Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 321: I thought you hate him

"But I told her it’s your decision," Daniel added, the corner of his lips curling as he tried to brush it off with a hint of humor. "And that you’d have to convince me to change my mind."

Anna didn’t smile. She didn’t even blink.

"Why would Mom even ask that?" she said slowly. "And Dad... does he know about this?"

The question wiped the humor from Daniel’s face. He fell quiet, his jaw tightening almost imperceptibly.

Because that was the same thought that had stopped him from agreeing so easily.

If Hugo didn’t know, then Roseline had acted on her own. And if she had, it meant there was more to her concern than she was willing to admit.

Anna’s hands curled into tight fists on the table.

She knew her mother would never make such a request without reason, not when it was clear the Stewards had been deliberately trying to hinder them through cheap, underhanded tactics. And Fiona... Anna exhaled sharply. That girl had brought her own downfall the moment she dragged reporters into the mess, thinking public sympathy would shield her.

Consequences did not work that way.

Daniel watched her from the side, saying nothing. He could read her too well now. The tension in her shoulders, the way her jaw set, the storm of thoughts she was trying to rein in. She was piecing things together, and he knew better than to interrupt.

By the time the couple decided to leave, Anna checked her phone for the nth time. Still, there was no sign of a missed call or even a message from Kathrine.

"Are you waiting for someone’s call?" Daniel asked from beside her.

Anna looked up, already prepared to deny it, when her gaze shifted past him.

Her words caught in her throat.

Something in the distance stole her attention, making her freeze mid breath, her grip tightening around her phone as whatever she saw instantly wiped the denial from her face.

***

"You are such a bore," Kathrine complained dramatically, fake disappointment lacing her voice as she shoved a spoonful of spaghetti into her mouth. "I was expecting something thrilling, and instead you brought me here to eat."

Ethan chuckled, leaning back in his chair as he watched her devour the meal with far too much enthusiasm for someone pretending to be unimpressed.

"Yes, that’s exactly why you look so starved," he teased.

She shot him an indignant look but kept eating anyway.

Ethan had not wanted to interrupt their date at all. In fact, earlier he had been ready to cut it short, worried about pushing her into doing things she might regret or get hurt doing. He had even considered taking her straight back, convincing himself it was the sensible thing to do.

But sitting across from her now, watching the way her eyes lit up between bites, hearing her playful complaints, something in him shifted.

He found himself wanting to stay.

For the first time that day, he was not thinking about ending it early or keeping distance. He was thinking about how to stretch the hours ahead, how to spend the rest of the day with her laughter filling the spaces between them.

Of course, he would be careful. He would not let her get hurt.

But he was already looking forward to what came next.

Kathrine slowed mid bite, suddenly aware of the way Ethan was looking at her.

Not teasing. Not amused.

Intent.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the fork as a faint sense of caution crept in. "Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked, trying to sound casual, though her voice betrayed a hint of uncertainty.

Ethan didn’t answer right away. Instead, he leaned forward just enough for the space between them to feel noticeably smaller. Slowly, almost as if giving her time to pull away, he lifted his hand.

Kathrine’s breath caught.

His fingers brushed her cheek, warm and gentle, before his palm cupped her face fully. The contact sent a jolt straight through her chest. Her heart began to race, loud enough that she was sure he could hear it.

"Ethan..." she whispered, startled, her body going still.

His thumb moved, tracing lightly along her cheekbone, then drifting down to the corner of her lips. The touch was feather soft, yet it did something unsettling to her. Her thoughts scattered, replaced by the awareness of him. Of how close he was. Of how carefully he was touching her, as if she were something fragile.

Her pulse thudded faster.

Without realizing it, her eyelids fluttered shut. She let herself sink into the moment, into the quiet intimacy of his touch, into the way his thumb traced her lips as if memorizing their shape.

For those few seconds, the noise of the restaurant faded away.

All she could feel was him. Until...

"I thought you didn’t like him."

The sudden voice cut straight through the fragile bubble around them.

Kathrine’s eyes flew open, her breath hitching as she jerked back instinctively. Ethan’s hand dropped at once as both of them turned toward the source.

Anna stood a few steps away, arms crossed, one brow arched high in unmistakable amusement.

Behind her was Daniel, stoic as always before he waved his hand. "Hi"

Kathrine’s face flushed instantly. "Anna!" she exclaimed, scrambling for composure and nearly knocking her fork off the table. "You scared me."

"That wasn’t my intention," Anna said dryly, though the glint in her eyes said otherwise. "I was just making an observation."

Ethan cleared his throat, straightening in his seat. "This isn’t what it looks like."

Anna’s gaze flicked between them, lingering pointedly on the way Kathrine’s cheeks were still pink.

"Mm-hmm. Of course."

Daniel finally dropped his hand, letting out a soft cough. "We can come back later," he offered politely. "Much later."

Kathrine shot him a mortified look. "No!"

Anna’s lips curved into a knowing smile as she stepped closer.

"So," she said casually, "should I pretend I didn’t just walk in on whatever that was... or do you want to explain how ’not liking him’ suddenly turned into this?"

Kathrine groaned, covering her face, while Ethan looked far too amused for someone who claimed innocence.