Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 534: No next time

Roseline’s car finally came to a stop in a secluded area, far from the main road and hidden behind a row of abandoned buildings. The streetlights here were dim, flickering faintly as if they, too, were reluctant to expose what lay in the shadows.

Roseline frowned slightly as she stepped out of the car.

She looked around carefully, her eyes scanning every corner, every movement, every possible threat.

Silence greeted her.

Satisfied, she adjusted her coat and began walking toward the building ahead.

It was old. Neglected. Forgotten.

Just like the man inside it.

She stopped in front of a worn wooden door and knocked twice.

A few seconds passed. Then the door opened.

Without hesitation, she stepped inside, and the door closed behind her with a quiet click.

The smell hit her immediately. Smoke. Alcohol. Rotting food.

Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Did you make sure no one was following you?" Collin asked.

His voice was sharp, suspicious, his eyes narrowing as he studied her carefully.

Roseline did not answer immediately. Instead, she looked around the space, her disgust growing with every second.

The room was a mess.

Empty bottles rolled across the floor. Half-eaten food sat on the table, already beginning to spoil. Smoke hung heavily in the air, clinging to everything.

It was suffocating. Pathetic to be precise, reminding her of a life she had fought desperately to escape.

"No one followed me," she said finally, her tone cold and certain. "I made sure of it."

She had been careful, always was.

Roseline had checked her mirrors. Changed routes. Watched every shadow.

She was confident. Completely unaware that Hugo had followed her once... and lost her.

Collin studied her for another moment before nodding slightly.

"Take a seat," he said, gesturing toward a chair nearby.

Roseline raised her hand immediately, stopping him.

"I’m fine standing," she replied.

Her voice made it clear she had no intention of touching anything in this place.

She had long left this life behind, long left him behind and would not lower herself again.

Collin on the other hand noticed and smirked.

"As you wish," he said casually, walking past her and dropping into a chair of his own.

He leaned back, watching her carefully, as if trying to read the thoughts she refused to show.

"Did you meet Anna?" he asked.

Roseline hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "I did."

Collin leaned forward slightly, his interest sharpening. "And?"

Roseline’s brows furrowed faintly.

"I told her everything," she said. "Or at least... enough."

She paused, her expression tightening.

"But I don’t think my words reached her the way I intended."

Collin’s smirk faded.

"She listened," Roseline continued. "But she didn’t react. She didn’t question me. She didn’t argue."

Her voice lowered slightly. "She just left."

Silence filled the room.

Collin leaned back again, his mind clearly processing her words.

Roseline watched him, her frown deepening. His silence irritated her.

"Say something," she snapped. "Do you think this was the right move?"

Collin remained quiet for another moment before finally speaking.

"She didn’t reject it either," he said calmly.

Roseline stiffened.

Collin’s eyes lifted to meet hers. "If she truly trusted Daniel completely, she would have defended him. She would have questioned you. She would have shut you down." He paused.

"But she didn’t."

Roseline’s heartbeat quickened slightly.

Collin leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"That means doubt exists," he said.

Roseline stared at him.

"Doubt is enough," Collin continued. "Doubt grows. It spreads. And once it does..."

A slow smile spread across his face. "It destroys everything."

Roseline said nothing. But for the first time since leaving the restaurant... she allowed herself to believe he might be right.

***

[Clafford Mansion]

"So now she is trying to create misunderstandings between us?"

Daniel’s voice was calm, but there was a dangerous edge beneath it. He stood near the window, his posture rigid, his hands resting in his pockets as he listened to Anna recount everything that had happened inside the restaurant.

The moment Roseline’s intentions became clear, everything began to make sense.

Roseline was not someone who acted without purpose. Every word she spoke was chosen carefully, every emotion displayed with intent. If she was now trying to plant doubt between them, it meant she was running out of options.

And desperate people were the most dangerous.

Anna leaned against the edge of the desk, her arms crossed loosely as she watched him.

"She doesn’t know," Anna said quietly, "that you already told me everything."

Daniel turned his head slightly, his eyes finding hers.

"She thinks twisting her words will make me question you," Anna continued. "She thinks I’ll start seeing you the way she wants me to."

