Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 178: Temptation wrapped in sin

The night had deepened, shadows stretching long across the walls, and inside the small house Mariam’s patience was wearing dangerously thin.

It had been sometime since she arrived, and yet the place was empty with no sign of Kira anywhere.

"Just where did this girl go?" Mariam muttered, scowling as she jabbed the call button on her phone again.

The unanswered rings only fueled her frustration.

She had come here with one purpose — to check on her niece. Kira’s sudden silence these past few days had unsettled her, and Mariam couldn’t shake the unease gnawing at her gut. But now that she was here, that unease was turning into full-blown worry.

Her eyes swept over the living room. Things looked... off. A few items were missing — small but noticeable — and the watch Daniel had gifted her for her years of loyal service was gone from its usual spot.

The kitchen counter was worse. Dirty dishes piled high, a faint stench rising from the sink.

"This girl," Mariam muttered under her breath, anger and concern mixing like oil and fire. "She’s losing her mind again."

She waited a few more minutes, pacing by the doorway before finally sighing in defeat. "I can’t keep sitting here doing nothing."

Putting her phone back, she decided to ask around the neighborhood, see if anyone had spotted her niece.But just as she reached for the doorknob, the sound of the lock turning froze her mid-step.

Click.

The main door creaked open and there she was.

Kira stepped inside, her expression unreadable, her hair slightly disheveled, the faint scent of smoke and alcohol clinging to her clothes.

Mariam’s heart sank. Relief came first — then anger.

"Kira," she said sharply, her tone cutting through the heavy silence. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Kira blinked, clearly startled to see her aunt standing in the dark. Her lips parted, but no excuse came out only that faint, defiant smirk Mariam had learned to despise.

"You’ve been gone silent for days, and this is how I get to see you?" Mariam continued, stepping closer. "Where have you been?"

Kira looked away, dropping her bag onto the sofa carelessly. "Out," she said simply.

"Out?" Mariam repeated, incredulous. "That’s all you can say after leaving my house a mess" her anger only fueled when she got a sniff of alcohol from her.

The woman shrugged, as if it didn’t matter and that, more than anything, made Mariam’s blood boil.

"What are you up to, Kira?" Mariam’s voice cut through the thick silence, sharp with suspicion.

Now that she was standing face-to-face with her niece, she could see it clearly — this wasn’t the same girl she’d scolded months ago. Something in Kira’s eyes had changed.

Kira blinked lazily, her movements sluggish, a faint smirk curling her lips. "What? Don’t you see?" she said, her words slurring just enough to betray how drowsy she was. "I’m doing perfectly fine."

"Fine?" Mariam repeated, disbelief hardening her tone. Her eyes swept over Kira’s disheveled clothes, the faint smell of smoke and alcohol clinging to her. "You call this fine?"

But Kira only laughed, a short, humorless sound.

She leaned against the wall, her gaze distant and unfocused. "You always think I’m failing, Aunt Mariam. But for once, things are good. I don’t have to beg for money anymore. I don’t have to clean up after anyone or live by someone else’s rules."

Mariam’s stomach twisted.

It hit her then — the false confidence, the glimmer of arrogance behind those tired eyes — it wasn’t independence. It was corruption.

"What did you do?" Mariam asked quietly, her voice dropping with warning.

Kira’s smirk widened, her eyes half-lidded. "Why do you care?"

"Because you’re my niece!" Mariam snapped, the fear bleeding into her anger. "And because I can see what’s happening to you!"

But Kira didn’t flinch.

Her smile only grew colder. "You wouldn’t understand. You’ve always played it safe — loyal little Mariam, serving the Claffords like a dog. You wouldn’t last a day in my world."

The words cut deep, but Mariam held her ground. "Then tell me what this world of yours is. Who’s helping you? Who’s filling your head with this nonsense?"

Kira’s eyes flickered — just for a moment — with something sharp. Something she didn’t want revealed.

Mariam saw it. She knew that look. It wasn’t pride or defiance — it was guilt.

"Kira," she whispered, taking a hesitant step forward, "what have you gotten yourself into?"

But Kira only turned away, heading for her room with a careless shrug. "Go home, Auntie. I’m not a child anymore."

Mariam stood frozen, watching her disappear down the hallway.

Her pulse was racing now — not from anger, but from dread.

Because she could feel it in her gut: Kira wasn’t just reckless. She was involved.

And whatever she was part of... it was something dangerous enough to make even Mariam’s blood run cold.

***

Back inside the bathroom, Anna’s mind refused to cooperate. No matter how hard she tried to look away, her gaze kept finding its way back to the unmistakable outline beneath Daniel’s boxers.

Good lord... how can it still look that big even through fabric? she wondered, her thoughts spiraling. Try as she might, she couldn’t recall how she had managed to take him the night they’d consummated their marriage—only the flashes of heat, the sound of his voice, and the way her body had trembled against his.

Daniel noticed, of course. He always did. The corner of his lips lifted, that knowing smirk tugging at her composure. His gaze dipped briefly, following the direction of her eyes before rising again with a teasing glint.

"Should I take it down?" he asked, voice low and laced with amusement. His fingers toyed with the waistband, stretching the elastic just enough to make her breath hitch.

Anna’s eyes widened, but she didn’t look away. Oh no. She should have. Every instinct screamed at her to turn, to glare, to do anything except stand there frozen like a fool.

Am I really ready to see it again? her mind raced. Or should I just tell him to stop before I completely lose it?

The thought came too late. Her pulse was already drumming in her ears, her throat dry. She could hear him moving closer, the quiet rustle of fabric brushing against his skin.

’No, Anna. Don’t fall for it again,’ the little devil in her mind hissed, its tail flicking lazily as it perched on her shoulder. ’This is his trick. Remember—he loves watching you squirm.’

But the devil’s grin only widened as her gaze remained fixed. ’Still... can you really blame yourself? The man is temptation wrapped in sin.’