CHAPTER 251: IT’S YOUR HUSBAND...

[Flashback]

After leaving the police station, Anna didn’t get into her car immediately. Instead, she stopped right in front of Kathrine, blocking her path.

"Why did you want to hide your accident?" she asked.

Kathrine froze.

The seriousness in Anna’s voice caught her completely off guard. They had already talked about this—at least, she thought they had. So why was Anna asking again? Why now?

"Because I didn’t want to worry anyone," Kathrine replied with a small, strained smile. "It wasn’t that serious anyway."

She hoped Anna would drop it. Let it go.

But Anna didn’t. Her steady, unblinking stare made the smile on Kathrine’s lips slowly wither.

If Anna hadn’t spoken with Ethan... If their suspicions hadn’t aligned so perfectly... She wouldn’t be questioning this—not right after another attack had just happened.

"I’ve never interfered in our family matters," Anna said, her voice calm but firm. "But two accidents, back-to-back... don’t you find that suspicious, Kathrine?"

Kathrine’s breath faltered. She looked down for a moment, then away.

Because Anna wasn’t wrong.

Back then—before everything changed—Anna never questioned anything. She simply played the role expected of her: Kathrine’s quiet shadow, the obedient daughter who married Daniel to stop her family from facing his wrath.

But in this life... things were unfolding differently.

Unraveling secrets she hadn’t even noticed the first time. Patterns she had been blind to. Motives she hadn’t cared enough to examine.

And now, with attack after attack, Anna couldn’t help but wonder:

Did their families have enemies with grudges deeper than she ever realized? Or worse—were those enemies hiding among people she trusted?

Kathrine, on the other hand, was genuinely taken aback by Anna’s clarity.

The little sister who once followed silently behind her, who never questioned anything... was now looking her straight in the eye and connecting pieces even she hadn’t noticed at first.

It was surprising.

It was unsettling.

And in a way—commendable.

Kathrine’s gaze lingered on Anna’s unwavering expression, the determination in her eyes. A part of her wanted to be proud... but another part trembled with the weight of the secret she’d been carrying.

She didn’t want Anna to know yet.

Not about her suspicions.

Not about her plan to expose Daniel’s hidden motives to their father.

But now—with Daniel’s maid being the one who attacked Roseline—Kathrine felt her doubts harden into certainty.

Daniel was involved.

He had to be.

Maybe not directly—but he was twisting the narrative, bending truth and lies so skillfully that even their own family couldn’t tell the difference.

"What if we do have an enemy hiding in disguise?" Kathrine finally said, her tone quiet but pointed.

Anna’s brows lifted. "And who is it?"

She leaned in, wanting to know—needing to know—who had been targeting their family and why she’d been kept in the dark for so long.

But the moment Kathrine answered, Anna’s world came to a standstill.

"It’s your husband... Daniel."

The name dropped like a hammer.

And in that instant, Anna realized Kathrine wasn’t exaggerating. She wasn’t speculating. She genuinely, firmly believed it.

Her tone carried no doubt, only a disturbing, chilling certainty that made the air around them feel heavier.

Anna’s breath hitched. Because the seriousness in Kathrine’s eyes... was real.

[Present]

Anna sat quietly on the couch, fingers curled around a cushion as she replayed Kathrine’s words in her mind again and again. They echoed with a weight she couldn’t brush aside.

It was also one of the reasons—perhaps the biggest one—why she had agreed Shawn work under Daniel.

Kathrine hadn’t been blunt. She hadn’t said too much. But the things she did say... and the things she hinted at... were more than enough for Anna to start connecting threads she hadn’t dared to touch before.

She was not someone who accused others carelessly. If she pointed a finger at someone, even subtly, it was only after she had already thought it through—after she was convinced.

But she also knew how to mask her convictions behind calm smiles and composed words, especially when she didn’t want the family worrying.

This time, though... her belief had been firm. Unshakably firm. And the fact that the person she suspected—was Daniel...that thought sat like a cold stone in Anna’s chest.

She pulled her knees slightly together, mind swirling.

Whether Kathrine was right or wrong, Anna couldn’t ignore the possibility. Not when attacks kept happening. Not when someone from Daniel’s own circle—his maid—had harmed her mother.

Not when too many coincidences were piling up at the same time.

Anna swallowed hard. Because despite everything... despite her suspicions... despite Kathrine’s unwavering claim her heart refused to accept the idea that Daniel—her husband—could be an enemy.

And yet...she couldn’t dismiss the possibility either. Not anymore.

"What are you hiding, Daniel..." Anna whispered, her voice barely audible.

She stared at her phone as if it could somehow answer her. Her fingers tightened around the device, frustration and helplessness knotting in her chest.

She had just spoken to him.

He sounded calm—too calm—when he told her about her father’s visit to the company. As if the entire thing barely scratched the surface of his concerns.

But the ease in his voice, the steadiness...

it didn’t soothe her.

If anything, it made the unease in her heart grow heavier.

Her father visiting him wasn’t the real problem.

Not compared to the fear gnawing at her—the fear of everything Kathrine had implied.

What unsettled her most wasn’t what Daniel said...

but everything he didn’t say.

Because somewhere deep inside, Anna felt it:

Daniel was hiding something.Something significant. Something he wasn’t ready for her to know. And that truth weighed far more than Kathrine’s warning ever could.

Knock, knock.

The soft knock pulled Anna from her tangled thoughts. She straightened on the couch just as Mariam stepped in, carrying a small tray.

Since Anna had barely touched her breakfast, Mariam had prepared a plate of fresh fruits for her.

"You shouldn’t have bothered, Mariam," Anna said gently as she watched the older woman set the tray on the table.

Ever since Anna came to the mansion, not a single day had passed without Mariam caring for her. She was more than a housekeeper—she was the closest thing Anna had to a mother figure here. Someone she could talk to without filters, someone who felt genuinely warm.

"I just thought you might need them," Mariam replied softly. "It’s rare you skip your meals, Madam."

Anna pressed her lips together, guilt stirring in her chest. Mariam wasn’t exaggerating—Anna never skipped meals, which was exactly why the woman was worried. Anna knew she couldn’t keep brushing off Mariam’s concern forever.

"Mariam... how have you been?" Anna asked quietly, lifting her gaze.

The woman managed a small, trembling smile. Ever since learning what Kira had done, Mariam had barely spoken about her feelings. But Anna saw right through her—saw the guilt, the worry, the heartbreak she tried so hard to hide.

A tear slipped down Mariam’s cheek.

"Mariam," Anna whispered, quickly standing to hold her hand and guide her to sit beside her on the couch. She hadn’t meant to make her cry. She just wanted to check if she was coping.

"I’m so sorry, Madam... for whatever Kira did..." Mariam choked out, her voice breaking.

Anna immediately placed a firm, comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You’ve apologized enough times, Mariam," she murmured. "And I’ve already forgiven you. What Kira did is not your fault."

Mariam was the kindest woman Anna had ever met. Kira... was the complete opposite. Seeing Mariam cry for someone else’s cruelty made Anna feel an ache of sympathy.

"I’m sure once we find her, Kira will get a fair chance to change," Anna added softly—even though an entire day had passed with no sign of Kira. No trace, no clue. Nothing.

Mariam wiped her tears and nodded, regaining her composure.