CHAPTER 208: A SECRET DATE

Meanwhile, Ethan reached the parking lot and slid into his car. He was about to start the engine when something caught his eye.

A familiar vehicle.

"Isn’t that... Daniel’s car?" he murmured, narrowing his eyes.

There was no mistaking it, as Ethan had seen that exact car enough times to recognize it anywhere.

But why would Daniel Clafford be at the hospital?

Maybe it’s just a coincidence, he reasoned, though the thought didn’t fully convince him.

He shook his head and reached for the ignition when his phone suddenly buzzed. Then again. And again.

Notification after notification flooding in nonstop.

"What now?" he scowled, irritation flickering across his face.

The phone was on silent, but the vibration wouldn’t stop — far longer than any normal alert.

Annoyed, he finally grabbed it and glanced at the screen. And the moment he saw the messages—reality hit him hard.

***

Meanwhile, inside Kathrine’s ward, she ended the call after instructing her driver to bring her car to the hospital.

"My driver will be here soon," she said, placing her phone back on the side table before shifting her gaze to Anna.

"But how did you get here so fast when you didn’t even bring your car?" Kathrine asked, the question that had been nagging her finally slipping out.

It was impossible for Anna to reach the hospital in ten minutes. Not when the hospital was at least a thirty-minute drive from both their homes.

Which meant only one thing— Anna had been nearby when Ethan called her.

Anna, on the other hand, met Kathrine’s curious stare. A thought flickered through her mind, but she dismissed it and decided to be honest.

"I was on a date with Daniel," she admitted.

"A... date?" Kathrine’s eyes widened in surprise. But soon amusement glimmered in her expression.

"I can see you’re getting along quite well with your husband. No wonder he refused to let you go."

Anna’s smile faded. The comment had finally pushed her to ask something she had been holding inside.

"Why did you ask Daniel to leave me?" Her tone was calm, but her heart wasn’t.

She remembered the conversation at their place. The audacity Kathrine had shown asking Daniel to leave her made her heart stop.

Did she say that because she still had feelings for him? Or because she regretted leaving him?

Kathrine noticed Anna spacing out and sighed softly.

"Because he doesn’t love you," Kathrine said bluntly. "And just because our parents forced you into the marriage, you shouldn’t waste your life in something loveless."

Anna snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her sister, disbelief swirling in her eyes.But she masked it quickly, leaning back with her arms crossed.

"Why? Did you finally realize you love him? Or do you regret leaving him at the altar?" she shot back. And this time, it was Kathrine who froze, caught off guard by Anna’s sudden defiance.

Her sister... The same meek, quiet girl who never raised her voice was now bold enough to challenge her without blinking.

Impressive.

Kathrine’s lips curved slightly, as if she was strangely proud.

"No," she said softly. "I don’t regret leaving him. And what I said at your place was true. I don’t love Daniel. Marrying him was never an option for me."

"Then why agree in the first place if you didn’t like him?" Anna pressed.

Memories of her past life confused her. Everything she remembered—the smiles, the comfortable silence, the fond interaction between Daniel and Kathrine—was that all fake?

Kathrine sighed, lowering her gaze as she fidgeted with her fingers.

"Dad wanted it," she admitted quietly. "You know how impossible it is to refuse him. I kept convincing myself I could tolerate it... until I realized I couldn’t bear the idea of being with someone I barely knew."

Barely knew? Anna couldn’t stop the disbelief rising inside her.

"Then what were all those meetings? All those smiles? Was it all an act?"

"I don’t know about Daniel," Kathrine replied honestly, "but in front of our parents, I had to pretend."

Anna scoffed. "And yet you betrayed them in the end."

Kathrine’s face tightened. Anna wasn’t wrong. She had been the perfect daughter—the obedient, adored one— until she wasn’t.

"Anyway," Anna continued, shaking her head, "I don’t want to talk about things that I still can’t understand."

"But if you still think I’m forcing myself to stay in a marriage I didn’t want... you’re wrong, Kathrine."

Yes, Anna had once considered divorce. She had even planned it.

But now? Now she had seen Daniel’s effort—his sincerity, his attempt to understand her, to cherish her. And she realized... she didn’t want to leave.

Not anymore.

***

While Anna stayed inside the hospital with her sister, Daniel continued waiting in the parking area.

Anna had asked him to leave as she didn’t want to attract attention or create a scene.

But Daniel refused. Not after hearing that Kathrine had been in an accident. Or not after learning Ethan had been the one to help her.

"Ethan’s already gone. So why isn’t Anna coming out?" Daniel muttered, glancing toward the hospital entrance.

It couldn’t be anything serious. If it were, Ethan wouldn’t have just left Anna to handle it alone.

But then another thought crept in— dark and unwelcome and Daniel’s jaw clenched.

"I hope Kathrine isn’t planning something," he muttered under his breath.

Kathrine was a cunning woman— skilled at twisting situations to her advantage.And if she somehow dragged Anna into her schemes then Daniel wouldn’t stand for it.

He would pull Anna out himself if he had to.

As the restlessness grew, he finally pulled out his phone and was about to call Anna when his screen lit up first.

It was Henry of all times.

Daniel’s brows tightened as he accepted the call.

"Boss, what have you done?! You’re all over the internet!" Henry’s panicked voice blasted through the phone, forcing Daniel to pull it away from his ear.

But when he pressed it back, his expression darkened. "What nonsense are you talking about, Henry?"

He had no idea what Henry was referring to. But Henry’s frantic reply only confused him more.

"Boss, I’m not spouting nonsense! Just check social media for yourself!" Henry practically wailed. "You messed up—big time!"

Daniel didn’t respond. He hung up and immediately opened his fake social media account—one he used to monitor Anna’s updates and industry gossip without being detected.

Nothing unusual.

"It doesn’t look like I messed up anything," Daniel muttered.

But then something clicked and he switched from his feeds to the fan pages.

And there it was.

The blunder.

"Anna Bennett spotted on a secret date with her mysterious boyfriend — strolling hand-in-hand at the amusement park!"