Read Novel Full Chapter 1203 Arcane
Chapter 1203: Chapter 1203 Arcane
"La... la... la..." Ross sang and whistled cheerfully as he stirred soup and chunks of meat in a large pot.
Steam rose into the air, carrying a rich, comforting smell that should have eased anyone’s nerves.
He bobbed his head up and down to the tune he made up on the spot, completely absorbed in his own little world.
His movements were relaxed, almost carefree, and his good mood radiated outward.
Anyone else would have found it hard not to smile at the sight.
His happiness was simple, genuine, and utterly infectious.
But Sebastian felt none of it.
He sat nearby, his jaw clenched, eyes fixed on Ross’s back.
Envy churned in his chest, hot and bitter, mixing with an anger he could neither vent nor suppress.
Every laugh, every careless note Ross hummed felt like a quiet provocation.
How can he be so happy? Sebastian thought grimly.
"It’s not his fault," Bella said softly from behind him, her voice cautious, as if she were afraid even her words might ignite him further.
Sebastian let out a slow, harsh breath.
"I know," he said, his tone sharp despite himself. "And that’s exactly what makes it unbearable. It’s nobody’s fault. Not his. Not yours." His hands curled into fists. "I should be able to accept that. I really should."
He laughed bitterly, the sound empty. "But I can’t. No matter how hard I try, the anger just keeps coming back."
He turned to look at Bella, pain flashing across his face. "Now I can’t even touch you anymore. My own wife." His words came out like poison, spat from a wound that refused to close.
Bella’s lips parted, but no sound came out.
She looked away, her expression conflicted, her heart heavy with guilt and helplessness.
She knew Sebastian wasn’t truly blaming her—but that didn’t make the weight any easier to bear.
She stood there in silence, her mind racing as she searched desperately for a solution, any path that might ease the tension between them and pull them out of this suffocating situation.
In the end, only one thought remained.
"I think we should go back to the base," Bella said quietly, breaking the silence at last.
"..." Sebastian stood motionless in the dim light of the cave, the only sound was Ross’ steaming pot.
He couldn’t look at Bella.
Not because he hated her—not exactly—but because every time his eyes flicked toward her, the images came unbidden: her thighs locked around another man’s hips, her head thrown back, mouth open in that raw, animal sound of ecstasy he’d never pulled from her.
He could already hear the base when they walked in tomorrow.
The mess hall would go quiet for half a second when he walked through the door, then the murmurs would start—low at first, then bolder.
"Poor bastard."
"Couldn’t keep her satisfied."
"Heard she was screaming so loud the dumb zombies called it in." Someone would make a joke about needing a bigger dick to keep a woman like Bella happy.
Someone else would laugh too loud.
And every single one of them would picture it: her legs spread wide on some stranger’s cot, nails raking down a back that wasn’t his, begging for more, harder, deeper—while Sebastian lay alone in their quarters, staring at the ceiling, pretending he didn’t know.
His stomach twisted so violently he tasted bile.
Bella watched the whole collapse play out across his face. She guessed what that look meant.
"You’re really doing this, aren’t you?" she said, voice low and venomous. "You’re standing there picturing them laughing at you. That’s what’s eating you alive right now, isn’t it? Not me. Not what I did. Just... your ego."
Sebastian’s jaw flexed.
He wanted to shout that it wasn’t true, that he cared about her, about their marriage, about everything—but the lie tasted worse than the bile.
He did care. Somewhere under the shame there was still love, or at least the ghost of it.
But right now the louder voice in his head was screaming that he would never live this down.
Never walk past the mess hall without someone making a cuckold gesture behind his back.
Never look any of them in the eye again without seeing pity or mockery.
"I’m not—" he started, then stopped. His throat felt full of gravel. "They’ll never let it go, Bella. You know how they are. Once it’s out, it’s out. Forever."
She barked a short, humorless laugh that echoed off the bare concrete walls.
"So that’s the priority? Your reputation? The big tough soldier can’t handle a little gossip?" She took a step closer, boots scuffing grit.
"You think I wanted this? You think I planned to fuck someone else just to hurt you?"
Her words landed like punches. Each one heavier than the last.
Sebastian finally lifted his gaze.
Her eyes were bright with anger and something worse—disappointment.
Not in him, but in what they’d become.
"I’m sorry," he said quietly. It sounded pathetic even to him.
"It’s done. I fucked another man. Another man fucked me. What we need now is to move on." She shrugged, the motion sharp. He winced. Hard.
The silence stretched, thick and suffocating.
Sebastian dragged a hand over his face. His palm came away damp.
He didn’t know when he’d started sweating.
He thought about the ring on her finger, the one he’d slipped on her hand under floodlights and gentle music, promising forever.
And he thought about the men who would look at him tomorrow and know he’d failed at the one thing a husband was supposed to do.
He let out a long, ragged breath that felt like it came from somewhere near his spine.
"Okay," he said at last. The word scraped his throat raw. "Let’s go back."
Bella studied him for a long second. No triumph in her expression. Only a tired kind of resignation.
Neither of them spoke again, the heavy silence pressing down on them, until Ross’s voice broke it to announce that the food was ready.