Rebirth: The New Bride Wants A Divorce-Chapter 596: They are testing my patience

[Flashback – The Day Hugo Was Hospitalized]

Hugo returned to his study after confronting Roseline, his expression dark and unreadable.

Just as he had expected, she had lied. ’Again.’

The excuse she had used that day, the reason she had given about Kathrine, turned out to be completely false.

He had been summoned home in urgency, told that Kathrine was suffering from another severe panic attack. The moment he heard it, he had rushed back without a second thought, his heart pounding with fear for his daughter.

But when he arrived, the house had been quiet.

Too quiet.

Kathrine had been in her room, fast asleep, her breathing steady, her face calm as if nothing had ever happened.

There had been no panic attack.

No distress.

Nothing.

At that time, Hugo had not questioned Roseline. His entire focus had been on Kathrine, on helping her recover from the trauma she had endured during her abduction. He had chosen to ignore the inconsistency, brushing it aside as something unimportant.

But now, standing alone in his study, recalling everything with clarity, he realized how blind he had been.

He had not just ignored small details.

He had overlooked Roseline.

Her behavior.

Her lies.

Her patterns.

A sudden thought struck him.

His eyes hardened as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the dummy phone he had been using to listen to the recordings between Roseline and Collin.

For a brief second, he stared at it.

Then, without hesitation, he placed it inside the drawer of his desk and shut it firmly.

The quiet click echoed in the room.

Hugo exhaled slowly before pulling out his own phone. His thumb hovered over the screen as he opened Anna’s contact.

He was about to call her.

To tell her everything.

But he stopped.

His expression shifted, something heavy settling in his chest.

Instead of calling, he began typing.

Every word carried weight.

Regret.

Guilt.

Apology.

Things he should have said long ago.

Things he had failed to see when it mattered the most.

Hugo could feel it.

A strange, unsettling certainty creeping into his bones.

After confronting Roseline, he knew she would not stay still.

She would act.

And whatever she planned next, it would not be something small.

It would be dangerous.

Perhaps even fatal.

"If this is how it ends... so be it," he murmured under his breath.

There was no fear in his voice.

Only acceptance.

The woman he had trusted, the one he had believed in for so long, was not who he thought she was.

And now that he finally saw the truth, now that he had a chance to make things right, he would not turn away from it.

Even if it cost him everything.

With that resolve, Hugo pressed the send button.

The message was gone.

There was no going back.

He slipped his phone into his pocket and walked out of the study, his steps steady as he made his way toward his room.

The door creaked open.

Roseline was already there.

Waiting.

Hugo paused for a fraction of a second.

In all his life, he had rarely felt anxious.

But now, standing in front of her, seeing her so calm, so composed, as if nothing had changed, something inside him tightened.

A faint unease crept up his spine.

His chest felt heavy.

Too heavy.

He swallowed hard and walked further inside, his gaze briefly shifting away as he reached for the glass of water placed on the table.

His hand trembled, almost imperceptibly.

Without a word, he lifted the glass and drank it in one go, the cool liquid doing nothing to ease the growing discomfort in his body.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong, but then a sharp pain suddenly gripped his chest, and his breath hitched, causing the glass to slip from his fingers.

Thud.

It shattered against the floor, the sound echoing loudly in the room.

Hugo staggered, his vision blurring as tears stung his eyes. His heart constricted painfully, each beat growing weaker, heavier, as if something were crushing it from within.

He tried to steady himself, but his legs gave out.

"H-Hugo... I am sorry."

Roseline’s voice reached him, distant and hollow, as if coming from somewhere far away.

The pain intensified as the darkness crept in from the edges of his vision, swallowing everything in its path. And then... there was nothing.

***

[Present]

"Huh."

Norma let out a sharp scoff, disbelief evident on her face after hearing everything Anna had revealed.

"This is unlike him," she said, shaking her head slightly, though her thoughts continued to circle around Anna’s words, trying to make sense of it all.

Hugo, admitting his mistakes.

Hugo, preparing for the worst.

It did not fit the man she knew.

