Chapter 19
When those words hung in the air, his shoulders stiffened, and it felt like the whole room reacted with him. Everything stopped in a strange way, as if time itself had stopped to see what he would do next. It looked like everyone around us held their breath at the same time, as if letting it out would be dangerous. The silence was heavy, thick, and almost suffocating. I could feel it pressing against my skin like a weight that wasn't there. He turned around slowly and carefully, as if he had all the time in the world and knew no one would dare to bother him. That slow movement made my heart beat faster and louder, and I was sure it would give me away. I kept silently begging him not to see how I felt or how scared I was getting, because I knew I wasn't good at hiding it. My bo
