Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 395: I don’t believe you

Inside the car, Roseline sat rigidly, her eyes glued to the phone in her hand. Message after message from Ester glared back at her, each one more threatening than the last.

Ever since Roseline had failed to follow through with Ester’s earlier demand, the woman had grown desperate—reckless even. The polite warnings had turned into outright threats.

Roseline’s lips pressed into a thin line.

She had tried. Truly tried.

She had approached Hugo carefully. She had tried reasoning with Daniel. But both encounters had ended in cold rejection, suspicion etched clearly in their eyes. Instead of protecting them, she had ended up placing herself under scrutiny.

Her phone buzzed again.

You are testing my patience, Roseline. If you don’t do as I say, I’ll have no choice but to expose you before Hugo.

Roseline closed her eyes briefly.

Enough. After countless refusals and sleepless nights, she finally made her decision. She typed a short reply and locked her phone.

"Be quick," she said curtly to the driver.

He nodded and pulled the car into traffic.

Roseline stared ahead, unaware—or perhaps pretending to be—that a cab had fallen into place behind them, keeping a careful, discreet distance.

***

In that very cab, Kathrine sank lower into her seat, tugging her sunglasses down even though it was hardly necessary.

The moment she’d seen Roseline leave the house in a hurry, instincts screaming, she had hailed the nearest cab without thinking twice. Saving herself from being seen was now her only priority.

Her heart thudded as she peeked through the window. Don’t turn. Don’t look back. Please don’t look back.

"Kathrine... Kathrine, are you there?"

The voice in her ear made her jump so hard she nearly headbutted the window.

She blinked, realizing she had pressed her phone against her ear without even noticing.

"Yes—yes, Ethan, I’m here," she whispered hastily.

The cab driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror, eyebrow raised.

Kathrine shrank further into her seat.

"Why are you whispering?" Ethan asked suspiciously. "And more importantly, why do you sound like you just ran a marathon? Babe, you’re panting."

"I am not panting," she hissed softly. "I’m... breathing with purpose."

"With purpose," Ethan repeated. "That’s a new one."

She shot another glance at the driver and lowered her voice even more. "I can’t talk loudly right now."

There was a pause on the other end. A very telling pause.

"Kathrine," Ethan said slowly, "what are you doing?"

"Nothing," she replied instantly.

"Wow," he scoffed. "That was the fastest lie you’ve ever told."

She closed her eyes. "Okay, maybe not nothing."

"I knew it," he muttered. "Every time you and Anna go quiet, something chaotic is happening. You both share the same two brain cells, don’t you? They just take turns malfunctioning."

"That’s rude," Kathrine whispered indignantly. "And for your information, I’m being very careful."

"You’re whispering in a cab, stalking someone, and your heartbeat is loud enough that I can hear it through the phone," Ethan said dryly. "Forgive me if I’m not reassured."

She sighed, defeated. "I’m just... following someone. Quietly."

"Of course you are," he said. "Why wouldn’t you be?"

She could almost hear him rubbing his temples. "Please tell me you’re not doing anything reckless."

Kathrine hesitated.

That was answer enough.

Ethan groaned. "I take it back. You are reckless. Just sneakier."

She smiled despite herself. "Don’t worry. I’ve got this."

"That’s exactly what scares me," he replied. "At least promise me one thing."

"What?"

"If this turns into a disaster, you call me first."

She nodded instinctively, then remembered he couldn’t see her. "Deal."

As she hung up, Kathrine lifted her head just enough to look out the window again.

Roseline’s car was still there.

And whatever she was heading toward, Kathrine was now determined to find out or so did she thought.

"Huh? Where did Mom’s car go?"

Kathrine straightened abruptly, nearly hitting her head on the window as she scanned the road ahead. Her eyes darted left, then right, heart picking up speed when she saw nothing but unfamiliar cars and an annoyingly empty stretch of road.

Her stomach dropped.

"Sir," she blurted, leaning forward, "where did the car driving before us head to?"

The cab driver finally glanced at her through the rearview mirror, confusion written all over his face. "Which car, miss?"

"The one we were following," Kathrine said, already panicking. "Just now. A black sedan."

The driver frowned, thinking hard. "Miss... were we supposed to be following someone?"

Kathrine froze.

"...Yes?" she answered weakly, like she was suddenly unsure herself.

The driver scratched his head. "You didn’t say that earlier. You just told me to keep driving straight."

Kathrine’s shoulders sagged. Of course she had. In her determination to stay unnoticed, she had been too busy crouching, whispering into her phone, and overthinking every possible disaster to actually pay attention.

She pressed her forehead to the glass with a soft thud. "Oh no. No no no."

The driver slowed slightly. "Should I turn back?"

Kathrine sat up again, eyes darting helplessly. "Turn back where? I don’t even know where she turned!"

