His Knees His Pleas But Our Son’s in Peace Novel – My husband, Nathan, said he didn’t have time to fulfill our dying son’s wish, but he did have time to travel with my sister. On the day my son left this world with regret in his heart. I saw a post on my sister’s social media: “The most beautiful thing in the world is the Northern Lights and you.” The man in the photo is my husband. The man who promised to accompany his son camping but suddenly disappeared. After tidying up everything, I turned away decisively. “Nathan, I want a divorce.” But he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face, begging me not to leave.
Nathan was willing to give up everything for Sienna, and I never doubted that. After all, he never loved me. To him, I was nothing more than a scheming woman, desperate to trap him by any means necessary. How could I ever compare to the pure, innocent Sienna? I returned to the villa from the cemetery. Though this place was meant to be our marital home, Nathan rarely set foot in it. Most of the time, it was just me and our son, Oliver. But now… I gently placed Oliver’s urn on the shelf and began packing my suitcase. Nathan and Sienna arrived just as I was about to leave. He held her in his arms, eyes full of urgency, walking past me as though I didn’t exist. “Sister, where are you going?” Sienna’s soft voice broke the silence.
Nathan finally stopped. Seeing my suitcase, he frowned and asked coldly, “What kind of game are you playing this time?” His tone was as icy and detached as ever, as if I were just an unruly servant. Sienna clung to Nathan affectionately, her cheek resting on his neck as she gave me an apologetic smile. “I stepped on some broken glass while filming, and Nathan said this place was close to the set. He brought me here to bandage it. You don’t mind, do you, sister?” It was just a small cut, yet Nathan treated her like fragile glass, gently placing her on the sofa and taking out the first-aid kit to tend to her himself. I remembered once, while ironing his suit, I had fallen down the stairs and broken my leg. His only response was, “Too bad you didn’t die.” At that time, I was pregnant with Oliver—his child. That’s the difference between love and indifference. My tears had long since dried up. I spoke calmly, “Nathan, I agree.” “We’re getting a divorce.”
To be honest, I was never sure if we could even be considered a real couple. Nathan had only signed the marriage certificate—he never gave me a proper wedding. Without looking up from tending to Sienna’s bandage, he scoffed, “Is this another one of your tricks to get my attention? Since pretending your son is sick didn’t work, now you’re trying a different tactic?” Oliver had been diagnosed with bone marrow cancer a year ago. The doctors had warned me several times that he might not survive. I had called Nathan, hoping he would come see his son, but he never agreed. He thought I was using Oliver to get his attention. How laughable. – Three years of marriage, fifteen years of growing up together, and this is how little he thought of me. I didn’t bother responding. My dry eyes ached, but I didn’t care. Let him think whatever he wanted. It was all over now. I dragged my suitcase toward the door. Sienna’s voice drifted over. “Nathan, I heard you were supposed to take Oliver camping, but I asked you to come see the Northern Lights with me instead. Is my sister upset because of that?” Nathan’s tone was soft.
“It’s fine. Camping can wait. But seeing the Northern Lights? That’s a once-a-year opportunity.” Wait? The word made me laugh bitterly. An overwhelming sadness gripped me, and I quickened my pace toward the door. Nathan must have finally realized I wasn’t joking. He rushed over, grabbing my arm angrily. “What are you trying to do at this hour—” But he stopped mid-sentence, stunned by the hopelessness in my eyes. “It’s just a missed camping trip. It’s not a big deal.” I must have cried myself blind in the funeral home because, for a moment, I thought I saw guilt in his eyes. “I’ll have my secretary arrange it next month. We’ll go then.” Next month? He thought our son, dying of cancer, had that long to wait? He didn’t deserve to be a father. I pulled away coldly. “There’s no need.” Nathan looked shocked when I pushed him away. He hadn’t expected the woman who had once clung to him to suddenly reject him. As he tried to gather himself, Sienna’s voice interrupted. “It’s all my fault. I knew Oliver was pretending to be sick, but I shouldn’t have competed with a child for your attention. Now my sister is furious.”
Pretending? My stomach churned violently, my mind going blank. When I regained control, I realized I had already slapped Sienna. Nathan’s expression, which had softened for a brief moment, turned cold and furious again. He shielded Sienna, glaring at me. “Doris, have you lost your mind? How could you hit your own sister?” Ignoring his outburst, I focused on Sienna. “Don’t you dare insult Oliver!” Tears welled up in Sienna’s eyes. “Nathan, please don’t be angry. Don’t let me come between you and my sister. If Doris doesn’t want to admit Oliver was faking, I won’t bring it up again.” My stomach twisted painfully. I looked at Nathan. “Do you think Oliver was faking his illness too?” Nathan didn’t answer. He glanced around, noticing that Oliver wasn’t there. With a dismissive shrug, he said, “Did you send him back to the hospital for another one of your ‘performances’?” – Of course. He had never believed me. If he had come home even once this year, he would have seen the medications and machines filling Oliver’s room. But this was his first time back.
