"Stephen," Kyra called out, shocked with her eyes locked onto Stephen, her voice ringing out as she called his name.
The sound echoed through the room, a stark contrast to the tense silence that had filled it moments before. The cigarette smoke wafted lazily from his lips, a stark contrast to the intensity of the scene unfolding. Kyra's mind raced as she took in the scene before her - John cowering in fear, Brownie's menacing grip on the scissors, and Stephen's calm demeanor. The shattered plates and abandoned food at her feet seemed to symbolize the fragments of her own illusions about Stephen. Had he lied to her about his job, his intentions? Was the man she thought she knew a mere facade? The questions swirled in her head as she turned and fled, leaving behind the bookstore full of stunned faces.