Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 195: I-Is...that a sign of war

A few minutes passed with Anna and Daniel staring intently at the screen. The suspense built, the dim lights made the room feel smaller, the background score grew louder, and—

"AHH—!"

Anna exploded off her seat, flinging her arms around Daniel and burying her face in the crook of his neck as a ghost suddenly popped onto the screen out of nowhere.

Daniel: "!!!"

The whole idea had been hers—watching a horror movie for "fun," especially after Daniel agreed to go along with it.

But who would’ve thought that the same girl bragging about having a strong heart would end up leaping onto him only fifteen minutes into the movie?

"I thought you said you aren’t scared of ghosts?" Daniel asked, staring at his wife, who was now peeking toward the screen like a traumatized squirrel.

It took Anna a whole five seconds to realize just how embarrassing she’d made this. Not only had she screamed at the top of her lungs—but she was also clinging to him like a koala.

"Huh?" she said weakly, pretending she didn’t understand the question.

But then the realization struck her—and her eyes widened as she registered her position.

She scrambled away from him, practically jumping to the opposite side of the bed, running a shaky hand through her disheveled hair.

"I–I’m not scared," she insisted. "It’s just... the ghost came out of nowhere!"

Anna blurted the words in a rush, refusing to meet Daniel’s curious gaze that remained glued to her face.

If only she knew how traumatized she looked, she would’ve swallowed that excuse whole.

Daniel’s lips curled in amusement as she clutched the pillow to her chest like a shield. She tried her best to appear calm—back straight, chin lifted—but the tremble in her fingers said otherwise.

He could now confidently conclude one thing and that was his wife was absolutely terrified of ghosts.

And all that earlier boldness? Pure façade. Just to pretend she could "handle anything."

Daniel mentally connected the dots. Anna was the one who suggested they watch a movie. A horror movie.

And knowing her, she probably picked it just to fluster him.

But he never expected the same woman who played a corpse in her first side project to end up being the one utterly petrified by the screen.

"But weren’t you the one who played a corpse and got praised for being too convincing?" Daniel teased, recalling the image Wilsmith had sent him from Anna’s first acting project.

It really had been amusing — Wilsmith mentioned she looked so realistic even he was startled when he saw her on set.

Anna pouted, feeling cornered. But then something clicked.

Wait... how did he know about that role? And the compliment?

That conversation was supposed to be just between her and Wilsmith. She never mentioned it to Daniel... not once.

Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she shot him a curious look.

"How did you know about that conversation? The one that happened only between me and..." Anna slowed, her eyes narrowing as her mind raced. "...Director Wilson?"

The second the realization hit her, she snapped toward him.

"Daniel Clafford—was it you who sent Wilsmith to me?" she demanded, anger bubbling up in her chest like a kettle ready to whistle.

Her eyes blazed, her cheeks puffed, and she looked one breath away from exploding. For once she didn’t wanted it to be him.

Daniel on the other hand hadn’t meant to slip. He definitely hadn’t meant to reveal that particular detail. And judging by Anna’s reaction... she wasn’t supposed to know.

Not ever.

Worry washed over him instantly. But before Daniel could speak, Anna lunged at him, pushing him flat onto the bed and pinning him down with surprising strength.

His eyes widened. Is she going to choke me this time?

And for the first time tonight, Daniel genuinely panicked.

Anna let out a breathless laugh, the kind that teetered between disbelief and sheer frustration. She couldn’t believe she had missed all the coincidences, every convenient moment, every suspicious twist that had led to her first-ever role.

Despite her earlier doubts, she had overlooked the one person capable of pulling strings this effortlessly — her husband.

And Director Wilson... even he didn’t let a word slip. The betrayal stung more on Wilsmith’s part, knowing how tight-lipped he had been.

"God, how can I be so stupid?" Anna laughed again, sounding almost unhinged as the truth settled over her. "To think an opportunity just fell into my lap like that—ha!"

She sounded like a madwoman unraveling at the seams — but she wasn’t truly losing it.

Because even if the role had landed in her lap like a silver platter...Anna knew she had earned every ounce of praise by pouring her soul into that character.

And that was the one thing Daniel couldn’t take credit for.

"Wifey... why are you smiling like that?" Daniel whispered, still pinned to the bed.

He stared up at her with wide, cautious eyes, watching the whirlwind of expressions flicker across her face — disbelief, amusement, anger, and finally... that laugh.

That terrifying laugh.

Her smile was the kind that made even a fearless man take a step back — except he couldn’t.

Because Anna was sitting right on top of him, and he was very much trapped. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

However, the response he got next made Daniel feel like his soul flew out of his body.

Because the very next thing he knew, he was dragged off the bed, shoved out of the room, and the door slammed shut right in his face—

THUD!

"..."

The bang was so loud that even the servants working downstairs froze, then rushed forward with wide eyes, all looking toward the first floor in alarm.

Did she just throw me out of the room...?

Daniel blinked, tilting his head in utter shock as the realization slowly settled.

"W-Wifey, I—I’m sorry!" he sputtered, banging on the door. "I didn’t mean to upset you!"

Everyone: "..."

The entire household stared in stunned silence from the hallway below, listening as their fearsome master pleaded—actually pleaded—for forgiveness while banging on the locked door like a scolded child.

And Daniel...had no idea his servants were witnessing every second of it.

****

Meanwhile, Anna stormed back to the bed and sat down, seething. She shot another hard glare at the door.

Daniel continued to bang—literally bang—on it while begging her to open up.

But Anna turned completely deaf to him, covering her ears with her hands.

She was upset.

And throwing Daniel out of the room was the only way she could even begin to calm herself.

But the more he yelled, the more her frustration spiked.

"He won’t understand like this..." she muttered.

She grabbed the remote from the side table and turned the volume up to its highest setting—loud enough that she couldn’t hear anything except the dialogue blasting from the TV.

Anna leaned forward, her hands gripping the edge of the bed, and closed her eyes tightly.

She needed to calm down. She needed to think rationally. She needed to remind herself that Daniel had not always gone overboard.

But the harder she tried to distract herself, the more her mind betrayed her—drifting back to all the ways Daniel had helped her, silently, quietly, from the shadows.

Was it really help? Or did he have a motive behind it?

Anna wanted to trust him. She truly did.

But his behavior... his secrets... the way he always stayed one step ahead—

It never made trusting him easy.

And after what she’d overheard him discussing in his room, she felt her guard rising again—higher than before.

While Anna was upstairs battling her own thoughts, the servants downstairs were busy battling their curiosity.

"Did the couple have a fight? I’ve never seen Master pleading like that," one maid whispered, wide-eyed.

"It must be serious. Why else would Madam throw him out of the room?" another murmured anxiously.

"What do you think will happen now? Will Master come back to his senses or keep begging at her door?" the third asked, voice trembling with equal parts dread and intrigue.

It wasn’t a secret that their master’s marriage had been a long, winding road toward peaceful days. After spending so many nights in separate rooms, the spouses had finally reached common ground—only to slide right back into the same chaos in no time.

"Mariam... I think you should go check," one maid urged, darting worried glances at her. "If Master gets upset again, he’ll take it out on all of us."

Mariam was torn. She had been wondering herself what on earth had happened to make Daniel literally beg Madam Anna. She even took a step toward the stairs—until the sudden THUD echoed through the walls.

Everyone froze.

"I-Is that... a sign of war between them?" a maid stuttered, clutching her broom like a shield.

Mariam too felt her heart shrink when Daniel walked to his old room and slammed the door close.

"Only God knows what will happen now" Mariam muttered unsure of how things will turn between them.