Claire’s POV
When he saw that Gideon was coming with us, Ivan decided that he would take his own, second car. This was fine with the rest of us, as it left time for the children to chat with their father without earning any awkward silences or dirty looks from Ivan’s presence.
While I appreciated Ivan accompanying us and did truly want to see him as a friend, there was no denying the tension between us now. Nothing was quite right anymore. I couldn’t be sure that, whenever he looked at me, he wasn’t seeing his precious Lena.
After a time, we arrived at the Royal Pack and then to the gates of the palace. Ivan’s car was ahead of us in the line, yet even as his window lowered and he spoke with the gateman, the gate remained closed and locked.
“They should let Ivan through,” I said. “I’d
