now you can’t even stand being in the same space."

Her smile faded just a fraction.

She wanted to trust him. She wanted to believe that whatever he felt for her now was real. But a doubt lingered, stubborn and sharp.

How could his feelings change so suddenly?

Was he ever in love with Kathrine at all or had that marriage only ever been business?

"She wanted you to leave me. How could she not bother me?" Daniel said, and Anna’s smile stretched wider at his blunt honesty.

Fair enough, she thought. Her husband wouldn’t give anyone a chance to separate them. The word divorce was poison to him.

Daniel frowned when Anna started laughing, his irritation only deepening. "You find it funny. I find it irritating," he muttered. "No one gets to decide things for us."

He sounded almost childish, and Anna knew that side of him well. With her, he never bothered to hide his displeasure. He opened up easily, unafraid of her judgment.

"She wasn’t there to convince me to divorce you or anything," Anna said gently, reaching out to pat his cheek. "It was just a normal meet-up."

Daniel arched a brow, unconvinced. A meeting between Kathrine and Anna was never truly casual. Still, if Anna wanted to believe it was, he chose not to push the matter.

"By the way," Anna added suddenly, her smile faltering and then fading altogether, "there’s something I want to show you."

Daniel’s gaze sharpened as she pulled out her phone and turned the screen toward him.

"See this?" she said quietly, turning the phone toward him.

The moment Daniel’s eyes fell on the photo of Anna standing beside Rupert, his jaw tightened.

"When did you let him take pictures of you?" he asked, a sharp edge of jealousy cutting through his words. Beneath it lay something far more dangerous—concern. The fact that the man had been close enough to capture a photo with her made his blood run cold.

"He sent this to my mother," Anna said softly. "I found it in her gallery."

She lifted her gaze to meet his.

The warmth in Daniel’s eyes was gone, replaced by a darkness that made Anna’s heart stutter in her chest. For a brief second, it felt as though the air inside the car had thickened, heavy with unspoken rage and restrained violence.

Someone had crossed a line.

And Daniel was no longer amused.

"Explain everything to me," Daniel said firmly. He knew there was more to it, and he wanted to hear all of it—every detail, every thought she’d tried to reason through on her own.

The drive suddenly felt heavier, the silence between them thick as Anna began telling him everything from the start. With every word, the tension inside the car built, second by second.

"So you think he was threatening your mother using this photo," Daniel said once she finished, his voice controlled but edged with steel, "and that he isn’t actually trying to hurt you?"

Anna nodded. "If he wanted to harm me, he would’ve done it long ago. But seeing that photo on Mom’s phone... it all fits now."

Daniel might see Rupert as a direct threat. Ethan would likely think the same. But Anna’s instincts told her otherwise.

"Let’s assume he isn’t," Daniel replied coldly. "He still used you as leverage to threaten your mother. That alone makes you a target."

His anger surged, barely contained. Anna saw his jaw clench, the muscle ticking as he struggled to rein it in. She wanted to calm him, to explain further, but she knew Daniel wouldn’t easily bend to her reasoning when it came to her safety.

Before she could say another word, Daniel reached for her and pulled her onto his lap.

Anna’s arms instinctively slid around his neck, her breath catching as her eyes locked with his—dark, intense, fiercely protective.

"Just be careful, wifey," Daniel murmured. His tone had softened, but the warning in his eyes remained.

The way his hand cradled her face told her everything—how deeply worried he was, how unbearable the thought of anyone threatening her felt to him. Even if she believed otherwise, Daniel needed her to be cautious.

Silence stretched between them.

When she finally nodded, he drew her fully into his arms, holding her as if letting go was not an option.

The couple reached home after fifteen minutes and headed to their respective room. However not finding Mariam around Anna furrowed.

Daniel noticed his wife’s curious eyes searching for a certain someone and before she thinks something worse, he responded.

"Mariam is on leave" he said stopping Anna midway.

She tilt her head like a clueless child, which made Daniel chuckle.

"I told her we were not going to return home, so she asked if she could visit her old place and I agreed."

Anna brows arched as a big O formed on her lips.

"Now come on, I am sure by tomorrow she will be back running errands for you."

Anna pursed her lips and frowned. "I don’t make her work for me. She just cares and wants to take care of me."

She was clearly unimpressed with Daniel’s portrayal of her as being constantly cared for.

Daniel, on the other hand, could only smile, which made Anna’s frown deepen.

As soon as they entered the room, Anna suddenly cornered Daniel, catching him completely off guard.

"You’re mocking me, Daniel," she accused, pinning him in place, her palms pressed against the wall on either side of his shoulders.

For a brief moment, surprise flickered across his face—only to be replaced by a slow, knowing smirk.

"But isn’t it true, wifey," he replied lightly, his tone teasing, "that you do need to be taken care of? You just don’t like admitting it."

There was an unspoken meaning behind his words, a playful reminder of moments when her strength melted away after their shared intensity and how he had always been there to steady her, to ease her back into herself.

His gaze lingered on her, amused and warm, as if daring her to deny it.

Daniel leaned closer, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. "Look at you," he murmured, eyes sweeping over her face with deliberate slowness. "So fierce when you’re trying to prove you don’t need me."

Anna narrowed her eyes, refusing to back away. "I don’t need you," she challenged.

His smirk deepened. "No," he said softly, "but you like me."

The words brushed against her skin more than her ears. He shifted just enough to trap her between his body and the wall, not touching her yet—worse, because he could. His presence alone was enough to make her pulse quicken.

"You’re doing it again," she whispered. "Teasing."

"I’m only stating facts," Daniel replied, lifting a hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His knuckles grazed her cheek, feather-light, unhurried. "You pretend to be all fire and independence, but the moment I’m close..." He paused, eyes darkening. "You forget how to breathe."

Anna swallowed, her grip on the wall tightening. "That’s not fair."

"I’ve never claimed to be fair," he said, leaning in until his breath warmed her lips. "Just honest."

The space between them vanished slowly, deliberately. His forehead rested against hers, their noses brushing, the tension stretching thin and sweet. When his thumb traced the line of her jaw, Anna’s resolve finally wavered. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Daniel," she breathed, her voice no longer accusatory.

That was all the permission he needed.

***

[Fiona’s Place]

After ignoring Ester’s calls all day, she finally decided to visit Fiona’s apartment. What she found there made her heart sink.

Fiona was confined to her room, slumped on the floor, surrounded by empty bottles—drunk, exhausted, and completely undone.