Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 481: Sometimes the strongest reactions hide the most strain

Chapter 481: Sometimes the strongest reactions hide the most strain

Meanwhile, back inside the venue, Daniel and Anna continued their dance.

The music had softened into something slow and intimate, the kind that wrapped around a couple instead of demanding performance.

"It’s not as bad as I thought it would be," Anna admitted with a small smile, her earlier nervousness fading as she followed his lead.

Daniel’s hand remained steady at her waist, guiding without controlling.

"It’s not rocket science," he murmured. "You just didn’t have the right partner."

She rolled her eyes lightly, but she couldn’t deny it—under his direction, the steps felt easier. Predictable. Safe. Every time she faltered, his grip adjusted subtly, correcting her without making her feel clumsy.

Maybe she hadn’t hated dancing.

Maybe she had just hated feeling exposed.

With him, she didn’t.

They turned slowly beneath the chandelier light, her dress catching the glow as if the evening had been built just for them.

And then—

"Boss."

The voice cut through the music.

Both of them stilled.

Daniel’s jaw tightened instantly as he turned to face Henry, who stood a few feet away looking like a man summoned to deliver a death sentence.

"This better be important, Henry," Daniel almost growled, irritation sharp in his tone.

Henry swallowed hard.

"Mr. Bennett has been taken to the hospital."

The words didn’t echo. They dropped, heavy.

Anna and Daniel’s eyes met at the same time. No confusion. No shock at who Henry meant. Just understanding.

And something unspoken passing between them.

***

[Hospital]

The fluorescent lights outside the emergency room were harsh—too bright, too unforgiving.

Roseline sat rigidly in one of the plastic chairs, her phone clutched tightly in her hand as though it were the only thing anchoring her.

She had tried calling Anna first. But no answer.

Then Daniel and again ignored.

Desperation had forced her to call his assistant instead.

The image of Hugo collapsing replayed in her mind in relentless flashes—his body on the floor, the unnatural stillness, the color drained from his face. Her own scream had echoed through the mansion, loud enough to summon the staff within seconds.

They had moved quickly.

Ambulance. Sirens. Stretchers. And now—

Waiting.

It had been nearly an hour. The red "Emergency" light above the doors remained on. Every second stretched. Every passing nurse made her heart leap.

"Mom."

The voice startled her.

Roseline looked up sharply to see Kathrine rushing toward her, heels clicking rapidly against the hospital floor. Ethan followed closely behind, his expression unusually serious.

For a split second, Roseline was taken aback.

She hadn’t expected them. She had expected—

Her throat tightened.

"How is Dad?" Kathrine asked, breath slightly uneven as she reached her.

Roseline blinked, pulled from her spiraling thoughts.

"I—I don’t know," she said, her voice distant even to her own ears. "He’s still inside."

Kathrine glanced toward the emergency room doors, worry evident in her face.

Ethan placed a steadying hand on her shoulder, his presence grounding but silent.

Roseline’s grip tightened on her phone again.

She had imagined Anna bursting through those hospital doors—controlled, distant perhaps, but present.

Instead, it was Kathrine standing beside her. And the absence felt louder than the beeping machines inside the emergency room.

The hallway remained tense, sterile, suspended in uncertainty. And as Roseline stared at the closed doors, one thought echoed painfully in her mind— until.

The emergency room doors finally swung open with a sharp mechanical sound.

Roseline shot to her feet so quickly her chair scraped harshly against the floor. Kathrine straightened beside her, fingers instinctively tightening around Ethan’s arm.

The doctor stepped out, removing his gloves slowly. His expression was professional—but not relaxed.

Roseline’s heart began pounding before he even spoke.

"Doctor?" she asked, her voice barely steady.

He glanced between them briefly before delivering the words without unnecessary cushioning.

"Mr. Bennett suffered a heart attack."

The sentence landed like a physical blow.

Roseline felt her knees weaken. For a second, the white hospital corridor blurred, the harsh fluorescent lights turning almost blinding.

"A... heart attack?" she repeated faintly, as if saying it differently might change its meaning.

Kathrine inhaled sharply beside her. "How serious?" she asked, her voice trembling despite her effort to remain composed.

The doctor clasped his hands together. "It was severe, but he was brought in on time. We’ve stabilized him for now."

For now.

Those two words echoed louder than anything else.

Roseline’s fingers trembled as she pressed them against her lips. Just hours ago, she thought Hugo simply needed space to gather his thoughts and get out of the crisis. And now-

Machines were breathing alongside him.

"Can we see him?" Kathrine asked quickly.

"In a few minutes," the doctor replied. "He’s unconscious. We’ve moved him to intensive care for monitoring. The next twenty-four hours are critical."

Critical.

Roseline felt the weight of that word sink into her chest.

Unconscious.

She remembered him lying on the study floor, unmoving. The way she had shaken him. The way his name had torn out of her throat in panic.

For the first time in years, Hugo had looked fragile.

Not powerful. Not intimidating. Just human.

Ethan stepped forward slightly, his tone calmer. "Is there permanent damage?"

"We won’t know the full extent until further tests are completed," the doctor answered carefully. "But stress appears to have been a major trigger."

The words hung heavy in the air.

Stress.

Roseline’s mind spiraled back to the past few days. The tension. The arguments. The collapse of deals. Anna walking away.

Hugo shouting, crying alone. Everything felt overwhelming now.

Her breathing turned uneven.

Kathrine moved closer to her mother, placing a steady hand on her arm. "Mom..."

Roseline blinked, as if returning from somewhere far away.

"I thought he needed time from everything that happened," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. "He was shouting... he was angry..."

As though anger had meant strength.

The doctor gave a small nod. "Sometimes the strongest reactions hide the most strain."

Roseline swallowed hard.

The corridor fell silent except for the distant beeping of monitors behind closed doors.

Hugo Bennett—who had built empires, controlled rooms, dictated outcomes—

Was now lying unconscious, dependent on machines and measured heartbeats.

For the first time, power had no voice here.

Only uncertainty.

And as Roseline stood there under the unforgiving hospital lights, one truth settled in painfully—

This wasn’t a business crisis. This was survival.