Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 374: I envy that

Back inside the bar, Anna frowned. "Where did Betty go?" she asked, squinting around as if Betty might magically appear between the tables.

Kathrine rolled her eyes and leaned back, folding her arms over her chest. "Didn’t you ask her to leave because it was getting late?" she said, genuinely unsure how her otherwise sharp sister could turn so... clueless when drunk.

This was the first time Kathrine had ever seen Anna drink. She had always assumed Anna would be the graceful, silent type.

Instead, here she was, slurring slightly and blinking far too slowly. Kathrine glanced at the two empty glasses on the table and sighed.

"So this," she muttered, "is the legendary Anna-after-two-drinks."

A headache throbbed behind her temples, strong enough to make her consider ordering a drink herself. Maybe alcohol was contagious.

Anna suddenly straightened in her chair, her brows knitting together in deep, dramatic thought. "You know," she said slowly, pointing a finger at Kathrine that nearly poked her in the eye, "you haven’t asked me why I let Mom and Dad know about Collin."

Kathrine blinked. Once. Twice. "Because," she said carefully, "I enjoy peace. And asking you questions right now feels like inviting chaos."

Anna burst out laughing, the sound loud and unrestrained. She leaned back, nearly tipping her chair before grabbing the table for balance. "See!" she exclaimed. "You were being kind!"

"Kind?" Kathrine echoed.

"Yes," Anna nodded seriously, though her head wobbled. "Because the moment you walked in, I was fully prepared for a lecture. A long one. With bullet points. Possibly a PowerPoint."

Kathrine snorted despite herself. "Trust me, the lecture is still loading. I’m just waiting for you to sober up enough to survive it."

Anna grinned lazily. "Wow. Such sisterly love."

Kathrine reached for the menu and waved it in Anna’s face.

"Drink water before you confess to something even worse."

Anna squinted at the menu. "Why is it moving?"

Kathrine groaned. "And this is why Betty escaped."

Anna groaned in frustration and slumped back in her seat, her head tipping against the cushioned backrest. "I need another drink," she declared, heaving a dramatic sigh as if the weight of the universe rested solely on her shoulders.

"And I say no."

Kathrine’s blunt rejection made Anna’s eyes narrow. She turned her head slowly, staring at her sister as though betrayed on a deeply personal level. "You are being unbearable, Kathrine," she muttered. "I think you should drink too. After all, you seem more annoyed than me."

Kathrine scoffed. "I am annoyed because you are drunk."

Anna gasped. "Excuse you. I am emotionally expressive."

Kathrine opened her mouth to argue, but the words stalled. Annoyed was an understatement. Tired fit better. Tired of worrying. Tired of holding things together. Tired of being the responsible one while everything around her threatened to fall apart.

And annoyingly, Anna’s words didn’t sound completely wrong.

It had been a long time since Kathrine had let herself get drunk. Too long. Responsibility had a way of stealing even the smallest indulgences. But tonight, watching Anna wobble between humor and heartbreak, Kathrine realized something. If she wanted her sister to talk, truly talk, logic and lectures would not work.

She exhaled. "Fine."

"Woo!" Anna instantly straightened, throwing her hands in the air like she had just won a championship. "I knew it. I always knew you loved me."

Kathrine rolled her eyes but raised a hand, signaling the waiter. "One drink," she warned. "I am not babysitting you."

Anna leaned over the table, grinning. "Too late. You already are."

The drinks arrived quicker than expected. Anna immediately grabbed hers, while Kathrine stared at the glass like it might judge her.

"To bad decisions," Anna announced, lifting her glass.

Kathrine hesitated, then clinked hers against it. "To regretting this tomorrow."

They drank.

At first, nothing changed. Kathrine still sat straight, still aware. But then the warmth settled in, loosening the tight knot she carried in her chest. The second drink followed quicker than she intended, and somewhere between Anna laughing too loudly at nothing and Kathrine realizing the music wasn’t as irritating as before, the edges softened.

Anna sighed contentedly, resting her chin on her palm. "You know," she said, her voice quieter now, "I thought I had everything figured out."

Kathrine glanced at her. "You always think that."

Anna smiled weakly. "Yeah. And I am always wrong."

That caught Kathrine off guard. She leaned back, swirling the drink in her glass. "Talk."

