Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 392: You changed the plan without telling me

Daniel knew his wife was a hard nut to crack.

Anna’s mind was always racing, jumping from one thought to another, guarding secrets like priceless treasures. He had learned early on that confronting her head-on never worked. She would deflect, joke, or simply shut down. So he had developed his own methods.

Distraction was his favorite.

Anna lay there, breath uneven, senses overloaded, her earlier thoughts completely scattered. Whatever battle she had been fighting in her head had dissolved into nothing more than fragmented awareness and soft gasps.

"Daniel..." she breathed, fingers curling into the sheets. "I... I can’t—"

He hummed innocently, far too pleased with himself. "Can’t what, wifey?"

She shot him a glare that held absolutely no power anymore. "You are doing this on purpose."

"Me?" he asked, mock offended. "I would never."

Her head fell back against the pillow as she let out a breathless laugh, the kind that came when resistance finally gave up. For a few blissfully empty seconds, her mind was completely blank.

And that was exactly when Daniel moved.

Like a seasoned criminal executing a long-planned heist, he stretched just enough to reach the bedside table. His movements were smooth, careful, all while keeping his attention firmly on Anna so she wouldn’t suspect a thing.

Her phone lay there. Unlocked. Waiting.

"Daniel!" Her eyes snapped open, but she was already too late.

With maddeningly smooth precision, he snatched the phone and slid it behind his back, straightening as if nothing suspicious had happened at all.

By the time Anna pushed herself upright, he was already climbing down from the bed, phone in hand, curiosity lighting his eyes.

"...my phone," she muttered weakly.

Daniel only grinned, already tapping the screen. "Relax. I’m just borrowing it."

Anna gulped. Panic surged, and she scrambled off the bed after him. "Daniel, give it back," she warned, lunging for it.

He sidestepped her effortlessly while she tried again only to miss once again.

"Daniel!" she snapped, jumping as he lifted his arm higher, holding the phone well out of her reach.

"Not until I see what’s keeping you so engaged," he said, far too amused, ignoring her indignant protests.

"Daniel, that is private!"

"And you’re terrible at hiding things," he countered, scrolling.

And then he stopped.

The room went quiet, filling the air with familiar voices. Anna and Kathrine’s voices.

Drunk laughter, raw confessions, accusations wrapped in humor, pain disguised as teasing. The recording played like a radio channel no one had asked to tune into.

Anna felt the color drain from her face. She didn’t look at Daniel. She couldn’t as her lies lay bare before him.

When the recording ended, the silence was louder than the voices had been.

Daniel lowered the phone slowly and turned to her. His teasing expression was gone, replaced by something sharper. More certain.

"So," he said at last, "I was right."

Anna swallowed.

"That wasn’t just drunk nonsense," he continued quietly. "Whatever I lip-read this morning... it wasn’t false."

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. For once, there was no clever excuse ready. No joke. No deflection.

"Are you still going to deny it?" he asked, his voice calm but unwavering.

Anna’s shoulders sagged. "Daniel... I—I don’t know how to explain this to you."

Her fingers twisted together nervously. "I just... I don’t want you to think I’m crazy. I know how it sounds. I know those words don’t make sense."

She looked up at him then, eyes glossy but steady. "But I need you to believe one thing. I am not crazy when I said those things. Please."

Daniel’s eyes softened instantly. He stepped closer, catching her hands before she could start worrying at her own fingers again.

"I won’t," he said firmly. "I could never think of you like that."

She let out a shaky breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

He lifted her chin gently, forcing her to meet his gaze. There was no judgment there. Only concern. Only patience.

"You’re nervous," he murmured.

"Yes and you are not helping it either" she muttered voicing her nervousness which made Daniel sigh.

Anna wanted to tell him everything.

The words sat heavy on her tongue, pressing against her chest, begging to be released. But fear wrapped tightly around them. Fear of how Daniel would interpret it. Fear of the look that might cross his face once she spoke of things that sounded impossible even to her own ears.

Rebirth. A past life. Memories that didn’t belong to this timeline.

She had faced enemies, scandals, betrayals—but this? This felt far more terrifying.

