Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 194: No one gets to know about it

An entire hour passed, and neither of them said much.But they made sure the date didn’t go completely to waste.

Kathrine ordered food for both of them, along with wine—anything to soften the awkwardness lingering between them.

Deep down, she wanted to ask Ethan about Anna. But she knew it wasn’t the right moment.

"I know you’re eager to ask something." Ethan’s voice finally broke the silence as he took a sip of wine.

He didn’t know Kathrine well, but the way she kept glancing at him... his instincts told him she was curious.

Kathrine smiled, pushing aside the awkwardness, and met his gaze. "You’re not only smart, but observant too," she admitted, though she hated being caught so easily.

Ethan simply waited.

"I’m just curious why you agreed to a blind date when you seem the least interested," she asked, abandoning the earlier question she’d been considering.

Ethan thought for a moment, the corner of his lips curving slightly. "My mother thinks it’s time for me to date." Then his eyes sharpened a little. "But what about you, Miss Bennett? Why agree to attend your friend’s blind date on her behalf?"

"It’s Kathrine. ’Miss Bennett’ sounds too formal."

She corrected him gently. She didn’t mind formality; they were practically strangers, but being the same age, the distance felt unnecessary.

Ethan nodded, accepting the correction.

Kathrine continued, "I wouldn’t have... but would you believe me if I said I was curious to meet the man my friend was supposed to go out with?"

She knew Bianca’s parents wanted her to settle down with someone they approved of. But Bianca already loved someone else—deeply.

It was childish by some standards, but Kathrine found it rather sweet. Her friend’s seriousness about wanting to spend her life with someone she truly loved...that was something Kathrine admired.

Something she, too, wished deeply.

"Then did I live up to your curiosity? Because it doesn’t feel like we’re meeting for the first time. More like you’ve known me long before this."

Ethan’s question snapped Kathrine out of her thoughts, and she couldn’t help but laugh. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Who doesn’t know Ethan Helmsworth? The heartthrob of the entertainment world," she teased lightly.

But Ethan didn’t look convinced.

Still, he let her answer stand for now, giving a small nod as they returned to their dinner.

Another thirty minutes passed, and once they finished eating and prepared to leave, Ethan suddenly stopped and turned to face her.

"About tonight—no one gets to know about it," he said firmly.

He knew Bianca wouldn’t say anything, but he didn’t want Kathrine remembering it either—or mentioning it.

Kathrine nodded silently.

With that, Ethan got into his car and drove away, while she stood there watching him with a calm, unreadable expression.

Only when his car finally disappeared did she pull out her phone and call Bianca, updating her on how the date went as she headed toward her own car.

***

Back at the Clafford Mansion, once Daniel finished his work, he headed to Anna’s bedroom—only to find her half–heartedly binge-watching a series.

Even with the sound blasting from the screen, Anna’s mind was clearly somewhere else. She barely blinked, her expression distant.

"If you’re that bored you can’t even pay attention to the series," Daniel said as he approached, voice low with mischief, "how about we do something exciting?"

Anna jerked when the mattress dipped beside her. Her eyes snapped toward Daniel’s annoyingly handsome face.

For a split second, she genuinely wondered if she was hallucinating—until he leaned down and brushed a soft kiss against her lips.

Reality hit her instantly.

She pulled back on instinct, clutching a pillow to her chest like a shield."No need. I just... don’t like this series."

Daniel watched her with obvious amusement as she scrambled for the remote, pretending to browse for something else.

They had already eaten earlier, and seeing the pile of snacks scattered on the bed, Daniel figured Anna must have overfed herself too.

"Alright," he said casually. "Even I want to watch something fun."

He moved the snacks aside, making space for himself, and sat right beside her—close enough that their hands brushed.

Anna’s head snapped toward him.

"Daniel, you have enough space on the bed. Why are you practically glued to me?"

"Because that’s my place," Daniel replied easily.

Anna raised a brow, clearly confused."What are you even talking about?"

He leaned a little closer, his voice dropping into that annoyingly confident tone he used whenever he wanted to rattle her.

"Did you forget what I always say?"

Anna opened her mouth to argue, but the next words out of his lips made her choke on air.

"That I belong to you. So gluing myself to you is exactly where I should be."

If there was a boundary to how shameless a person could be, Daniel had long crossed it—and kept walking.

But he enjoyed it. He reveled in it.

Because every time he said something outrageous, he got to watch Anna struggle to hide just how much he affected her.

And that was his favorite view.

Anna stared at him—speechless, stunned, and very much red in the face.Daniel’s smirk only deepened, his eyes glinting with pure satisfaction at her reaction.

And that was exactly when Anna grabbed the nearest pillow and launched it at his face.

"Shut up!" she snapped, more flustered than angry.

Daniel caught the pillow with ease, laughing under his breath as he set it aside.

"Violence, Wifey?" he drawled. "Is this how you handle compliments now?"

"That was not a compliment," Anna grumbled, turning her face away, hoping he wouldn’t notice the heat rising in her cheeks.

But Daniel noticed. Of course he did.

He scooted even closer—because keeping distance clearly wasn’t something he understood.

"Don’t worry," he murmured teasingly, "I’ll help you get used to them."

Anna groaned, dragging the blanket over her head as if it could hide her embarrassment—and Daniel’s shamelessness.

Under the blanket, Anna hoped—prayed—Daniel would take the hint and leave her alone.

But of course...Daniel Clafford didn’t understand hints.

Or boundaries.

Or personal space.

He let her hide for a whole two seconds before his fingers slipped under the blanket’s edge and pulled it down with a slow, deliberate tug.

"Daniel—!" she protested, grabbing at the fabric, but he’d already peeled it off her head, revealing her flushed cheeks and scowling eyes.

"There you are," he said softly, lips curving in that maddeningly smug smile. "Much better."

"Give it back."

"No."

"Daniel!"

"Anna," he mocked gently, leaning in with a grin that made her want to throw the pillow again. "Why are you hiding? I’ve already seen you blush."

"I wasn’t blushing."

"You still are."

"I said I wasn’t—"

Daniel tapped her cheek lightly with his finger."Then why is this so warm?"

Anna froze.Daniel chuckled.

She gritted her teeth, swatting his hand away, but he only scooted closer—close enough that their shoulders touched, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating off him.

"Stop teasing me," she muttered.

"But you’re so cute when you get flustered," he countered, utterly unbothered by her glare.

"Daniel, I swear—"

"You swear what? That you’ll throw another pillow?" He tilted his head. "Go on. I’ll catch that one too."

God, he was impossible.

She grabbed another pillow on impulse—and Daniel watched, eyes gleaming, like he was waiting to see what she’d do next. But all she did was shove the pillow back into its place.

"Let’s just watch the movie!" Anna grumbled, her voice rumbling with irritation and embarrassment. She didn’t even know why she was dragging the argument this long. She could’ve simply played something and watched until sleep pulled her under.

Yet her mind wouldn’t stop racing.

And as her thoughts spun, an idea suddenly clicked into place—sharp and sudden, bright enough to make her straighten slightly.