Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 418: I’ll carry you

Anna let out a startled shriek.

"AH—!"

She missed a step, flailed, and nearly flew off the treadmill before gripping the handles for dear life.

"Daniel?!" she gasped, spinning her head around. "What are you doing here?!"

Daniel leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, suit jacket already discarded, lips curved in lazy amusement. But his sharp eyes scanned her from head to toe—flushed cheeks, damp hair, trembling legs.

"You look," he said mildly, "like you’re working out as if tomorrow doesn’t exist."

She straightened stubbornly. "I’m training."

He raised an eyebrow. "For what? Surviving the apocalypse?"

"For life," she shot back.

He stepped closer, pressing a button to slow the treadmill without even looking.

"Next time," he said calmly, "warn your husband before you attempt suicide by gym equipment."

She huffed. "I wasn’t trying to die."

"Anna," he said dryly, "you were arguing with a treadmill."

She opened her mouth to retort—then swayed.

Daniel’s teasing vanished instantly as he stepped forward, catching her before she could topple.

"Easy," he murmured, steady hands gripping her waist.

Her forehead fell against his chest, breath still uneven.

"...Okay," she admitted weakly. "Maybe I pushed a little."

"A little?" he echoed.

She peeked up at him. "A very enthusiastic little."

He sighed, one hand sliding up to support her back, the other brushing damp strands of hair away from her face.

"You scared the staff," he said quietly.

She winced. "Mariam told you?"

"She told me you were in the gym like it was a crime scene."

Anna laughed breathlessly, then grimaced as her legs trembled again.

"I think my legs have filed for resignation."

Daniel didn’t comment. He simply bent slightly and scooped her up with ease.

"Daniel!" she yelped, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck. "Put me down!"

"No."

"This is undignified!"

"You fainting would be worse."

She scowled, then relaxed against him despite herself.

He carried her to the bench, setting her down carefully before kneeling in front of her. He grabbed a towel, gently wiping sweat from her temples, movements uncharacteristically tender.

"You don’t need to punish yourself," he said softly.

She looked at him, startled.

"I wasn’t punishing myself," she murmured. "I just... wanted to be stronger."

His hands paused. "For me?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head. "For myself." but then she paused and whispered" But... also for you."

Something warm flickered in his eyes.

"You already are," he said, voice low. "You just don’t see it."

Her chest tightened.

The room was suddenly quiet, the earlier chaos fading into a soft hum.

’Only if he knew what I just discovered’ and yet seeing him all fine made her feel even more dissapointed.

Daniel reached for a bottle of water and pressed it into her hands.

"Drink."

She obeyed, watching him over the rim. "...You were worried," she said.

He didn’t deny it.

"When I heard something happened to you," he admitted, "my mind went to places I don’t like."

Her fingers tightened around the bottle. "I’m sorry," she said softly. "I didn’t mean to scare you. I was simply preparing for the role I signed up for"

As soon as she said those words, Daniel frowned.

"A role?" he repeated, his brows knitting together.

"Yes," Anna nodded casually, as if she were talking about the weather. "An action-packed movie. The character is physically demanding, so I need to train myself to fit into the role."

She said it lightly.

Too lightly.

Because for Daniel, her words landed like a blow to the chest.

His gaze dropped to her—still flushed from exercise, hair tied messily, eyes bright with determination—and something unreadable flickered across his face.

"Does that mean," he said slowly, then suddenly blurted out, "I won’t be able to squeeze your plump butt to sleep anymore?"

He froze a second too late, clearly realizing how shameless that sounded.

Anna stared at him.

Silence stretched.

Her lips twitched as she dropped the water bottle onto her lap and clutched it tightly, knuckles whitening.

"You don’t want me to be fit?" she asked, her tone deceptively calm, though a faint grim look crossed her face.

Daniel answered immediately, without hesitation.

"No."

She blinked.

"I like you like this," he continued seriously, completely unaware of how dangerous his words were becoming. "You’re soft. Comfortable. Like a teddy bear I want to snuggle with every night." He nodded as if sealing an unbreakable contract. "Anna, you just can’t lose weight."

There it was.

The line he shouldn’t have crossed.

Her expression stiffened—not angry, not loud—but restrained in a way that made his chest tighten.

Daniel had forgotten something important.

They had agreed.

When Anna had agreed to date him, she had made it very clear—no interference in her career decisions. He had agreed without argument, even proudly, as if it were the easiest promise in the world.

