Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 198: A.....spa?

The day had barely begun when Anna found herself in the passenger seat of Daniel’s car, being driven somewhere she had absolutely no clue about.

The man beside her, however, seemed determined to keep his mouth shut. He didn’t say a single word—just kept staring at his phone, reading something with deep focus.

Why bring me out if he’s going to work? she wondered, irritation slowly bubbling.

Daniel had insisted he took the entire day off to spend it with her. And yet here he was... glued to his screen like he was handling some company emergency.

Meanwhile, Daniel had an entirely different storm brewing in his mind.

He was scrolling through the "perfect date ideas" Henry had emailed him—and the more he read, the more annoyed he became. So engrossed in the list, he didn’t notice his wife’s growing suspicion beside him.

A surprise scavenger hunt!

"Who the hell goes searching for clues on a date?" he snapped internally, narrowing his eyes.

He scrolled again.

Attend a workshop together.

"Seriously? Who even works on a date?" he muttered under his breath, looking personally offended.

"Pathetic," he concluded, clicking his tongue. Out of the entire list, almost everything Henry wrote seemed like pure nonsense.

He wanted Anna to relax. To smile. To enjoy herself. Not to run around solving riddles or labor over pottery like she was already doing enough work on set.

"Okay, I’ll go with these," he finally announced out loud—completely unaware that his voice had carried clearly to Anna’s ears.

She blinked at him.

Just what is wrong with this man? she wondered, watching him continue like she wasn’t even sitting next to him.

"...," she stared.

Anna’s irritation was reaching dangerous levels. She had expected him to at least tell her where they were going. But they had been driving for quite some time, and not a single explanation had escaped his lips.

I should’ve just asked the driver, she sighed. He would’ve been more helpful than this silent statue.

"Ahem... you do realize you’re not alone, right?" Anna asked, watching her husband mutter to himself like a man possessed.

There was definitely something off about Daniel. First, he was mumbling about hunts and workshops... and then—

It hit her.

Don’t tell me... he’s planning a date!?

Anna froze in her seat, eyes widening dramatically as she stared at Daniel. He, on the other hand, stiffened like someone caught in the middle of committing a crime.

Did she hear everything? Did she hear anything?

Before Anna could question him further, Daniel panicked—shoving his phone into his pocket so fast it nearly looked illegal—and flashed her a smile that was a little too bright.

"Wifey! I—I’m sorry for ignoring you. But not anymore. I’m back to being completely attentive to you now."

Cough—Cough—

Anna: "..."Daniel: "??"

The poor driver in the front seat almost choked on air hearing that line.

Not only Anna, but the entire mansion staff by now was becoming disturbingly accustomed to their master’s increasingly cheesy, lovestruck behavior.

They were grateful he reserved this cringe-worthy sweetness solely for his wife...But it didn’t stop them from nearly losing their composure every other second.

The driver stared straight ahead, desperately trying to keep a neutral face while internally screaming:

Why does Master say these things with a straight face!?

Ignoring the growing awkwardness in the car, Anna turned her attention to the passing scenery—until the vehicle finally slowed to a stop in front of a tall glass building.

Sky High Spa.

"A... spa?" Anna blinked, unable to hide her surprise. She glanced at the driver, who immediately pursed his lips and looked away, pretending he absolutely had no idea what was happening.

Then her eyes snapped to Daniel. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Yes!" he declared proudly. "I heard you work too hard on set. And after that drowning scene you barely escaped, I thought you needed a massage. You know—relax your sore muscles and clear out all the tension."

He said it all in one breath, like he’d practiced it ten times in his head.

But Anna didn’t know his real reason.A reason that was far too embarrassing for him to say aloud.

She blinked again—slow, heavy, disbelieving. As if she had been hit by a speeding truck labeled Daniel Clafford: Obnoxious Husband of the Year.

A spa... for a date? Bravo.

"I’m not going in," Anna stated firmly.

Daniel frowned immediately. "What? Why? Aren’t your muscles sore after what we—" He froze and looked ahead.

The driver’s ears turned red and Anna’s jaw dropped.

Daniel swallowed hard. He had almost said it. Almost said that.

"Daniel Clafford," Anna warned, her voice dangerously calm, "if you don’t want me to throw you out of this car, then take me away from here. Now."

