(KRYSTAL'S POV)
I just stare at them.
For a second I honestly think maybe I misheard what Angelo just said. Maybe the words got tangled somewhere between my ears and my brain, because there's no way.
Valentino is… responsible for his mother's death?
The thought hits me so hard that it feels like the air has been knocked out of my lungs.
I can't make it fit. I can't make it make sense.
The warmth of Raffaele's hand closing over mine pulls me out of the spiral in my head.
"Krystal, are you okay?" he asks quietly.
I turn to look at him.
"Yeah," I say, though my brows are already pulling together. "I… I'm fine."
Slowly, I look between the both of them.
"What did you mean by that?" I ask, my voice coming out smaller than I want it to. "How… how is Val the reason your mother ended up dead?"
Neither of them answers.
They just look at each other in silence, as if neither one wants to be the first to say it out loud.
My chest starts tightening.
