The door closed gently as Alex left, leaving a quiet space for the two people in the room.
Miss Walter, who had been silently observing all this time, now looked intently at the two of them, then turned to Wood with a sharp gaze:
"Hospital? Are you injured?"
Wood smiled politely, a forced smile to brush the matter off, "Just a minor accident, nothing to worry about."
The performance resumed after the intermission. The first act of the second half—the most anticipated act of the night—was still opened by the lead dancer, Jessica.
The stage returned to a pitch-black darkness as the crystal chandeliers on the theater ceiling extinguished simultaneously. This time, even the background music subsided; the space became so quiet that one could hear the breathing of the person next to them. The prolonged silence created an invisible pressure, forcing all the audience members into a state of intense concentration.
