Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 437: This wasn’t how it was supposed to end

"ENOUGH!"

Hugo’s roar cut through the room like a whip, making Kathrine flinch despite herself.

"Enough of this nonsense, Kathrine," he thundered. "Do you even realize who you’re talking to?" He pointed sharply at Roseline. "She is your mother. The woman who accepted you wholeheartedly even before I gave her my name. And this—this is how you repay her? By accusing her?"

Roseline sobbed softly beside him, clutching her chest as if deeply wounded.

Hugo turned back to Kathrine, his anger barely contained. "You’ve crossed every boundary tonight."

But Kathrine didn’t back away.

She straightened instead.

No tears. No apologies.

Just clarity.

"You can shout all you want, Dad," she said quietly. "It won’t change the truth."

Hugo scoffed. "Truth?" he snapped. "You’re letting paranoia poison your mind."

Kathrine’s lips curved—not into a smile, but into something sharper.

"Then answer me this," she said. "Why did she ask me to run away when I refused to marry Daniel?"

The words landed like a gunshot.

Silence crashed down over the room so abruptly it felt suffocating.

Hugo turned slowly toward Roseline.

"What did she just say?" he asked.

Roseline stiffened. "Hugo, she’s twisting things—"

"She didn’t answer my question," Hugo said, his voice low and dangerous. "Did you ask her to run away?"

Kathrine didn’t give Roseline time to recover.

"And right after I disappeared," she continued steadily, "you made Anna take my place."

Hugo’s head snapped back to Kathrine.

"That’s not—" he started, then stopped.

Something in her eyes told him this wasn’t speculation.

This was certainty.

"Hugo," Roseline said quickly, standing now. "She’s lying. You know she’s been emotional—confused. She’s trying to shift blame because she feels guilty about abandoning the family."

Kathrine laughed.

This time, it was cold.

"If I was lying," she said, "you wouldn’t be shaking right now."

Roseline’s hands trembled.

Hugo looked between them, something unfamiliar creeping into his expression—doubt.

"Kathrine," he said carefully, "do you have proof?"

"Yes."

The word was immediate. Unflinching.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a thick envelope, slamming it onto the table.

Roseline lunged forward instinctively. "What is that?"

"Sit down," Hugo ordered sharply.

Roseline froze.

Kathrine opened the envelope and spread its contents across the table—documents, transaction records, signed approvals.

"These are internal transfers," Kathrine said. "Company funds. Routed through shell accounts."

Hugo picked one up, his frown deepening as he scanned the numbers.

"These transactions were authorized under your executive clearance," Kathrine continued, eyes locked on Roseline. "But I traced the IP signatures. Every approval came from your device."

Roseline’s face drained of color.

"These payments," Kathrine went on, "were made to a private security firm overseas. The same firm that arranged my relocation. The same firm that made sure I couldn’t contact anyone."

Hugo’s hand tightened around the paper. These were the same transaction he had asked her about and she lied saying it was for charity work.

"Roseline," he said slowly, "is this true?"

Roseline laughed weakly. "This is ridiculous. She’s twisting numbers she doesn’t understand—"

Kathrine flipped another page.

"Then explain this," she said. "The housing lease in my name. Signed by you. The monthly stipend. The confidentiality clause forbidding staff from revealing my location to any member of the Bennett family."

Though Kathrine didn’t make it to the house Roseline had gotten for her to stay, she still had the papers with her.

Hugo’s breath grew heavy. As his continued to look at the papers, his mind began to ponder through all the lies Roseline had told him.

How she had staged that Kathrine had ran off and how to save themselves from Daniel’s wrath, they should make Anna marry him.

Back then he was infuriated with what Kathrine had done, but he was also left in middle of losing his most important benefiator when he had hardly stablized the company.

"Why would you do this?" he demanded.

Roseline’s composure cracked.

"I was protecting her!" she cried. "She was stubborn, reckless—refusing a marriage that would’ve secured her future. Daniel was dangerous."

Kathrine’s voice sliced through hers.

"No," she said. "You were protecting your plan."

Roseline turned to Hugo desperately. "She’s manipulating you."

Hugo shook his head slowly. "No," he said. "She’s showing me paperwork."

Kathrine stepped closer.

"I tried to let it go," Kathrine said coldly. "I tried to bury everything—because I didn’t want Anna to know what her own mother did to her."

Her gaze cut into Roseline like a blade.

"But I don’t care anymore," she continued. "Because Anna—and everyone else—has the right to know who you really are behind that flawless façade, Mom."

The word tasted bitter.

Roseline’s breath hitched, her chest rising sharply as if the air had been knocked from her lungs.

Kathrine turned to her father then. There was no anger left in her eyes—only resolve.

"You deserved the truth," she said quietly. "Even if it comes too late."

She knew her part was finished.

The mask had been ripped away. The illusion shattered.

Whatever happened next no longer required her presence.

Kathrine gave Roseline one final look—not of hatred, not of triumph—but of release.

Then she turned on her heel and walked out.

Behind her, the room remained frozen in silence—left to deal with the wreckage of truths that could no longer be undone.

***

The door had barely closed behind Kathrine when Hugo turned.

His expression was no longer angry.

It was dangerous.

"Sit," he said to Roseline, his voice low and commanding.

Roseline flinched but obeyed, sinking back into the chair as if her strength had suddenly deserted her. She clasped her hands together, eyes glistening, shoulders trembling—every movement carefully measured.

"Hugo," she began softly, "you know me. You know how much I’ve sacrificed for this family."

Hugo didn’t respond. He picked up the file Kathrine had left behind and tossed it onto the table in front of her.

"I want answers," he said. "Not tears. Not excuses." his words were clear leaving no rooms for lies.

Roseline stared at the file as if it might bite back.

For the first time in years, there was no one left to perform for.

Kathrine was gone. The house was silent. And Hugo—her last shield, her greatest justification—was standing in front of her, unmoved by tears she had perfected over decades.

Her breath trembled as she drew it in.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.