The heavy doors of the throne room closed with a quiet thud behind Odi, but their echoes lingered in Darius' mind. He remained standing where she'd left him, his eyes fixed on the place she had stood, her final words still ringing in his ears.
"No. I don't have a man."
Those words meant more to him than he could express. A strange relief flooded through him, making him feel lighter, as though a great weight had been lifted from his chest. He had expected rejection, and in part, he had received it—Odi had not confessed any feelings of affection—but the knowledge that her heart did not already belong to someone else gave him hope.
