Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 429: Do you think we have made a mistake by trusting Daniel?
[Flashback]
"I have a feeling this is just the beginning," Anna said, letting out a slow, measured breath.
"No," Shawn replied immediately. "It really isn’t."
His certainty made Anna frown. She turned slightly, her gaze sharpening. "Is there anything else?"
Shawn hesitated.
"Yes," he said at last.
Anna stilled. "What?"
Her tone shifted, losing its earlier calm. The change was immediate, and Shawn caught it. He did not delay any further.
"Kathrine has been seeking help from Doctor Jason," he said. "It started the very day she visited Ester in her cell."
Silence swallowed the line.
Shawn’s grip tightened around his phone. "Anna?" he called cautiously, panic creeping into his voice. "Did you hear me?"
But Anna did not respond.
All she could hear were his words echoing in her mind, over and over again.
[Present]
"So tell me, Kathrine," Anna said, her tone light yet deliberate, "why were you avoiding me?"
She waited, watching closely.
Anna had no idea that Kathrine had visited Ester, nor was she aware of what had driven her to seek Doctor Jason’s help. Still, she could not forget the incident with Collin, the moment Kathrine had barged in to confront him.
That day, Kathrine had looked distressed to the point where even Anna had struggled to understand it. Whatever Collin had said or done had clearly triggered something buried deep within her, something powerful enough to shatter her composure.
All Anna knew was that he had touched a nerve.
And nerves were never touched without a reason.
Across from her, Kathrine could feel Anna’s gaze like a weight pressing down on her. She shifted slightly in her seat, her fingers curling together. For now, she wanted to keep everything to herself. It was tangled with her mother, with truths she was not ready to expose.
Or even face.
Is it even possible to run away now? her mind spiraled. Or should I just faint and get it over with?
Her eyes twitched as the thought crossed her mind. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
"Don’t even think of doing something absurd," Anna said calmly, as if she had plucked the thought straight from Kathrine’s head. "Anything that would make you look foolish doesn’t suit you."
Kathrine snapped back to attention. "What? I’m not thinking anything," she denied quickly.
Anna arched a brow, giving her the unmistakable I know you better than that look.
Kathrine let out a slow sigh. "Okay, fine. Maybe I was. So what?" she snapped. "It’s not like you’re actually going to fall for it."
"So you’re admitting that what I said is true," Anna replied, her gaze sharpening, "and that you were avoiding me."
The way she leaned forward, the way her eyes studied Kathrine without blinking, made Kathrine shift uncomfortably in her chair.
She glanced away, then back again, irritation and unease mixing on her face.
"You’re scary, Anna," Kathrine muttered at last.
Anna gave her a blank, unreadable look, and that was when Kathrine finally gave in.
"Okay, fine," she said with a sigh. "I was avoiding you. But it wasn’t intentional."
Anna tilted her head slightly. "To the point that you diverted my calls straight to voicemail?"
Her tone was calm, almost curious, but it made Kathrine’s shoulders stiffen.
Anna did not press further. If Kathrine was truly seeing Jason, then forcing answers would only make her retreat. After everything Shawn had uncovered, Anna already knew this was not something Kathrine could process easily.
This was not a situation to corner her.
But if Kathrine chose to speak, Anna was willing to listen.
Kathrine shot her a furious look, though it lacked real fire. It faded quickly under Anna’s steady gaze, which held far more intensity than Kathrine cared to admit.
"Do you always have to look at me like that?" Kathrine snapped. "It’s unsettling."
Anna’s expression softened, just a fraction. "I’m not asking you to explain everything," she said quietly. "I just want to know why you felt the need to disappear."
Kathrine looked away, her jaw tightening as she struggled to keep herself composed. She was fighting battles no one else could see, thoughts colliding and unraveling all at once. Nothing made sense, no matter how hard she tried to force order into the chaos.
One name echoed relentlessly in her mind.
George.
It repeated itself over and over, pressing against her thoughts like a bruise she could not touch. No matter how hard she searched her memory, she could not recall who he was or why the name carried such weight.
"Will you believe me," Kathrine asked quietly, her voice strained, "if I say I’m not crazy... and that whatever is happening to me doesn’t make sense at all?"
Anna studied her carefully, seeing past the tension, past the irritation, straight into the conflict tearing her sister apart.
"No," Anna said calmly.
Kathrine blinked, startled.
Before she could react, Anna smiled, just slightly.
’How will I? When I’ve felt that same confusion before.’
Kathrine let out a short, humorless breath. "You trust me too easily," she muttered. "I almost like that."
Anna did not interrupt.
"But trust me when I say this," Kathrine went on, her fingers curling into the fabric of her sleeves, "I’m not imagining things. Something is missing. Something important."
She finally looked up, meeting Anna’s gaze head-on.
"And whatever it is," Kathrine added, her voice barely above a whisper, "someone made sure I wouldn’t remember it."
The words hung between them, heavy and unspoken, however their eyes said something else.
***
[Bennett Mansion]
Roseline searched through Kathrine’s room carefully, her movements precise and deliberate. Every drawer, every shelf, every corner was examined for something, anything, that could validate the doubt gnawing at her.
But she found nothing.
No hidden documents. No suspicious notes. No trace of secrets waiting to be uncovered.
The emptiness left her unsettled.
It was as if she were chasing shadows, drawing conclusions without proof. The realization only deepened her frustration.
With no choice but to give up for now, Roseline left the room and headed back toward her own. However, halfway down the corridor, she slowed to a stop.
Hugo was stepping into his study.
Roseline frowned. When did he come back? she wondered.
Without hesitation, she followed him.
The moment she stepped inside, she froze.
Hugo stood by the minibar, a glass in his hand, pouring himself a drink. The low lighting of the room cast heavy shadows across his face, accentuating an expression she rarely saw anymore.
Tension.
Concern flickered in Roseline’s eyes as she closed the door behind her.
"Darling," she asked softly, her voice careful, "is everything alright?"
Hugo did not answer immediately.
He took a slow sip from his glass, the silence stretching thick between them.
"Do you think we have made a mistake by trusting Daniel?"
