Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 388: I hate myself for it

"You are surprisingly quiet ever since you talked with Anna," Ethan said, briefly taking his eyes off the road to glance at Kathrine.

Kathrine barely reacted. She sat stiffly in the passenger seat, her thoughts tangled and restless. She still did not understand what Anna had meant by asking her to check on Betty, but that short conversation had stirred something unsettling in her mind.

Unbidden, memories surfaced.

Drunk Anna. Her unfocused eyes. The way her voice had cracked when she kept saying she was not who she thought she was. That she had been living a lie.

Kathrine’s fingers tightened in her lap.

At the time, she had brushed it off as alcohol speaking, as pent up emotions finally spilling over. But now, the words refused to stay buried. Something deep inside her screamed that Anna had known exactly what she was saying.

"Ethan, wait!" Kathrine suddenly blurted out.

Ethan reacted instinctively, slamming on the brakes. The car jerked to a halt, tires screeching against the empty road. Fortunately, there were no other vehicles in sight, no startled horns, no collision.

"What the hell, Kathrine?" Ethan started, his heart still racing as he turned toward her.

Before he could finish, she slapped his hand away from the gear stick, her movements urgent and uncoordinated. "I want to meet Anna. Now," she demanded, patting his arm repeatedly as if that would make him move faster.

Ethan hissed in irritation, rubbing his hand. "You are going to be the death of me," he muttered.

But when he looked at her face, truly looked, the irritation faded. Her eyes were wide, troubled, filled with a kind of panic he rarely saw in her. This was not a whim. This was instinct.

Without uttering another word he turned the car around smoothly and pressed the accelerator, the engine humming as they headed back the way they had come.

***

After twenty minutes the car stopped in front of Clafford Mansion.

"Are you going to tell what is happening?" Ethan asked when Kathrine decided to leave even without kissing him.

He blinked hoping for an answer but all he got was Kathrine leaning and pecking his lips.

"Not now baby, but I promise to tell you once I meet Anna okay" with that Kathrine turned and got out of the car while Ethan simply watched her enter the gigantic mansion’s gate.

"She makes my head spin" he muttered but then he let out a laugh as if it was ever going to change his mind for her.

***

Meanwhile, Kathrine was informed that Anna was already heading home from Glorious International when her calls went unanswered.

She had not intended to call Daniel. In fact, she had avoided it deliberately. But patience had never been her strongest virtue, and when Betty mentioned that Anna had left in a hurry, unease tightened in her chest. Whatever had happened, it was serious enough to make Anna withdraw without a word.

Last night, Kathrine had been drunk. Reckless. Laughing things off. But even then, she had not missed the pain buried beneath Anna’s words. Sober now, that memory weighed heavier, sharper, and it made the guilt settle deeper.

Something was wrong. And this time, Kathrine refused to pretend otherwise.

"I need to talk to her," she murmured to herself as she stepped inside the house, squaring her shoulders as if bracing for impact.

The place was quiet, almost unnervingly so. Mariam had already been informed of her arrival and had quietly told her that Anna was not in her room. Instead, she had gone to the garden, seeking solitude.

Kathrine did not hesitate.

She walked through the hallway and out into the open air. The garden was bathed in soft afternoon light, the faint rustle of leaves filling the silence.

At the far end, Anna sat alone, her back to the house, shoulders slightly hunched as if the weight of the world rested there.

Kathrine slowed her steps. She contemplated on how she woud confront Anna if she had already found the truth. But she also knew she could let be the one to endure everything. Not when she too knew the truth all along and yet she refused to tell her.

"Anna," Kathrine called, resuming her steps until she stood beside her.

Anna did not look surprised. She did not even turn right away. Her gaze remained fixed on the garden ahead, as if she were gathering the courage to face what came next.

"I know why you are here, Kathrine," she said slowly, finally lifting her eyes to her sister.

Kathrine’s heart clenched as she sensed the distance in Anna’s tone.

"But first, I need to know something." she added

Kathrine frowned, confusion knitting her brows. "What do you mean?"

Anna turned fully toward her now. There was no anger in her eyes. Only exhaustion and something painfully close to betrayal.

"How long did you know that I wasn’t your sister? " Anna asked. "And why did you never tell me? Not even once."

Kathrine froze.

The words struck her like a slap, clarity crashing over her all at once. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.

"H how did you..." Kathrine began, her voice faltering.

"I need an answer, Kathrine," Anna said, this time her tone firmer, sharper. The softness vanished, replaced by a resolve that made Kathrine instinctively straighten. "How long?"

Kathrine met the defiant look in Anna’s eyes and felt her throat tighten. That look carried a clear warning. Choose your words carefully. There was no space left for half truths. No tolerance for another lie.

"S since you came to the Bennett house," Kathrine said softly, forcing the words out, "after Roseline married Dad."

The confession hung between them.

Kathrine’s gaze drifted, memories pulling her back despite herself. She had been just seven when Hugo married Roseline. Seven and aching from the absence of a mother she barely remembered anymore. Roseline had arrived not alone, but with a quiet three year old girl clinging to her side. Anna.

"I was a child," Kathrine continued, her voice unsteady. "I did not understand everything. I only knew that Dad brought her home and introduced her as our new mother."

She swallowed. "And I wanted her to be mine."

Anna’s expression flickered, something raw passing through her eyes.

"I had already lost my real mother," Kathrine said. "I was scared of losing again. So when Roseline started giving me attention, when she held my hand and called me her daughter, I clung to it. I did not want to share that love."

Her hands curled into fists. "I saw you as competition. A reminder that she was not really mine."

Kathrine forced herself to look at Anna. "I was jealous. Selfish. And I hated myself for it, but not enough to stop."

Kathrine hated herself for keeping Anna from her motherly love, but little did she knew Roseline never ignored her daughter, but planned something against step-daughter.