Cole’s POV
I let the shield of rosebushes hide my abortive sobs from the rest of the world as I tried hard not to cry.
Seeing my father hanged was hard, no doubt about it. But seeing my mother and sister driven to their knees with grief was even harder.
Guilt weighed heavily on my shoulders. I could have stopped it. All I would’ve had to do was give Helio the word, and Drake Capri would have been in the dungeon for the rest of his life instead of swinging by his neck in front of a rabid crowd.
But, it was the right thing to do. There was no doubt in my mind that my father would have schemed something else in the future. He might have taken Mother and Meri down with him next time. Maybe even me, if his lies were convincing enough.
He was still my father, though. I didn’t have many fond
