Chapter 68

"Alright. The director said she set something up in the rec room. We should get the photo opportunity and then leave," Noah said.

I blinked. A photo opportunity. Right, we were here for positive press. That was why I was doing…everything lately. But I wasn't sure I saw it that way anymore.

"Right." Straightening my spine, I brushed away a stray strand of hair and squared my shoulders. "Let's go."

The moment I stepped into the orphanage's rec room, I was overwhelmed by the shrieks and giggles of dozens of excited children clustered around makeshift tables.

"Look who decided to join us!" the director called out. "Luna Hannah! Alpha Noah!" A little girl with wild auburn curls beckoned us. "We're going to play Chutes and Ladders! You have to play with us!"

Almost involuntarily, I smiled. Who was I to deny children's wishes? Besides, I couldn't remember the last time I'd played a board game. I'd certainly never seen Noah play one.

Noah shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know if we have the time—"

"Of course we'll play," I interrupted, shooting him a warning glare. "Alpha Noah and I would be honored."

I hooked my hand around his elbow and tugged him toward the tables. "Don't be such a sourpuss," I chided. "All work and no play makes Noah a very dull boy."

His jaw clenched, but surprisingly, he didn't resist as I guided him.

We ended up at opposite ends of a long table, surrounded by children as the director set up the Chutes and Ladders board. The moment she finished, tiny hands were rolling dice and moving the game pieces.

Over the next couple of hours, we played game after game. By the last one, I was breathless with laughter, my cheeks aching from smiling.

At one point, I glanced up to see Noah watching me, his expression surprisingly soft, the corners of his lips twitching upward in a rare, genuine smile. Our eyes met, and to my astonishment, my pulse quickened, a flutter radiating from my stomach.

Quickly, I dropped my gaze, my cheeks heating up. It had been so long since I'd seen an unguarded expression of happiness from Noah—least of all directed at me. Feeling self-conscious, I toyed with my hair, chewing my lip. When I looked again, he was watching a little girl, his smile gone, replaced by his usual brooding pout.

I tried to dismiss the fluttering sensation in my stomach. It was a coincidence, or a trick of the light. Nothing more.

Noah and I were ending our marriage, after all. Any tenderness we might have shared had long since vanished, replaced by bitterness and hatred.

Less than three months, I told myself. Less than three months.