I thought of Oliver’s last wish—to go camping as a family. To make it happen, I had begged Nathan, even kneeling before him, promising I would never ask for anything again. He had stood tall, looking down at me, and finally asked, “Are you serious?” I nodded, tears streaming down my face. Nathan had entered my life when I was eight years old. I had begged my parents to adopt him from the orphanage. He became my brother, living with us. But when I was fifteen, my parents divorced, and my father took Sienna while my mother kept Nathan and me. Nathan resented me for years, blaming me for separating him from Sienna. When my dying mother entrusted me to him, he reluctantly married me but never gave me a wedding. “Don’t expect me to love you,” he had told me coldly after my mother’s death. “Sienna is coming back. The wedding belongs to her.” Yet, he refused to grant Oliver’s dying wish. I looked at him—this man who once seemed so handsome but now appeared as nothing more than a cruel predator.
Just as Nathan began to speak, Sienna cried out, “Nathan, my face hurts. Is it swollen? I have an ad shoot tomorrow!” Nathan immediately turned his attention to her. Sienna collapsed into his arms, her face indeed swollen from my slap. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she leaned against him, while Nathan carefully wiped them away with concern. When we were children, Nathan had been kind to me, too. I remembered losing my favorite toy, crying for days, and how he had comforted me, even saving up his money to buy me a replacement. But after we turned fifteen, I couldn’t remember a single act of kindness from him. Sensing my presence, Nathan looked at me coldly. “Apologize to Sienna.” I straightened my back, swallowing my sadness. “No.” Nathan blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected defiance. When he first began resenting me, I had just entered adolescence.
I followed him around, trying to please him, afraid to upset him. But no matter what I did, I could never compare to Sienna. Nathan didn’t rush to confront me. He tenderly placed Sienna back on the sofa before turning back to me. “Doris, don’t test my patience.” His bodyguards blocked my exit, dragging me back to stand before him. Nathan lit a cigar, his cold gaze piercing through the haze of smoke. The weight of his presence made it hard to breathe. “Apologize to Sienna.” – Sienna smiled smugly at me, but when she turned to Nathan, her face softened again. “Nathan, don’t get mad at my sister. She’s just strong and probably didn’t mean to hurt me.” Nathan looked at her with admiration. “You always have such a soft heart, remembering that you’re sisters. But Doris… she’s forgotten all that.” He turned to me, his eyes icy.
“This is your fault. I won’t let anyone hurt Sienna. Apologize.” I refused to bow to him, and Nathan’s patience wore thin. With a cold glance, he signaled the bodyguards to teach me a lesson. Before they could act, Sienna stepped forward, her voice sweet but sharp. “Doris is my sister, after all,” she said, casting a glance at Nathan. “These bodyguards are too strong. I’m afraid they might hurt her.” Nathan’s expression softened slightly as Sienna continued, her tone shifting. “But it’s about time my sister learned a lesson and lost that bad temper of hers. Why don’t I play the villain so she’ll remember it?” Without hesitation, Sienna stepped up and slapped me hard across the face. Her long nails scratched deep into my skin, and I felt the sting as blood dripped down my cheek. The pain was sharp, but the emotional agony hit me harder.
I stared at Nathan numbly, barely registering the blood. Sienna, her face suddenly filled with false remorse, retreated into Nathan’s arms. “Oh no, what have I done? I hurt my sister by accident… I should pull out all my nails,” she gasped, reaching for her hand dramatically. Nathan gently stopped her, taking her hand in his. “Don’t hurt yourself,” he said softly, concern evident in his eyes. Then, turning his gaze toward me, his expression hardened. “It’s your own fault. Don’t you know how to dodge?” I stayed silent, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of a response. The hatred in my heart for him only grew in that moment.
“Doris, enough,” Nathan said impatiently, as if the conversation had dragged on too long. “I’ll take your son camping next month, alright? Isn’t that enough?” Next month? How many “next months” does he think Oliver has left? Time was slipping away, and my poor son was going to leave this world without ever truly knowing his father’s love. Sienna, still playing her part, clung to Nathan’s side with a pitiful look. “Nathan, I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to spoil the child’s lying habits. I didn’t realize my sister would take it so personally,” she said, her voice dripping with innocence.