His Knees, His Pleas, But Our Son's in Peace

Chapter 3

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.

told me coldly after my mother's death. "Sienna is coming

refused to grant Oliver's

man who once

14:95

Keens, His Pleas,

Chapter 3

nothing more than a cruel predator. Just as Nathan

Sienna cried out, "Nathan, my face hurts. Is it swollen?

immediately turned his attention to her. Sienna

indeed swollen

flowed down her cheeks as she leaned against him,

wiped them

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

Nathan looked at me

Sienna."

back, swallowing my

surprise. He hadn't

had just entered adolescence. I followed him around, trying to please him, afraid to upset him.