Her phone buzzed in her hand as if mocking her incompetence.

Great. Absolutely great.

She looked out again, willing Roseline’s car to magically reappear. It didn’t. Whatever turn Roseline had taken—left, right, some sneaky detour—Kathrine had missed it completely. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Just like that, the trail was gone.

She slumped back against the seat, letting out a long, frustrated groan. "I had one job," she muttered to herself. "One."

The driver coughed awkwardly. "So... destination?"

Kathrine stared blankly ahead. "Anywhere but here," she sighed. "I think I just lost my chance to know where my mother was heading."

As the cab continued down the road, Kathrine clenched her jaw, equal parts annoyed and worried. Losing Roseline now didn’t just mean a failed tail—it meant losing a crucial lead.

***

Roseline’s car slowed as the road narrowed, the city noise fading behind her. Tall, abandoned warehouses loomed on either side, their rusted shutters half-open like watchful eyes.

The driver stopped where she had instructed—an isolated stretch of cracked asphalt surrounded by overgrown weeds and silence that felt too loud.

"This is fine," Roseline said curtly.

The driver hesitated. "Madam—"

"I said this is fine."

He nodded, uneasy, and stepped out, moving a little distance away as instructed.

Roseline remained inside the car, fingers clenched around her purse, her posture stiff. Her heart thudded, not from fear—no, she refused to give Ester that satisfaction—but from fury.

Minutes passed and then another car approached.

Roseline watched it through the windshield, her jaw tightening as the familiar figure stepped out.

Ester hadn’t changed much even after her husband was on the verge of losing everything and her daughter’s career almost dowfalling.

A soff escaped Roseline’s lips.

Ester didn’t rush. She took her time, circling Roseline’s car once, tapping lightly on the hood as if inspecting a prized possession.

"Well," Ester drawled at last, leaning down to peer through the window, "look at you. I was starting to think you’d grown a spine."

Roseline rolled down the window just enough. "Get in," she said coldly. "We’re not here for theatrics."

Ester laughed, a soft, mocking sound, before opening the passenger door and sliding in. The moment she settled, the air inside the car shifted—heavier, charged.

"So," Ester said, crossing her legs leisurely, "this is what it takes for you to listen to me? Rejection from Hugo, suspicion from Daniel, and your precious daughters circling you like wolves?"

Roseline’s eyes flashed. "Watch your words."

Ester leaned closer, her smile widening. "Or what? You’ll threaten me? You already tried that. Didn’t work."

Silence stretched between them.

Ester clicked her tongue. "I warned you, Roseline. I told you not to test my patience. And yet you kept saying no. Over and over. You really thought you could ignore me forever?"

"I was protecting my family," Roseline snapped. "Something you wouldn’t understand."

"Oh, don’t insult me," Ester replied smoothly. "You weren’t protecting them. You were protecting yourself. And now look where that’s gotten you."

Roseline’s fingers tightened. "You forced me into this."

Ester laughed outright this time. "Forced you? No. I simply reminded you of what would happen if the truth came out."

Her tone dropped, sharp as glass. "And suddenly, here you are. Finally bending."

Roseline turned to face her fully. "Don’t flatter yourself. This changes nothing."

Ester raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because from where I’m sitting, it changes everything."

She leaned back, tapping her nails against the dashboard. "So tell me what have you decided" she asked staring sharply at Roseline.

Ester knew one thing with absolute certainty—if she didn’t press Roseline’s buttons now, she would lose everything.

Fredrick’s fortune was bleeding. Deals were collapsing, investors backing out one by one. And for the first time in their marriage, Fredrick had trusted her to fix it. He had handed her the reins with faith in his eyes, and Ester refused to be the woman who failed him.

She couldn’t fail him.

Roseline, on the other hand, saw it clearly now.

The tightness in Ester’s jaw.The forced confidence.That proud, almost desperate gleam in her eyes.

"You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?" Roseline said suddenly, her voice calm—too calm.

Ester stiffened.

"Are you that desperate to take me down, Ester?" Roseline continued, leaning back in her seat with deliberate ease. Then she smiled. Not sweetly. Not kindly. Wickedly. "Because what if I say... I don’t believe you?"

Ester’s eyes widened despite herself.

Roseline tilted her head, studying her like a puzzle she had just solved. "After all, even after I declined you repeatedly, what did you really do? You threatened. Again and again." She shrugged. "Hardly impressive."

"That’s because you didn’t give me a choice," Ester snapped.

"No," Roseline corrected softly. "Because you don’t have one."

Ester’s lips parted, words failing her for the first time.

Roseline leaned forward now, resting her elbows casually on the armrest. "Tell me, Ester—how can I be sure you’re not lying? That you’re not just using me to retrieve your husband’s sinking business?"