The air seemed to freeze in that exact moment. Everyone's gaze converged on the three tense figures locked in confrontation, leaving the crowd momentarily frozen, too stunned to react.
The entire bookstore grew so quiet that even the drop of a pin could be heard. Only Lockhart's agonizing groans echoed through the air, sounding like the wails of a wounded beast.
The silence lingered for a long time, as if time itself had stopped flowing, before the people present finally found their voices again.
Chapter 181