Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 408: It just means I know when I’ve lost

While the rest of the world was busy showering Anna with praise, interviews, and glowing reviews, there was at least one person who clearly did not know when to keep his mouth shut.

"Y... your wife is amazing," Jason said, holding his phone out as if it might bite him. "I honestly didn’t think she’d pour her heart into a character like that."

The moment the words left his mouth, regret settled in.

Daniel slowly lifted his gaze from the glass in his hand and looked straight at Jason. It was not anger. It was worse. It was the calm, measured stare of a man mentally calculating whether murder was worth the paperwork.

Jason swallowed.

Calling Daniel over had seemed like a good idea at the time. He had imagined a casual drink, some harmless gossip, maybe even bragging about knowing a rising star personally. What he had not imagined was sitting across from a man who looked like he was one wrong sentence away from committing a felony.

"...You’re not saying anything," Jason said cautiously.

Daniel took another sip of his drink. Unbothered. Unrushed. Dangerous.

Jason cleared his throat. "I just meant she acted really well. Like, professionally. Purely professional admiration."

Daniel’s eyebrow lifted a fraction.

Jason rushed on. "Not admiration admiration. Not the kind that involves posters or slow motion replays or unnecessary thoughts before bed. I swear."

Still nothing.

The silence stretched. Jason shifted on the couch, suddenly aware of how close he was sitting to Daniel. Too close. Definitely too close to someone who looked like this.

"Why do you look like that?" Jason asked weakly.

Daniel finally spoke, his voice calm in a way that felt deeply unfair. "Because you’re talking too much."

"I’m praising her," Jason said quickly. "The entire internet is praising her. I’m just joining the crowd."

Daniel tilted his glass, watching the liquid move. "The internet doesn’t sit in my living room and praise my wife to my face."

Jason winced. "When you put it like that, it sounds bad."

"It is bad."

Jason sighed and dropped back against the couch. "I wasn’t crushing on her."

"I didn’t say you were."

"But you’re thinking it."

"I’m thinking you should stop thinking."

Jason stared at him. "You want me to stop thinking?"

"Yes."

"That’s not how brains work."

Daniel took another sip. "Make it work."

Jason laughed nervously. "You’re being ridiculous."

Daniel finally looked at him properly. "You’re breathing very confidently for someone sitting this close."

Jason scooted a little farther away. "Okay, message received."

Good.

Jason glanced back at his phone, where Anna’s face filled the screen. "I mean, you’ve got to admit, she nailed that scene. The emotional breakdown. The tears. Even I felt my chest tighten."

Daniel set his glass down slowly.

Jason froze. "I mean as a viewer. A distant, respectful viewer."

Daniel leaned back, his lips curving into something that almost resembled a smile. Almost. "Jason."

"Yes?"

"If you praise her again, do it like this." Daniel picked up his glass and raised it slightly. "She did well."

"That’s it?"

"That’s it."

Jason blinked. "No adjectives?"

"No poetic metaphors."

"No heart pouring?"

"No heart anything."

Jason considered this, then nodded. "She did well."

Daniel relaxed visibly, picking his drink back up.

Jason grinned. "Wow. Marriage really turns men into territorial predators."

Daniel smirked without looking at him. "And friendship really makes men forget basic survival instincts."

Jason laughed, lifting his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. From now on, I will admire your wife silently, from a safe distance, preferably through a screen."

"Good," Daniel said. "Erase the thoughts."

Jason shook his head, smiling. "You’re impossible."

Daniel clinked his glass against Jason’s. "And you’re alive. Be grateful."

Jason laughed. "Noted." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"So why haven’t you come in again for the sessions?" Jason asked after a long pause.

Daniel did not hesitate. "Because I already have too much on my plate."

The answer was blunt, almost dismissive, but it was the truth. Between work, Anna, and everything else piling up around him, therapy sessions felt like something he no longer had the luxury to sit through.

Jason studied him for a moment, then leaned back slightly. "And the dreams? Do they still trouble you?"

"No." Daniel shrugged, then stopped halfway through the motion.

He went still.

Now that he thought about it, the nightmares had stopped. Completely. The realization settled slowly, unexpected and unsettling. For the first time in months, he had been sleeping without waking up drenched in sweat or choking on memories he did not want to face.

Jason noticed the pause immediately. "You’re sure?"

Daniel nodded. "They’re gone."

Jason’s expression softened. "Then I suppose that isn’t a problem anymore."

Daniel did not respond. He remembered their last session all too clearly. The hypnosis. The way his mind had cracked open when he least expected it. He remembered waking up disoriented, his chest tight, his face wet with tears he did not recall shedding.

Jason had not said much that day, but Daniel had seen it in his eyes. The concern. The confirmation that whatever he carried inside him ran deeper than he liked to admit.

Jason cleared his throat. "However, there is another issue."

Daniel looked up sharply. "What is it?"

A frown instantly formed when he noticed the hesitation in Jason’s eyes. That look. The careful one doctors wore when they were about to say something they knew would not be received well.

Jason exhaled slowly. "Kathrine visited the clinic today. She asked for help."

Daniel’s face darkened in an instant. The relaxed posture he had been holding stiffened, his jaw tightening. "Help?" he repeated. "What kind of help?"

Jason shook his head. "That’s something I can’t disclose."

Daniel groaned and leaned back against the couch, dragging a hand down his face. "You’re serious."

"I am," Jason replied calmly. "And before you say anything, yes, I know you’re worried. But I’m a doctor first. Whatever she shared stays between us."

Daniel clenched his teeth but said nothing. He knew better than to push. Jason had always been professional to a fault. Crossing that line would not only jeopardize his ethics but his entire practice.

After a moment, Daniel straightened. "Fine."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "That was easier than I expected."

"Doesn’t mean I like it," Daniel muttered. "It just means I know when I’ve lost."

The room fell quiet again.

Daniel stared at the glass in his hand, his thoughts spiraling despite his efforts to keep them in check. Kathrine seeking medical help was not something he could brush off. She hated hospitals. Hated doctors even more. If she had gone to Jason, it meant whatever she was dealing with was serious enough to scare her.