Chapter 33

I stood in the midst of the suffocating tension, my heart pounding like a drumbeat echoing through the room. Carmine's words were like venomous daggers, stabbing into the fragile hope I clung to, threatening to unravel everything. How he told Clyde about betrayal and loss pierced through the silence, targeting not just me, but my fragile world.

Desperation and fear intertwined within me. I glanced towards Clyde, seeking a glimmer of belief, a sign that he'd see through Carmine's deception. But his expression was a stony mask, revealing nothing but cold detachment. I wanted to explain, to make him understand, but words evaded me, paralyzed by the haunting fear that I never dared to voice.

Carmine's cruel smirk cut through my turmoil, his words laced with malice. He toyed with the loyalty that Clyde held, trying to sow the seeds of distrust between us. My mind raced, grappling with the realization that my actions to save my grandmother were jeopardizing everything I had hoped to achieve.