Chapter 151
Finally, I waved my hand and said, “You’ve done shit-all to help with my recovery.”
Noah’s eyes narrowed, and he pulled back slightly. “What’s really your problem, Hannah?” he asked, momentarily raising his tone, then quickly clearing his throat and lowering his voice to avoid being overheard by a passing group of teenagers.
“Look,” he continued, “I apologized for not being there when you hit your head, but a child needed me. I thought you might at least understand that.”
I frowned, opening my mouth to bite out a retort, but the words wouldn’t come. Noah was right, at least in that respect; Adam did need someone. And apparently, Zoe didn’t see Drake as a viable option. That was her business, and I wouldn’t question her choices regarding her own son.
“Listen. You’ve been acting… weirder than normal since we spent the night at Zoe’s house,” he said. “Just tell me what your issue is.”
I barked out a derisive laugh and shook my head in disbelief. “Fine, I’ll tell you. I know what you did that night, Noah. I saw you go into her room,” I snarled.
His eyes widened in shock, his mouth falling open as he sputtered incoherently. His hand, which had just been twirling a strand of my hair in an attempt to appear romantic amidst all the prying eyes, froze. “I… you… are you implying what I think you’re implying?”
I shrugged and looped my arm around his neck, pulling him close so that my breath tickled his hairline as I spoke. “What I saw that night was pretty clear; you going to her room, her calling your name…” I paused, clenching my jaw as I looked away. It was all I could do to fight back the tears pricking my eyes. “…her hands reaching for you.”
For several breathless moments, Noah just stared at me in complete, utter shock. This close, his cologne overwhelmed all other scents of the boardwalk—something that normally would have made my knees buckle. But not tonight. Tonight, it just made me dizzy.
“That’s absurd,” he finally managed to choke out. “I honestly can’t even believe you would think I’d do something like that. You’re my wife.”
“Am I, though?” I challenged, leaning closer so that my lips brushed against his as I spoke. “Because the last time I checked, we’re just ‘unwilling participants in a sham of a marriage, aren’t we?”
I echoed the cruel words he had flung at me not so long ago. After letting my lips linger close to his for a second, I leaned back, watching as the blood drained from Noah’s face. For a long, tense moment, he could only stare at me, his jaw working uselessly as a flush of hot, red shame crept up his neck.
Suddenly, however, the sound of approaching footsteps broke the charged silence between us. I glanced over Noah’s shoulder to see Drake and Zoe making their way back towards us, Zoe’s arms cradling a new plush toy—a garish, hot-pink unicorn this time.
“We’ll continue this discussion later,” I hissed, pressing my hand to his chest and pushing him away. “I don’t feel like bothering at that point.”
Noah simply grunted something incoherent under his breath and smoothed down the front of his jacket as he turned around.
Of course, I thought with an inward roll of my eyes as I watched Zoe walk up to us with her new stuffed animal in her arms. Leave it to Zoe to throw a tantrum until someone bought her the shiny new thing she wanted.
As they drew closer, I could see the smug satisfaction painted across Zoe’s features, her chin jutting out defiantly as she clutched her prize to her chest. Drake, on the other hand, looked utterly resigned, his shoulders slumped in weary defeat.
But I didn’t expect what happened next.
“Here,” Zoe said curtly as they reached us, unceremoniously thrusting the stuffed unicorn toward me. “I want you to have this, Hannah.”