Bitter regret

The price of silence, a heavy toll, A life in hiding, a ravaged soul. He traded freedom for a shadowed space, His past's dark deeds, leave not a trace. But in his dreams, his children weep, His wife's sad gaze, secrets to keep. The walls close in, a prison made, By choices dark, a life betrayed. A final cough, a crimson stain, His liver failing, a life in pain. No home to return, no solace found, Only bitter regret, on hallowed ground.