Gideon’s POV
Marriedit Claire was actually going to marry Ivan?
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I bit back my anger, only for the good of the children. Inside of the, though, it burned hot as a blue flame, deadly and dangerous. I only needed to point myself in the right direction and I would explode.
Right here and right now was not the right time and place however,
The children were entirely innocent and didn’t need to see my wrath. To my knowledge, Ivan had always been kind to them, even acting as an uncle figure for most, if not all, of Nova’s life. It wasn’t my place to shatter her image of him if he had always treated her well.
It was Claire that I was once again worried about, my anxiety sparked anew.
Dating Ivan was bad enough, but marrying him? I was more convinced than ever that he was just using her now to replace
Lena.
Claire’s reaction told me that she didn’t know about Lena. That seemed like a conversation they needed to have before getting married.
My determination came to life once more, and I knew I had to find a way to get through to her about all of this.
But.
This wasn’t the time to deal with any of these feelings or plans, when the children were looking at me with their eyes wide, ready to take in whatever reaction I might outwardly give.
Nova seemed somewhat hopeful that Ivan would make a good dad. I didn’t want to hurt her. Plus, she knew Ivan better than me. If he had treated her kindly before, he would likely keep treating her well.
“He’d probably be an okay dad,” I told Nova, hiding my anger. “But he’s not going to have anything on me. I’m still going to be your number one Dad. So it’s a good thing that I’m in your life now, and I’m here to stay.”
That made Nova happy. She smiled so big her cheeks must have hurt.
Though she hadn’t said so, this seemed like the true final test for the Daddy trial period.
It seemed fair to believe that I passed.
I hugged the kids again, and then we all went back inside. Nova and Leo went into one of the playrooms and I returned to my office under the guise of having to work.
Really, I needed a minute alone. The flare of my hatred was burning too hot, and I needed a minute alone to stew in that fury. To confront it head on and try to win out over it.
I carefully closed the door to my office, then stood in the center of the room. All of my muscles were tense. My shoulders were ramrod straight. My hands were curled into fists so tight that my fingernails were digging into the palm of my hand.
If Claire married Ivan, I would have to co–parent with him. I’d have to be civil in front of the kids when they talked about their stepdad. For their sake, I would never be able to reveal my true feelings about Ivan or his situation with their mom.
And that situation was the worst part. If Claire actually married van, it would be much more difficult for her to end things if she ever actually accepted the truth. To keep the peace, she might just ignore the obvious signs of his dishonesty.
And there would be signs. He had loved someone who looked just like Claire. He was projecting that love onto Claire, and
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Chapter 158
using her to fulfill some kind of fantasy about his lost love.
But Claire wasn’t the woman Ivan had loved. Eventually, the cracks in the fantasy would show through, and she would top being able to satisfy him. He’d resent her for being herself, and got his fantasy woman.
A woman who hadn’t even chose him in the past.
It was a disaster waiting to happen, and I felt like I was an imprisoned observer, forced to watch it all unfold.
Claire was a great woman. She deserved to be loved by someone who could fully see her for all that she was, and love every inch of her, the good and the bad.
Yet, even as I thought that, my rage for Ivan doubled, with some of it now turning inward toward myself.
I also was guilty of underappreciating Claire when I had her in my life as my partner. I had been unkind to her. I had sided with Daphne. I had cast Claire out, and she had nearly died with Nova still inside of her.
Ivan might be projected his affections, but I had already been the true monster in Claire’s life.
By comparison, perhaps Ivan was a saint.
Claire’s POV
When it became time to leave the King’s palace, I packed up my guestroom. The servants came and took the bags away, all except my purse for my personal items and my phone. Checking my phone now, I could see that Ivan had texted me, but I ignored it, not even opening his message.
If something was wrong with the kids, he could call. But I knew he more likely wanted to continue pushing me about Ivan. I wasn’t going to deal with that right now, so I dropped my phone into my purse and continued on my way.
I’d made a decision in a quiet moment away from Gideon and Ivan both. I sat with myself, reflected on my feelings and
knew…
Trust was given, and I wanted to trust Ivan. That meant not more doubting. No searching for pictures.
No believing Gideon’s baseless accusations.
Gideon clearly wanted to break us up without cause. He was still holding onto the past, but not in a way that made him actually want to be with me.
To me, it seemed like he just wanted control.
I wasn’t going to give it to him. I was going to marry Ivan, and though the marriage wasn’t going to be based on love, I could still be happy.
I was determined to be happy, if only to prove to Gideon that I could.
The Alpha King escorted Ivan and me to the front door of the palace, where he shook Ivan’s hand and then kissed the back of mine.
“It was a pleasure having you here, Claire,” the Alpha King said. Ivan did not receive the same sentiment. He only got a handshake and a grunt.
I liked the Alpha King. He seemed like a good, strong man. Capable. Tough when he needed to be, but also kind and
considerate.
Ivan went ahead to the car to help load the luggage, but I stayed behind by the door.
When Ivan was out of earshot, the Alpha King turned to me and said, “If you ever change your mind about wanting to marry
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