Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 501: This life is different

[Later in the evening]

"You’re spoiling me, Daniel," Anna said softly, watching him through the mirror as he gently dried her hair.

Daniel met her gaze in the reflection and smiled. "That’s what I signed up for the moment I realized what you mean to me. This is just the teaser, wifey."

He turned off the dryer and set it aside before brushing his fingers lightly through her hair to check if it was fully dry.

Anna smiled to herself.

She had never known this side of him before. In her previous life, Daniel had been distant. Reserved. A husband who never truly showed what he felt, not even until the day she died.

But now, he was different. More attentive. More open. As if he had learned what it meant to cherish her.

She stood, and they walked toward the bed together before settling on their respective sides. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"There’s something I wanted to show you," Anna said, crawling across the bed and pulling open the drawer of the bedside table.

She took out a folded note and handed it to him.

"This," she said quietly. "I found it when I went to see Collin in the hospital. I’ve been meaning to tell you, but I never got the chance."

Daniel unfolded the paper, his expression unreadable as he scanned the contents.

"I don’t think Mom helped Collin escape," Anna continued. "I think it was someone else."

Daniel folded the note calmly and looked up at her.

"I know who it is."

Anna blinked. "You do?"

He nodded. "It’s Aunt Norma. She helped him get out of the cell first."

Anna’s eyes widened, a storm brewing in them.

"You knew?" she asked, crawling closer to him. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

"Because he hasn’t done anything yet," Daniel replied evenly.

She frowned. "Are you waiting for him to do something so we’re left panicking instead of acting?"

Daniel sighed softly. "No. I’ve been watching him."

They both knew Collin was not someone to trust. He might be her biological father, but Anna had never truly felt attached to him.

Maybe it was because he had never been present while she was growing up. Maybe it was because every memory she had of him carried tension and instability.

Or maybe it was because deep down, she sensed something dark about him.

Even knowing he was her father, her heart never recognized him as one.

Daniel studied her face carefully. He could see the frustration there, the fear she was trying not to voice.

"Norma is shielding him," Daniel said quietly. "But he hasn’t made a move. Not yet. If we act without proof, we’ll only push him into doing something reckless."

Anna crossed her arms. "And if we wait too long?"

"Then we’ll be ready," Daniel answered.

His calmness unsettled her.

"Collin isn’t the kind of man who stays quiet for long," she said. "He’s patient when he wants something."

Daniel reached for her hand.

"I know," he said gently. "That’s why I’m not underestimating him."

Anna searched his face, trying to decide whether to trust his approach.

He leaned closer, resting his forehead gently against hers. "I know what’s bothering you," he murmured. "But trust me, I have people watching him."

He pulled back slightly, giving her a meaningful look.

Anna nodded, though the unease inside her had not fully disappeared. Slowly, she shifted and turned around, settling into his lap with her back pressed against his chest.

Daniel wrapped his arms around her waist instinctively. He brushed her hair aside, exposing her shoulder, and rested his chin lightly there. The warmth of him behind her was grounding.

"Is there anything else bothering you, wifey?" he asked softly, sensing the lingering stiffness in her body.

Anna closed her eyes.

For a moment, she simply breathed. The tension in her shoulders eased as she leaned back more fully into him, allowing herself to relax within the safety of his embrace.

"There is something," she admitted quietly.

Daniel waited.

"Do you think Collin was there in our past lives too?" she asked after a pause. "And if he was... why did we never come across him?"

She craned her head slightly to look up at him, her expression thoughtful rather than fearful.

Daniel did not answer immediately.

The room felt quieter after her question, as if even the air had stilled.

"In our previous life," he said slowly, "our circumstances were different. The people around us were different. The paths we walked were not the same as now."

Anna studied his profile, trying to read the thoughts behind his calm tone.

"So you think he simply wasn’t part of it?" she pressed.

"Or perhaps," Daniel replied carefully, "he was there. Just not close enough to cross our path."

Anna frowned slightly. "But someone like him... someone so persistent... it feels strange that he would not have interfered."

Daniel tightened his arms around her just a little.

"Not everyone is meant to play a role in every version of our lives," he said quietly. "Some people appear only when circumstances allow them to."

Anna considered that.

Maybe in their past life, Roseline had made different choices. Maybe Collin had never escaped prison. Maybe their worlds had remained separate.

Or maybe fate had simply rearranged the pieces this time.

"I just don’t like the idea that we might have overlooked something before," she admitted.

Daniel kissed her temple gently.

"We didn’t overlook anything," he said. "We survived what we had to survive."

His voice carried a quiet certainty that steadied her.

"If Collin was not in our past life," Anna spoked, "then that means we were spared. If he was, and we never met him, then that means he never had power over us."

Anna let her words sink in her mind.

Daniel’s hand rested over hers, his thumb brushing lightly across her fingers. He didn’t respond because a part of him was confused over the whole Collin thing now that Anna raised the question.

"This life is different," he said softly. "And this time, we are not the same people we were before."

Anna nodded, but a part of them felt they were missing out on something which neither Anna nor Daniel remembered.