(VALENTINO'S POV)
The words hit me like a bullet through the chest. All of a sudden, it feels like a brick dropped into the pit of my stomach.
I can't hear anything except for the loud ringing in my ears. Raffaele finally lowers his gun, but the damage has already been done. His grin stretches, victory written all over his features.
I turn toward my crew. Leo, Sandra, Bruno, and Michele.
Their faces said everything.
Confusion. Hurt. Pity.
They look at me like the floor had given out beneath them. Like the man they followed was no longer standing on solid ground.
My chest hurt as if a firm hand's squeezing my heart.
"Valentino," my father's voice breaks through my thoughts, sharper this time. "Did you hear me?"
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. My throat feels dry. Every passing second feels stretched out, and cruel.
"Your reign is over."
The words echo in my head, bouncing off every wall until they became all I can hear.