Daniel could see it.

He saw the way her brows knit together, the way her lips parted only to close again, the way her fingers trembled as if she were holding something fragile inside herself. For once, even he didn’t know how to push her without breaking something.

So he didn’t.

The room fell into a deafening silence, thick and suffocating, both of them trapped in thoughts they didn’t know how to share.

Until—

Buzz.

The sudden vibration of the phone in Daniel’s hand cut through the air like a blade.

Anna flinched.

Daniel glanced at the screen. His jaw tightened for a brief second before he looked back at her. Whatever teasing instinct he usually had was gone. He didn’t joke. Didn’t pry.

He simply held the phone out to her.

"Answer it," he said.

Anna hesitated, her eyes flickering between his face and the screen. Something about his tone unsettled her—it wasn’t curiosity this time. It was instinct.

She took the phone.

The moment she saw the name flashing on the screen, her stomach dropped.

Kathrine.

Her thumb hovered for a second before she swiped to answer. "Yes, Kathrine?"

Daniel watched her closely, every muscle in his body tensing without him even realizing it.

There was no greeting on the other end. No drunk banter. No hesitation.

Just two words, sharp and breathless.

"Collin escaped."

***

[Hospital]

Kathrine paced the corridor like a caged storm, her heels clicking sharply against the sterile floor. Back and forth. Again and again. Every step echoed her growing fury as officers questioned the hospital staff nearby. Their clipped voices, the rustle of files, the blinking monitors—all of it blended into a dull, irritating hum.

Despite the tight security, despite the protocols, despite everything, Collin had still managed to escape.

Her jaw clenched hard enough to ache.

How? That single question burned through her mind, over and over. Hospitals were supposed to be controlled environments. Cameras. Guards. Restricted access. And yet somehow, he had slipped through their fingers like smoke.

"Miss Kathrine."

She stopped mid-step.

Clement stood a few feet away, his shoulders slumped just enough to tell her the news wasn’t good. One look at his expression and her stomach tightened.

"How is the nurse?" she asked immediately, forcing her voice to stay level.

"Sedated, for now," Clement replied. "She was in shock. No visible injuries, thankfully."

Kathrine let out a slow breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and nodded once. At least Collin hadn’t hurt anyone. That was the only small mercy in this entire mess.

Clement shifted, his tone turning more professional. "We reviewed the surveillance footage."

Her eyes snapped to his. "And?"

"Collin requested to use the restroom," he explained. "He was escorted until the corridor junction, standard procedure. Inside the restroom, he overpowered the nurse—no serious harm—and triggered the emergency exit alarm."

Kathrine’s hands curled into fists. "The emergency exit," she repeated flatly.

"Yes," Clement confirmed. "By the time security responded to the alarm, he was already gone. He knew exactly where to go."

Of course he did.

Kathrine closed her eyes briefly, anger simmering beneath her composure. This wasn’t a reckless escape. It was calculated. Planned. Which meant one thing—Collin hadn’t been as powerless as they thought.

When she opened her eyes again, they were cold and sharp.

"Lock down every exit," she ordered. "Alert all units. I want every possible location he could run to under watch."

Clement nodded without hesitation. "Already in motion."

"Good." with that the officer left.

Kathrine heaved out a tired sigh and finally settled onto the cold bench nearby, elbows resting on her knees. The sterile smell of disinfectant filled her lungs as exhaustion seeped into her bones.

"So Anna was right," she muttered under her breath.

The words tasted bitter.

Her gaze unfocused as memories surfaced, pulling her back to that night.

[Flashback]

The tension between them had finally eased after tears, accusations, and reluctant laughter. Kathrine pulled back first, wiping her face with the back of her hand before fixing Anna with a serious look.

"Now tell me something," she said. "Why did you let our parents know about Collin’s arrest?"

Anna stiffened—just a fraction—but Kathrine noticed.

They had agreed to interrogate Collin quietly. To squeeze every bit of information out of him before the world caught wind of it. That had been the plan. So Anna’s sudden decision to inform their parents had unsettled her.

Kathrine narrowed her eyes. "You changed the plan without telling me."