Stars

Chapter Twenty Four

Author's note: I want to thank all of you who have read this story so far! I honestly can't believe I am at over 1k reads. When I initially started this story, I NEVER would have thought it would EVER get this many reads. Thank you all so much! Also, I'll put my main instagram at the bottom if anybody ever wants to talk or has advice/questions about the story :)

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It didn't take Ben very long to get back on his feet. It was really only two days. After being inspected by a doctor, he was sent back to his tent to rest. After that, Isabella abandoned her duties once every hour to check on him. It was really all because of her that he recovered so quickly. 

A few days after getting back from his mission, he was commanding his troops and working with the spy ring again. 

As Ben was writing a letter to another general, Caleb came waltzing into his tent. 

"Tall-boy! Good to have you back. I heard all about how your mission turned out." Caleb teased. 

For a moment, Ben panicked, thinking Caleb knew about Sarah. "U-uh yeah." He stuttered. 

"Whoa there Benny, you're about as white as a sheet... you doing alright?" Caleb asked. 

"I-I..." Ben though about what he should say. The guilt was eating him alive and he knew that he would break soon. "Caleb, if I tell you something, can you promise not to tell anybody else?" 

Caleb looked slightly taken aback. "Of course, you always can." 

Ben inhaled and prepared to tell Caleb what he had done. "I slept with a woman." 

Caleb's eyes bulged out of his head for a moment before he walked over to Ben and clapped him on the back. "I knew you had it in you. Did you give Isabella a good time?" 

"No, Caleb. You don't understand. The woman wasn't Isabella..." Ben said with a sigh. 

"What?" Was all that Caleb said. 

"You heard me. While I was on that mission, I was shot and a woman from Franklin township took me in and patched me all up." Ben explained. 

"God, Ben. Why?" 

"I don't know. I just couldn't stop." Ben looked up at Caleb with almost tear-filled eyes. "What do I do?" 

Caleb sighed and took a seat next to Ben. "Christ. Well normally I would say keep it a secret but we both know that isn't fair to Isabella. She deserves to know that you were a scum-bag," He stated simply. 

Ben was slightly hurt by the word 'scum-bag' but he knew it was true. Isabella deserved better. 

"When are you going to tell her?" Caleb asked. 

"I need to as soon as possible. So she can move on from me and find somebody better. Somebody who won't abandon her like that." Ben said somberly. 

"Tell her tomorrow. But don't tell her in front of anybody." Caleb instructed. 

"I won't. Thanks, Caleb." Ben sighed, turning back to the work he was doing. 

Caleb got up and exited the tent, leaving Ben alone with nothing but his thoughts and guilt. 

~~~

The next morning, Ben woke up and immediately dreaded the day to come. He planned last night that he would find Isabella after breakfast was served and explain everything to her. If not for her sake, then to free him of this guilt. 

Ben stepped out of his tent and into the brisk, morning air. The juxtaposition of the beautiful day and the horrible news he had to deliver made him sick to his stomach. He only hated himself for it because it was his own damn fault. 

Shortly after breakfast had been served, he found Isabella. She was cleaning out the kettles used that morning. 

"Good morning, Ben." She beamed when she saw him approaching. "Breakfast was already served but I can still get you something." She offered and Ben felt a stab at his heart. Caleb was right. She didn't deserve a scum-bag like him. 

"I'm fine. Thank you though, Isabella." He noticed her smile falter a little bit when he declined her offer but he tried his hardest to push it to the side. "Can I speak to you in private for a moment?"

She seemed slightly confused at his manner but she brushed it off. "Of course."

She followed him to behind a tent where they could see nobody and nobody could see them. 

"What is it, Ben? You seem a bit off today?" She asked, enveloping one of his hands in both of hers. 

He pulled his hand out of her grasp and gave her a sad smile. "Isabella... I have been unfaithful to you."

"What?" 

"After being shot and lost in the woods, a woman took me in and she fixed my wounds. I-I was unfaithful to you with this woman..." Ben explained, sniffing and willing the tears not to fall. 

"A-are you joking? You can't be serious." She simply said. 

"No, I am serious. I don't know why I did it, I truly don't. I know I will spend the rest of my life regretting it but I needed to tell you because you deserve so much better than me. What I did was horrible and there are plenty of people in the world for you who are better than me." He explained, finally losing his composure and letting a tear fall. 

Isabella was silent for a moment. Deep down, she wanted nothing more than to cry but she made a promise to herself years ago that she would never shed a tear over a man. "Thank you for having the decency to tell me, then." She gave a weak nod and turned on her heel to leave.

"Isabella, I am so sorry." Ben said one more time before the woman he loved walked away, not looking back. 

He knew that he loved her without a doubt. His heart and his mind loved her one hundred percent. What he had done with Sarah wasn't even love and it involved neither his mind or his heart. He knew that he didn't love Sarah and the only woman he would ever love is Isabella. But he ruined that for himself and for her. 

"You fool..." He cursed at himself. "You've lost her forever." 

~~~

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