Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 385: War zone

"Are you feeling better now?" Ethan asked, passing her a glass of water.

Kathrine nodded, though the movement was hesitant, and took it from him. She stared at the glass for a few seconds before lifting it to her lips, as if even that small act required effort.

Ethan circled the table and sat across from her, watching her too closely to miss the way her fingers trembled.

"I don’t think you’re fine," he said finally, pushing his chair back. "I’ll call the doctor."

The sudden scrape startled her. Before he could stand, Kathrine reached out and caught his wrist.

"Please... there’s no need," she said quickly. "I’m fine. See?"

She took a deliberate sip of water, then another, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Ethan froze. This wasn’t how he had imagined the morning going. All he wanted was to make breakfast, something simple, something normal. Instead, he had somehow shaken her without even realizing how deep it went.

After a moment, he exhaled slowly and sat back down.

"I didn’t mean to upset you," he said quietly.

Kathrine shook her head. "You didn’t."

Not trusting himself to push further, Ethan turned to the food and began serving it onto their plates, deliberately focusing on mundane motions—forks, plates, the clink of cutlery—until her voice cut through the silence.

"I’m scared of fire."

His hand stilled midair.

Ethan turned his head slowly to look at her. Kathrine’s lips were pressed together, her jaw tight, as if she already regretted saying it aloud.

"Fire?" he asked gently.

She nodded, her gaze dropping to the table. For someone who always seemed so fearless, the hesitation in her posture unsettled him.

"I don’t even know why," she admitted after a pause. "It just... happened. One day I was fine, and the next these fears crawled into me, wrapped around my chest, and made it impossible to breathe through them."

She placed the glass down carefully, her hands brushing against each other in an awkward, restless motion before she finally looked up at him.

"I’m sorry I freaked out," she said softly. "It was nothing. Just smoke."

But Ethan could see it wasn’t nothing. The tightness in her shoulders, the way her eyes dulled as if she had been pulled somewhere far away.

Because when she had seen the smoke, she hadn’t been standing in the kitchen with him.

She had been trapped inside a nightmare—one that felt real enough to make her believe she was dying all over again.

Ethan, on the other hand, wasn’t entirely convinced. Still, he didn’t want to push her or drag the moment any longer than it already had.

"If you say so, then I’ll take your word for it," he said, his lips curving into an easy smile. "But right now, we need to fill our tummies."

The deliberate change in topic worked.

Kathrine released a quiet breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and smiled back. Soon, both of them focused on the breakfast Ethan had prepared, the earlier tension slowly dissolving into something softer, almost domestic.

***

"Ethan, have you seen my phone?" Kathrine asked later, now fully dressed, her voice echoing faintly as she searched the room.

"I don’t know," he replied, peeking out from the wardrobe doorway.

Kathrine blinked.

For a brief, dangerous second, she forgot what she was doing. The way Ethan looked at her—casual yet intent—made her heart do a complete somersault.

She quickly shook her head, scolding herself, and resumed her search, checking the bed, the side table, even the chair—everywhere except her bag.

"I should check my bag once," she muttered.

The moment she dug inside, her fingers brushed against the familiar shape.

"There you are," she sighed in relief, pulling it out. The screen flickered weakly, the battery icon blinking in warning—barely alive.

Kathrine let out a small groan. "Great... just great."

Ethan chuckled from behind her. "Looks like your phone survived by sheer willpower."

She glanced back at him, rolling her eyes, but the smile that followed was genuine. However, the moment she plugged her phone in and the screen lit up, notifications exploded across it like uninvited guests.

Missed calls. Messages. Alerts.

Her smile faded.

The name that stood out the most was Anna.

"Shit... why is she calling me now?" Kathrine muttered under her breath.

Ethan arched an eyebrow at her reaction but didn’t pry. Instead, he went back to what he was doing, his eyes still quietly tracking her as she moved toward the balcony.

The call connected almost instantly.

"Finally," Anna’s relieved voice echoed through the phone.

Kathrine frowned, leaning against the railing. "I thought you had enough to drink last night to not even open your eyes this morning," she said dryly. "Yet here you are calling me like I’m heading into a war zone and you need to stop me."

The sarcasm slipped out easily, especially when she remembered how she had snapped at Betty the previous night for calling while she was drinking.

And now here she was.

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds—long enough for Kathrine to pull the phone away and check if the call had dropped.

Then Anna spoke.

"You clearly need to detox, Kathrine. I can tell you’re still not over your hangover."

Kathrine’s lips twitched despite herself.

"Oh? Is that why you called?" she asked. "To remind me of everything I did last night?"

She didn’t mind Anna’s company. Never had. But after listening to her sister’s emotional turmoil, the weight of it all had pushed Kathrine toward the bottle.

And everything after that... was history she wasn’t sure she wanted to revisit just yet.

Kathrine wanted to end the call if Anna just wanted to tease her but when she heard the background sound she couldn’t help but ask.

"Anna where are you now?" she asked as a deep frown marred her face.

"Betty’s place to check on her" as soon as she said those wors Kathrine’s thoughts raced even wild and it was then Anna told her everything that conspired about she left the bar.