Read Novel Full Chapter 465: Comfort
Chapter 465: Chapter 465: Comfort
His fingers brushed her cheeks slowly, tracing the hollow that hadn’t been there before.
They felt warmer than she remembered. His chest tightened.
"Why didn’t you eat on time?" His voice was gentle, but the worry in it was impossible to miss.
Ivy muttered under her breath, "Felix must’ve snitched again."
Silas shook his head helplessly. "Not Felix," he corrected quietly. "You told me yourself."
Ivy frowned, but before she could respond, he caught her wrist.
It felt alarmingly thin beneath his fingers, fragile enough that his grip instinctively loosened.
His gaze sharpened. "You’ve been starving yourself," he stated. "Otherwise, you wouldn’t have lost this much weight."
Only then did Ivy realize it herself. ’’I really have lost a lot,’’ she thought faintly.
Her shoulders slumped. "I feel guilty," she admitted. "Because of my decision, many soldiers turned into zombies."
Her voice grew quieter. "Their families came to me asking for compensation."
Silas’s expression turned serious. "And what do you think about that?"
Ivy shook her head. "They’re being unreasonable." Her tone was firm despite the exhaustion.
"There’s already a pension scheme. Every family gets enough money for daily food, and they won’t suffer as long as they work on their own."
She continued steadily. "I even made special arrangements for soldiers with elderly parents."
Her eyes hardened slightly. "So asking for more isn’t fair. I don’t feel guilty about refusing that."
Silas studied her carefully. "Then why are you sad?"
Ivy lowered her head. "Because I caused them to turn into zombies."
Her fingers curled into her clothes. "If I hadn’t sent them to defend the base... maybe they’d still be alive."
He shook his head immediately. "That’s not true."
She persisted, her voice trembling. "I’m partially responsible."
Silas narrowed his eyes. "What did you do?"
She froze. His tone had turned sharp, perceptive. "I know you wouldn’t just leave turned soldiers outside," he continued.
Ivy closed her eyes and exhaled. "I didn’t," she confessed.
"I stored all the soldiers who turned into zombies in a special chamber far away from the base."
Her voice was quiet but steady. "They can’t infect anyone there, and they can’t hurt civilians."
She hesitated before adding, "I give them animal meat. So they don’t have to hurt anyone."
Silas frowned. "Where did you even get that much meat?"
Ivy grinned faintly despite herself. "I stored a lot."
That was when he remembered. ’She took an entire river,’ he realized. ’’Of course she has endless meat.’’
"With that," Ivy continued, "they can last until the antidote is ready."
Silas looked at her long and hard. "You’re kind," he said slowly.
"And what you did helped them. It shows your repentance, and it is enough to prove how much you care for your soldiers." Then his tone firmed.
"But there’s something you need to understand, or you’ll keep blaming yourself."
He met her eyes. "You built this base to protect people. A base needs soldiers."
His voice was steady and resolute. "Everyone who joined knew what they were risking."
He continued, "It was never your fault to ask them to defend humanity."
His words grew heavier. "As a leader, you made a decision. In that decision, some died." He didn’t sugarcoat it. "But you also saved thousands."
At that, Ivy’s eyes trembled. Tears spilled over as she whispered, "I don’t know anymore... I don’t know if I was right."
Silas’s heart clenched painfully. He pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her tightly.
"You’re missing something," he murmured, patting her back slowly. "Even if you hadn’t sent them, they would’ve turned into zombies, anyway."
His voice softened. "Just like in your previous life. There was no base then, no protection."
He held her closer. "This time, the base exists. People survived because of you."
He paused. "You didn’t sacrifice people. You saved many."
Ivy finally broke, sobs tearing free as she buried her face into his shoulder. He kept patting her back rhythmically, grounding her until the crying eased.
After a long while, Ivy pulled back, eyes swollen and red. She looked at him quietly and asked, "What about you? How are you now?"
Silas smiled softly and tilted his head, eyes lingering on her face.
"Have you cried enough?" he teased gently.
Seeing her red, puffy eyes, he couldn’t help himself.
"Honestly, you really don’t know how to take care of yourself. Look at you," he added, brushing a thumb beneath her eye. "You cried so much your eyes are red like tomatoes."
Ivy frowned instantly. "You really don’t have the bearing of a husband at all," she complained, though her voice lacked real bite.
Silas chuckled, low and warm.
"Oh? I have at least a hundred ways to prove I’m a good husband."
As he spoke, he leaned closer, his breath brushing her lips before he kissed her slowly.
Ivy turned her face away at first. "I’m not in the mood," she protested quietly. "I’m still worried about the soldiers."
Silas didn’t pull back. "That’s because you still don’t know how to relax," he murmured, his fingers gently caressing her cheeks, soothing and patient.
The tension in Ivy’s body gradually eased.
Her resistance melted, and she finally let him do as he pleased.
By evening, the tight knot in her chest had loosened.
She felt lighter, calmer. ’Maybe this was exactly what I needed,’ she admitted silently.
After his comfort, she found herself thinking more clearly.
’Even if I hadn’t made that decision, maybe they would’ve turned into zombies anyway,’ she reasoned.
She was already doing everything she could, searching for an antidote, protecting the rest. There truly wasn’t much more she could do for her soldiers.
......................
While Ivy was sorting through her own turmoil, Martha was facing hers.
Arnold had been repeatedly urging her to leave the base, criticizing how chaotic it had become.
He even used the recent incident as a weapon, constantly inciting her against Ivy.
The moment Martha sat down in her office, Arnold walked in uninvited. She frowned. "I’m not in the mood right now."