"It is surprising," Daniel said calmly, his voice steady as he leaned back slightly. "But I think he finally saw the truth. And this time, instead of turning a blind eye, he chose to make up for the mistakes he ignored."

His words settled heavily in the room.

They were all gathered at Norma’s place, the tension thick enough to suffocate. Ethan stood near the window, his expression grim, while Anna remained seated, her fingers intertwined tightly in her lap.

A few hours had passed since Collin confirmed that Kathrine was in his custody.

But it was not just the abduction that haunted them.

It was his demand.

A demand that made the entire situation far more complicated.

"Even if we have enough proof against Collin," Ethan finally spoke, breaking the silence, "it will not be enough."

He turned to face them, his gaze settling on Norma.

"No matter what we do, he will only let Kathrine go if you take the blame for everything that happened to Mr. and Mrs. Bennett."

The words fell like a bomb.

Norma’s eyes snapped toward him instantly.

"That is absurd," she shot back without hesitation, her voice sharp with anger. "Why would I take the blame for something I did not do?"

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, frustration evident in every inch of her posture.

"This is not just about blame," Ethan continued, his tone firm. "Collin knows exactly what he is doing. He is cornering us."

"He is forcing us," Anna shot back quietly, her voice strained. "If we refuse, Kathrine..."

She could not finish the sentence.

She did not need to.

The implication was clear.

A heavy silence followed.

Norma clenched her jaw, her hands curling into fists at her sides.

"This is blackmail," she said coldly. "And you expect me to just agree to it?"

"No one is asking you to agree," Daniel stepped in, his voice calm but decisive. "But we cannot ignore the fact that Kathrine’s life is on the line."

Norma let out a bitter laugh.

"So what, we just hand everything over to him? Let him walk free while I take the fall?"

Her gaze swept across the room, searching for someone, anyone, to contradict her.

But no one did.

Because they all knew the truth.

Collin had played his move well.

Too well.

Anna’s fingers tightened further as she finally spoke, her voice softer but filled with quiet resolve.

"We are running out of options."

Norma looked at her, something flickering in her eyes.

Anger, fear, and most importantly...conflict.

"This is exactly what he wants," Norma said slowly. "He wants to divide us. To make us desperate enough to sacrifice one for the other."

"And if we do nothing?" Ethan countered. "What then?"

Norma fell silent.

For the first time, uncertainty crept into her expression.

The room grew still once again, the weight of the decision pressing down on all of them.

No matter what they chose, the cost would be high.

And somewhere out there, Kathrine was waiting.

Running out of time.

***

[Back to Where Kathrine Was Held]

The chair scraped harshly against the floor before crashing down with a loud bang.

Collin shot to his feet, his patience snapping completely.

"What the hell is taking them so long?" he seethed, his voice laced with raw fury.

The sound echoed through the room, sharp enough to make Kathrine flinch.

She sat frozen, her hands trembling slightly against her lap as her wide eyes followed his movements.

Collin began pacing back and forth like a caged predator, his steps heavy, uneven, each one fueled by growing irritation. His jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles ticked visibly, and the veins along his neck stood out with every breath he took.

This was not the composed, calculating man she had seen before.

This was something far worse.

Uncontrolled.

Unstable.

He dragged a hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated growl under his breath before kicking the leg of the chair he had just knocked over. The sharp thud echoed again, making Kathrine’s heart jump in her chest.

"They should have called by now," he muttered, his voice low but dangerous. "They know the conditions. They know what I want."

His eyes flickered toward Kathrine.

For a split second, she felt like prey caught in the direct gaze of a predator.

She swallowed hard, her throat dry, her body instinctively shrinking back.

Collin let out a harsh laugh, though there was no humor in it.

"Or are they actually stupid enough to think they can outsmart me?" he said, his tone darkening further.

He stopped pacing.

The sudden stillness was worse than his anger.

Slowly, he turned to face her fully.

Kathrine’s breath hitched.

There was something in his eyes now that made her stomach drop.

Rage.

And beneath it... something dangerously close to losing control.

"They are testing my patience," Collin said, his voice dropping to a near whisper, but the threat in it was unmistakable.