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"But all it’s doing is making her fall further in my eyes."

There was no hesitation in her voice.

No doubt.

Only clarity.

Daniel studied her expression carefully, searching for even the smallest crack, the faintest sign of uncertainty.

But there was none.

Anna had listened to Roseline.

She had processed her words.

And she had made her choice.

Still, Daniel knew Roseline would not stop here.

"She won’t give up," he said quietly.

Anna nodded.

"I know."

That was the part that unsettled her the most.

Roseline was not someone who accepted defeat easily. She would keep trying. Keep manipulating. Keep searching for ways to weaken the bond between them.

Anna lowered her gaze briefly.

"I don’t know how far she’s willing to go," she admitted.

The thought alone made her uneasy.

Roseline had already lied, manipulated, and abandoned without hesitation. There was no telling what she might do now that she felt her control slipping away.

Daniel walked toward her slowly, stopping just close enough for his presence to be felt.

"She can’t change the truth," he said.

Anna looked up at him. "And she can’t change what you already know."

His voice was steady.

Certain.

Anna held his gaze for a moment before nodding faintly.

"She’s trying to make me question everything," Anna said. "But she doesn’t realize something."

Daniel waited.

"She’s already lost that power over me."

Silence settled between them. Not heavy. Not suffocating. But steady.

Roseline might try to create doubt. She might try to manipulate the past. But Anna was no longer the girl who could be controlled.

And Daniel would make sure she never stood alone against it again.

Heaving out a deep breath, Daniel then pulled Anna in his arms.

"I feel so blessed right now" he said kissing the crown of her head.

Daniel might have lost his chance to tell Anna how much he loved her in his past life, but now in this very moment he wanted to tell her how much her presence ground him.

Anna couldn’t help but smile as she wrapped her arms around him, however in the back of her mind she couldn’t help but think of her mother and her wicked ways which she was never going to affect her.

But then Anna suddenly remembered something.

Her expression changed instantly.

She pulled away from him and took a step back, folding her arms tightly across her chest.

"But I haven’t forgiven you yet," she said, frowning as her anger resurfaced.

Daniel blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift.

He had been so focused on her pain, on comforting her, that he had almost forgotten the other matter entirely.

He watched her carefully as she stood there, her posture stiff, her eyes narrowed at him in accusation.

"B-But I already said sorry, wifey," Daniel said, his voice unusually careful, almost boyish in its attempt to appease her.

Anna huffed, clearly unimpressed.

"But you are not forgiven," she said firmly. "How could you do that, Daniel?"

She took another step back, her brows furrowed deeply.

"Do you even realize how easy it was for me to spot Henry?" she continued. "That man is terrible at acting. And that beard—"

She pointed accusingly at him.

"It looked so fake that I pulled it off without any effort."

Daniel pressed his lips together, trying his best to maintain a serious expression.

He failed.

Because now that she was saying it out loud, now that he pictured Henry standing there in that ridiculous disguise, trying to look inconspicuous while hiding behind a plant...

It was absurd.

He remembered how Henry had insisted he could handle it. How confident he had sounded.

And now...

Daniel could feel the laughter rising inside him.

Anna continued, completely unaware of his internal struggle.

"Even my makeup team does a better job than whatever he used," she said, glaring at him. "It looked like something bought from a street costume shop."

She paused.

Then she noticed his face.

His lips were trembling.

His shoulders were tense.

He was holding it in.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"You’re laughing?" she asked.

That was it.

Daniel lost the battle completely.

A deep laugh escaped him, rumbling through his chest as he turned slightly away, trying to regain control.

But it was useless.

The more he thought about it, the funnier it became.

Anna stared at him, stunned.

She had been angry.

Truly angry.

And he was laughing.

"I will make sure he hires the best disguise team next time," Daniel said between breaths, still smiling.

He reached forward and pulled her gently toward him, his arm wrapping around her waist as if it belonged there.

Anna frowned immediately, placing her hand against his chest.

"There is no next time," she warned.

Her voice was firm.

Serious.

Daniel nodded obediently, though the smile never left his face.

"Yes," he said. "No next time."