And now?

"Daniel," she said quietly, lifting her eyes to meet his, "you can’t go back on your words."

There was no teasing in her voice now. Only warning. And uncertainty.

He opened his mouth, then closed it.

She took a breath, steadying herself.

"It’s not that I dislike how I look," she continued, voice softer but firm. "I’m comfortable with myself. But I also want to be something in my life. When I chose to pursue acting, I knew this day might come."

She paused, fingers tightening around the bottle.

"I knew I might have to change. Adapt. Work harder."

Daniel’s jaw clenched.

He hadn’t thought of it like that.

To him, this was about losing something familiar. Something warm. Something that belonged to him.

But to her?

This was about becoming someone she dreamed of being.

"You already are something," he muttered.

Anna smiled faintly—but it didn’t reach her eyes.

"That’s easy for you to say," she replied gently. "You’re already at the top. I’m still climbing." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The room grew quiet again.

Daniel exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck, conflict written all over his face.

"I don’t want to stop you," he said at last, voice low. "I just... don’t like the idea of the world demanding things from you."

She looked at him then—really looked at him.

"I won’t disappear just because I get stronger," she said softly. "I’ll still be me."

He studied her face for a long moment.

Then, reluctantly, he sighed.

"...Fine."

Her eyes widened slightly.

"But," he added immediately, pointing at her like a negotiator at war, "if you collapse again, I’m confiscating the treadmill."

A small laugh escaped her before she could stop it.

"That’s fair," she admitted. And just like that, the matter was solved.

***

Anna stepped out of the bathroom—and immediately regretted every single life choice she had made in the last twenty-four hours.

Her legs wobbled like overcooked noodles.

She froze, gripping the doorframe as her muscles screamed in protest.

"...Traitors," she hissed under her breath, glaring down at her own legs. "Absolute traitors."

She took one step forward.

Bad idea.

Her knees buckled slightly and she let out a very unladylike yelp. "Oh no—no, no, no. We are not doing this right now."

Somewhere in the room, a low, deeply amused chuckle sounded.

Daniel, who had been waiting on the couch, slowly looked up from his phone.

And what he saw made his evening infinitely better.

Anna stood there in oversized pajamas, hair damp and messy, one hand clutching the wall like it had personally sworn to protect her, her expression caught somewhere between rage and betrayal.

He raised a brow. "Is the floor moving," he asked innocently, "or is that just you?"

She shot him a murderous glare. "Don’t talk to me."

"That bad, huh?" He leaned back lazily, eyes scanning her wobbling legs with undisguised interest. "Should I applaud your bravery or prepare a wheelchair?"

"I hate you," she muttered, attempting another step.

This time she made it exactly two seconds before tipping forward.

Daniel was on his feet instantly, catching her with ease.

"Careful," he said smugly, arms tightening around her waist. "You just tried to assassinate yourself again."

"I slipped," she snapped, though she made no move to pull away. "Because someone decided to push their body past human limits."

"Ah," he nodded thoughtfully. "So this is self-inflicted suffering."

She groaned, letting her forehead drop against his chest. "Why did I think ’one more set’ was a good idea? Who lied to me?"

"You did," he said gently. "Repeatedly."

She tried to straighten but her legs trembled again.

Daniel clicked his tongue. "Unacceptable."

Before she could protest, he bent slightly and scooped her up.

"Daniel!" she squeaked. "Put me down!"

"Nope." He adjusted his grip comfortably. "You’ve lost walking privileges."

"This is humiliating."

"You tried to walk like a newborn deer," he replied. "This is mercy."

She huffed but relaxed against him anyway. "I curse my ambition."

"I warned you," he said cheerfully. "Treadmill: one. Anna: zero."

He carried her to the dining area and set her down carefully on a chair, crouching in front of her.

"Move your legs," he ordered.

"I can’t feel them."

"Excellent," he said. "Then they won’t complain."

She swatted his arm weakly. "You’re enjoying this."

Immensely," he admitted without shame. "This is the price you pay for trying to steal my teddy bear away."

She rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips. "You’re impossible."

"And you," he said, standing up and ruffling her hair, "are officially banned from overdoing it before dinner."

She glanced at the table, then sighed dramatically. "Fine. But if I can’t walk tomorrow—"

"I’ll carry you," he finished smoothly. "Everywhere."

Her cheeks warmed.

"...Deal," she murmured.