She was absolutely done with his ridiculous train of thought—thoughts that seemed glued to one thing and one thing only from last night.

Just how much of a loser can he be? Anna wondered, completely flabbergasted by this bizarre, clueless, oddly adorable side of her husband.

"Turn the car around," Daniel ordered quickly.

The driver didn’t even flinch.

By now, he was no longer surprised whenever Madam scolded Master. It had become a common household scene—Madam had a natural upper hand, and Master bent to her will with embarrassing ease.

Daniel glanced at Anna.

She was fuming. Arms crossed. Gaze fixed firmly out the window. Completely ignoring his existence and that made him swallow.

Henry, he growled internally, if one more idea from your stupid list fails, I swear I will personally transport you to space.

Their "perfect date" had barely begun... and it was already crashing and burning like a meteor.

***

[Bennett Mansion]

"Where were you last night? The guards said you returned quite late," Hugo asked, watching Kathrine as she calmly enjoyed her tea.

"Just out helping a friend," Kathrine replied with a soft smile.

But before Hugo could say anything more, the sharp clatter of cutlery shattered the peaceful morning.

"Oh—I’m sorry," Rosiline murmured, flustered as she quickly picked up the spoon she’d dropped and placed it aside.

Hugo’s brows knitted together. His wife had been acting strange all morning. "What’s wrong with you? You’ve been zoning out for a while now," he asked, concern slipping into his tone.

It wasn’t the first time he noticed.

Rosiline had been like this since yesterday. Even after returning home from work, she had seemed distracted, distant—almost avoiding him entirely. And that wasn’t normal.

Kathrine, meanwhile, watched her mother closely.

Did she go out for some charity work yesterday? Did something happen there?Her suspicion toward Rosiline had always been careful—neutral. But if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that her mother had never intentionally harmed her or Hugo.

Still... something had changed.

Rosiline’s expression was troubled, her thoughts clearly elsewhere.

And for the first time, Kathrine felt a quiet, uneasy stirring in her chest.

"Those Stewarts still haven’t come to their senses," Hugo sneered, irritation flashing across his face as he remembered how Fredrick continued trying to interfere just to catch Daniel’s attention.

"Dad, isn’t Fiona one of the cast members in Anna’s movie?" Kathrine asked.

Hugo scoffed. "Yes, she is. And if it weren’t for her, Fredrick wouldn’t have told me what Anna was up to."

Hugo knew perfectly well how twisted Fredrick could be, but in this one instance, his interference had unintentionally exposed Anna’s secret.

What did he expect? That it would distract me? Or affect my business? Hugo scoffed again, amused and annoyed all at once.

Fredrick’s schemes were transparent. And utterly laughable.

Rosiline’s expression briefly turned grim, but she quickly smoothed it over. "Let’s not talk about those snakes. I’m just grateful we finally saw what kind of people they really are," she said, her gaze shifting back to Hugo.

"And darling," she added in a softer but pointed tone, "I must warn you—don’t let that so-called friendship of yours with them interfere in our lives again."

Hugo nodded in agreement, then turned his attention to Kathrine.

"Come to my study," he said. "We need to discuss your meeting with Mark Anderson."

"You resumed work?" Roseline asked, surprise tightening her voice. She hadn’t expected Hugo to allow Kathrine back into the company so easily.

"Yes," Kathrine replied, her tone sharp enough to cut. "And there is something I need to focus on—especially the project Daniel handed to Dad."

Her words were pointed. Too pointed. Roseline felt the shift instantly.

"What about the project? Didn’t you say everything was going well?" Roseline rarely paid attention to company matters, but Kathrine’s riddled tone made her glance toward Hugo.

The old man pressed his lips together, clearly unprepared to face his wife.

"Not everything," Kathrine said calmly, though her voice carried weight. "There are a few issues that need to be reconsidered."

Roseline’s eyes narrowed, fully alert now.

"We’ll talk in the study," Hugo said abruptly, already rising to retreat upstairs. Kathrine followed without another word.

Roseline watched them go, confusion and suspicion twisting together in her chest—when a servant stepped forward hesitantly.

"Madam... a scarf. The second young Miss sent it back, saying the First Miss forgot it at her house."

Roseline’s head snapped up.

"What? Kathrine visited Clafford Mansion? When?"