Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 530: Something was wrong with your face

Roseline watched her carefully, noticing the shift in her expression, the tightening of her jaw, the storm brewing behind her calm exterior.

"That day," Roseline continued softly, "I didn’t just decide to save you. I decided to end everything."

She paused, as if choosing her next words with care.

"I made sure Collin was put behind bars."

Anna’s eyes flickered slightly.

Roseline exhaled slowly.

"I couldn’t let him walk free after what he had done. Not after he threatened you. Not after everything he had destroyed."

Her fingers rested against the table, steady but tense.

"It was because of Hugo that everything happened," she admitted.

Anna frowned faintly but remained silent.

Roseline continued.

"Hugo was the one who helped me," she said. "He had influence. Power. He made sure Collin was arrested. He made sure he couldn’t come near us again."

She lowered her gaze briefly.

"But nothing comes without a price."

Anna’s eyes sharpened.

Roseline looked back at her.

"In return, he asked me to marry him."

The words were calm, but their weight was unmistakable.

Anna’s expression hardened slightly, though she said nothing.

"He didn’t force me," Roseline added quickly. "He gave me a choice."

She laughed weakly.

"A choice between uncertainty... and safety."

Her eyes softened, filled with distant memories.

"He wanted a mother for Kathrine," Roseline said. "She had lost her own. She needed someone."

She paused before continuing.

"And I... I wanted a family."

Not wealth. Not status.

A family.

"That was how I entered his life," Roseline said quietly. "Not because I loved him. Not at first. But because he gave us protection. Because he gave you a future where you wouldn’t have to live in fear."

Anna remained still, her mind struggling to process everything she was hearing.

She had believed Roseline had chosen Hugo for selfish reasons. For comfort. For security.

But now, Roseline was telling her it had been about survival. About protection. About her.

"I thought I was doing the right thing," Roseline whispered. "I thought if I built a stable life, if I gave you everything you deserved, you would never have to suffer the way I did."

Her voice cracked slightly.

"But somewhere along the way... I lost you."

Anna’s fingers tightened slightly in her lap.

She did not know what to feel.

Anger.

Confusion.

Doubt.

Because even now, even after hearing everything, one question remained.

How much of this was truth...

And how much was another carefully constructed lie?

Anna did not respond immediately.

Roseline’s words lingered in her mind, heavy and suffocating. Too much had been revealed in such a short time, and yet, it still did not feel like enough. There were gaps. Pieces that did not fully align.

And more than anything, there was the feeling of being watched.

She had sensed it the moment she walked into the restaurant.

The man in the corner.

He had tried to appear casual, but his attention had betrayed him. His posture, his stillness, the way his eyes flickered toward them when he thought no one noticed.

Anna noticed everything.

She slowly exhaled and pushed her chair back. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"I need a moment," she said calmly.

Roseline looked at her, a flicker of concern crossing her face. "Anna—"

"I’ll be back," Anna interrupted gently, not waiting for her response.

She turned and walked toward the restroom, her steps steady, her expression neutral. To anyone watching, she appeared composed. Unaffected.

But inside, her mind was sharp. Focused.

She did not enter the restroom immediately.

Instead, she paused near the hallway, her eyes shifting slightly.

The man had moved.

He was no longer standing where he had been before.

Anna’s suspicion hardened into certainty.

She stepped quietly into the restroom, waiting just long enough to avoid drawing attention. Then, after a few seconds, she exited again, her movements silent and deliberate.

Her eyes scanned the restaurant.

And then she saw him.

He stood near a secluded corner, partially hidden from view, his back turned to the main area. His phone was pressed against his ear, his voice low and urgent.

"...Yes, she’s here," he whispered. "She’s with her mother right now. Nothing unusual so far."

Anna’s gaze darkened.

He was reporting them.

The confirmation erased any remaining doubt.

She moved without hesitation.

Her footsteps were silent against the polished floor as she closed the distance between them.

He did not hear her.

He did not sense her.

Not until it was too late.

Anna grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

The impact knocked the breath from his lungs, his phone slipping from his hand and clattering to the floor.

Before he could react, Anna stepped closer and pressed her forearm firmly against his throat, pinning him in place.

Her strength caught him completely off guard.

His eyes widened in shock as he struggled to breathe, his hands instinctively grabbing her arm.

Anna leaned in, her gaze cold and unwavering.

"Who sent you?" she asked quietly.

Her voice was calm.

Dangerously calm.

The man froze, his heart racing, his mind scrambling for an answer.

Anna’s grip remained firm, her forearm still pressed against his throat, her eyes sharp and demanding.

But then—

"Henry?!"

The name slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

For a moment, she simply stared at him in disbelief, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing.

Henry winced, his eyes widening in panic.

Anna didn’t hesitate. She reached up and grabbed the thick, suspiciously uneven beard covering his jaw and pulled.

Hard.

"Aaouch!" he yelped under his breath, the fake beard peeling off far too easily.

He immediately slapped a hand over his own mouth, his eyes darting around nervously to make sure no one had heard him or noticed the scene.

Anna stared at the fake beard now in her hand.

Then she stared at his face.

Then back at the beard.

Her lips parted in stunned silence.

"No wonder you looked so... strange," she said slowly, her brows furrowing as she examined him. "I thought something was wrong with your face."

Henry looked personally offended but still continued to weep.