Anna blinked. "See. This is why I needed you to drink. Sober you is scary."

Kathrine snorted. "Drunk me is worse."

Anna laughed, then slowly, the laughter faded. "I told Mom and Dad about Collin because I was scared," she admitted. "Not of him. Of us. Of everything falling apart if I kept pretending nothing was wrong."

Kathrine swallowed. The alcohol made it harder to mask her reactions. "You could have told me."

"I know," Anna said quickly. "But you already carry so much. I didn’t want to be another problem."

Kathrine stared at her glass. The words hit deeper than she expected. "You think I don’t feel like a problem too?"

Anna frowned. "What?"

Kathrine laughed softly, shaking her head. "You think I have it all together. Truth is, I am just better at hiding the cracks."

Anna reached across the table, clumsily grabbing Kathrine’s hand. "Wow. Look at us. Being vulnerable. Is this what alcohol does?"

"Yes," Kathrine said dryly. "And I hate that it works."

Anna chuckled, then her eyes turned glossy. "I am tired, Kathrine. Tired of being strong. Tired of pretending I am okay with the things I am not."

Kathrine felt something tighten in her chest. "You don’t have to pretend with me."

"I know," Anna whispered. "That’s why I am scared."

Silence settled between them, not awkward but heavy. Then Kathrine laughed suddenly, the sound bubbling out. "Do you remember when you blamed me for breaking Mom’s vase?"

Anna’s eyes widened. "You broke it."

"I was five!"

"You were tall enough," Anna argued, then burst out laughing. "Oh my God. She grounded me for a month."

Kathrine laughed too, louder than she meant to. "You deserved it. You always dragged me into trouble."

Anna gasped dramatically. "I am offended."

"You should be."

Another round arrived. Neither of them objected this time.

As the night wore on, words spilled easier. Anna talked about fear, about love, about how she felt like she was constantly disappointing someone. Kathrine admitted how exhausting it was to always be the dependable one, how sometimes she wanted to scream and run and let someone else take control.

At some point, Anna rested her head on Kathrine’s shoulder. "Promise me something," she murmured.

Kathrine frowned. "What now?"

"Promise me we stop pretending we are fine all the time."

Kathrine hesitated, then nodded. "Promise."

Anna smiled, eyes fluttering shut. "Good. Because I really don’t want to drink alone next time."

Kathrine laughed, wrapping an arm around her. "Next time, remind me how terrible of an idea this was."

Anna smiled sleepily. "No promises."

And for the first time in a long while, Kathrine didn’t feel like she was carrying everything alone.

Away from the two sisters inside the same bar, two men sat at a quieter corner, their attention fixed on the table where Anna and Kathrine were laughing far too loudly and leaning far too close.

"Seven drinks down," Daniel murmured, lifting his glass and taking a slow sip, his eyes never leaving Anna.

Ethan didn’t touch his drink. He barely acknowledged it. His fingers rested around the glass, but it remained untouched, as if it were merely a prop. His gaze was sharper, more alert, tracking every sway of Kathrine’s movements, every exaggerated hand gesture, every burst of laughter that felt a little too unguarded.

"I don’t understand how you can sit so calmly," Ethan said. "She’s one joke away from standing on the table."

Daniel huffed a quiet laugh. "Relax. She’s with her sister. And she needed this."

"That’s exactly what worries me," Ethan replied. "When Kathrine needs something, it usually means she has been carrying it alone for too long."

Daniel turned slightly, studying him. "You notice that too."

Ethan’s jaw tightened. "Hard not to. She pretends she’s fine, but she gets reckless when she finally lets go."

Across the room, Anna nearly missed the glass and Kathrine caught it just in time. Both burst into laughter.

Daniel shook his head fondly. "Anna does that when she’s overwhelmed. Jokes. Drinks. Chaos. It’s her way of not falling apart."

Ethan glanced at him. "And you let her?"

"I stay close enough to catch her if she does," Daniel replied calmly.

That earned a quiet silence from Ethan.

"You’re not drinking," Daniel noted.

"I need to be sober," Ethan said simply. "At least one of us should be thinking straight tonight."

Daniel smirked. "Fair. I already accepted my fate."

Ethan finally looked at him. "You trust her. Completely."

Daniel didn’t hesitate. "With my life."

Ethan exhaled slowly. "I envy that."