Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 465: He needed her

Roseline had always believed she was the one in control.

For years, she had carefully chosen her words, shaped every argument, redirected every conflict—convinced she could steer Hugo wherever she needed him to go. She thought she had learned how his mind worked, how to calm him, how to distract him, how to make him believe what she wanted him to believe.

She thought she had brainwashed him.

But now, standing in his office, watching the doubt harden in his eyes, Roseline realized she had been wrong.

Kathrine’s confession had planted a seed. A single truth, spoken at the wrong time, had begun to rot everything from the inside out. And now Hugo wasn’t just angry—he was suspicious.

Roseline swallowed, forcing herself to speak calmly.

"You’re letting paranoia cloud your judgment," she said carefully. "You’ve been under pressure. Anyone would start seeing enemies where there are none."

Hugo didn’t respond. He just stared at her, his gaze sharp, calculating.

"I did everything for us," Roseline continued, her voice tightening. "For this family. For you. You think I’d risk everything we built?"

"You already did," Hugo replied flatly. "You just didn’t expect to be caught."

Her breath hitched. "That’s not fair."

"Neither is losing everything because the person I trusted most might be working against me," he shot back.

Roseline stepped closer, lowering her voice into something almost pleading.

"I protected you," she said. "I protected your name, your reputation, your empire. Without me, half your scandals would’ve destroyed you years ago."

Hugo laughed bitterly. "And now the other half is destroying me anyway."

Before Roseline could respond, the office door burst open.

Hugo’s assistant rushed in, pale and breathless, files clutched tightly in his hands.

"Sir—" he gasped. "We just got confirmation. There’s an investigation. Not just into the overseas accounts—into our current operations too."

The words hit the room like a bomb.

"What?" Hugo snapped. "That’s impossible. We covered everything."

"They’re freezing assets," the assistant continued, voice shaking. "The board is panicking. Two investors have already withdrawn. And there are rumors of legal action—criminal charges, not just civil."

Roseline felt the blood drain from her face.

Hugo stood completely still.

Slowly, he sank into his chair, his confidence collapsing in real time.

"No," he muttered. "No, this can’t be happening. Not now."

The assistant hesitated. "Sir... without Miss Anna handling negotiations and damage control with Mr. Clafford, we don’t have anyone to stabilize the situation."

Silence.

That single sentence broke something in him.

Hugo stared at the desk, his reflection in the glass surface looking like a stranger—older, weaker, exposed.

"She really left," he whispered.

Roseline’s chest tightened. "Hugo—"

"She was the only one keeping this alive," he said hoarsely. "The only one people trusted. And I drove her away."

For the first time, there was no rage in his voice.

Only fear.

"My entire business is crumbling," he murmured. "And I have no one left to fix it."

Hugo could finally see it.

Not in flashes of anger or moments of denial—but with the brutal clarity of someone who had run out of excuses.

He had done this.

Every lie. Every manipulation. Every time he chose control over compassion. Every moment he used Anna’s loyalty as a shield for his own failures.

And now, even if he dropped to his knees and begged her to come back, he knew there was nothing she would do.

Because this time, she hadn’t left in anger.

She had left in certainty.

Hugo leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, his chest tight with a pressure he couldn’t breathe through.

For years, he had convinced himself that Anna needed him. That without his guidance, his protection, she would fall apart.

The truth was far more humiliating.

He had needed her and yet he couldn’t do anything. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

***

Norma stood by the tall window of her room, the city lights glittering below like a map of other people’s lives. Her phone vibrated in her hand, the screen lighting up with a single name.

She answered on the first ring.

"Talk," she said calmly.

"It’s moving faster than expected," the voice on the other end whispered. "The investigation into Hugo is official now. Asset freezes, internal audits, possible criminal charges. He’s being watched."

Norma closed her eyes slowly.

"Are they certain?" she asked.

"Yes. There’s no way out for him this time. Too many accounts flagged. Too many witnesses ready to testify."

A faint smile curved her lips.

"And Roseline?" Norma asked.

"Under scrutiny too. Not directly yet, but she’s being pulled into it. Their entire network is unraveling."

Norma let out a soft breath, one that felt like it had been trapped in her lungs for years.

"Good," she said simply. "Keep me informed."

The call ended.

For a moment, she just stood there, phone still pressed to her ear, absorbing the weight of it.

It was finally happening.

Hugo Bennett—the man who had walked through life untouched, untouchable—was falling. Not because of revenge, not because of rage, but because the truth had finally caught up to him.

Norma laughed quietly, a low sound that carried no humor.

She walked to the bar counter and poured herself a glass of wine, her hands steady, her heart light in a way it hadn’t been in a long time.

"To consequences," she murmured, raising the glass.

She took a long sip, savoring it.

For once, justice didn’t feel like a fantasy.

She moved through the room, turning on the music, letting it fill the silence. She even spun once in the middle of the room, the hem of her dress swaying as she laughed to herself.

She was winning.

But then, just as she set the glass down, something tugged at the edge of her thoughts.

Collin.

The name surfaced uninvited and her smile faded slightly.

He hadn’t called. Not today. Not yesterday. Not in days.

Norma frowned, walking back to the window. As she glanced at her phone she realized there were no missed calls, no messages.

A strange unease settled in her chest.

"Where are you?" she whispered.