The words hung in the air like smoke from a dying fire—cloying, impossible to ignore.
"I like her, Livia. I like her a lot."
Livia's jaw clenched. For a moment, she didn't speak. Darius remained seated on the desk, unmoving now, watching her in that still, composed way of his. But beneath the calm, she could sense it—the tension of a man ready to brace for a blow.
"You've lost your mind," she whispered, voice taut. "You've truly lost it."
She stood there, arms folded over her chest like a barrier. Her posture had stiffened again. Darius sighed inwardly. He had known this would happen. Still, it didn't make her disappointment easier to bear.
"Maybe," he said quietly. "Or maybe this is the first time in years I've actually seen something clearly."
