On the day of my daughter's birthday celebration, I bought an island for her.
Unfortunately, on our way there, the yacht malfunctioned. Water flooded the cabin, and before we could react, my daughter and I were thrown into the sea.
I was rescued, but my daughter was swallowed by the ocean.
Grief consumed me, causing me to blame myself over and over again.
My husband consoled me with a sorrowful expression, yet behind my back, he gifted the island that was supposed to be our daughter's to the son of his first love.
I overheard his conversation with his first love.
“That adopted daughter of mine? How could she ever compare to your son? The fact that her heart, liver, and kidneys were a match for Harvey and saved his life is her blessing.”
“So what if she didn’t die when she fell into the sea? It was fate that her organs matched your son’s!”
“I raised her for so many years; she owed me this much. And she still had the audacity to think she deserved that island as a birthday gift? Ridiculous. That island was meant for your son from the start. How could I possibly give it to that adopted girl?”
After knowing that this was his plan all along, I chose to leave him.
However, he begged for my forgiveness and pleaded for another chance.
I told him I would forgive him, only if he could return my daughter to me.
But could he?
——
Three months have passed since that fateful day. She was gone. Her life ended on the day that was meant to be her celebration.
During this time, I was consumed by grief and endless guilt. I often found myself flipping through my daughter's photo album, my tears soaking the pages.
My husband, Simon Garland, tried to comfort me, his face heavy with sorrow. "Dear, you have to stay strong," he pleaded.
"Cecilia is watching over us from heaven. She wouldn’t want to see you like this."
"My beloved Cecilia is already gone. If something happens to you too, how will I go on?"
His words gave me the strength to move again, so I decided to visit the island, the one I had bought as a grand surprise for my daughter’s birthday celebration.
I had put my heart into that island, arranging everything for her. A beautiful mansion, a playground, and even a towering Capybara statue.
She adored them. I had even arranged for real Capybaras to live there, all in anticipation of her joy.
In the end, my daughter never got to see all the things I had painstakingly prepared for her.
With a heavy heart, I gathered some of her belongings, determined to build a tomb for her on the island.
I did not tell Simon. He was always too busy.
More importantly, I held myself responsible for her death. This was something I needed to do alone.
When I returned to the shore and faced the vast expanse of the sea, my body trembled, my face pale.
Ever since the accident, I had developed an overwhelming fear of the ocean. Even I was so of water itself.
For three months, I could not even bring myself to take a bath, the mere thought of submersion sending shivers down my spine.
But at last, I forced myself to push past my fear and step onto a new yacht.
As the vessel cut through the waves, drawing closer to the place where my daughter was lost, my hands clenched into fists, my heart pounding with unease.
And then, I saw the island. Tears immediately welled in my eyes.
This was where we had fallen into the sea.
That day, the yacht malfunctioned. Water flooded the cabin. My daughter and I were thrown overboard. I could not swim, so within moments, I was choking, sinking into darkness.
By the time I regained consciousness, my daughter had been swallowed by the ocean’s depths and was gone forever.
There had been a captain and two crew members aboard, who were all skilled swimmers. Yet even they had failed to save her in time.
Chapter 2They told me that the waves had been too strong that day, making the rescue nearly impossible. They had managed to pull me out in time, but Cecilia had been swept away before they could reach her.
I collapsed, crying until I lost consciousness multiple times.
Now, as I revisited this place, memories of my daughter flooded my mind. Tears streamed down my face, unstoppable, until the yacht finally docked at the island's pier.
Holding the suitcase filled with my daughter’s belongings, I murmured sorrowfully, "Cecilia, this island was meant to be your birthday gift from Mom."
"From now on, this will be your home. Mom and Dad will visit you often. You must..."
Before I could finish, my words caught in my throat.
A deafening roar came from the center of the island.
Through the rising dust and smoke, I could vaguely make out the massive Capybara statue that I had commissioned specifically for Cecilia crumbled to the ground.
Heart pounding, I rushed over, only to find a group of workers demolishing the Capybara amusement park I had built just for her.
Fury surged through me as I shouted, "Stop!"
"Who gave you permission to do this? Where is your supervisor? Get them here. Now!"
The workers recognized me instantly. Panic flickered across their faces. They hesitated, tools falling silent, clearly too afraid to continue the destruction.
The person in charge of the amusement park rushed over, his voice cautious. "Mrs. Garland, it was Ms. Sophia Keaton who ordered this."
"She said her son didn’t like the Capybara amusement park and wanted it transformed into an Ultraman-themed park."
Sophia Keaton?
Simon’s first love?
What right did she have to make decisions about this place? Did she think this island belonged to her?
Rage surged within me.
It was not just about the time and effort I had poured into this island, but it was about what it meant. This was my precious daughter's birthday gift, the place I had chosen to build her final resting place.
And now, they were tearing it apart.
Fury laced my voice. "Why does she get to decide anything here? Do you even know who owns this island?"
"Restore everything immediately! Do you hear me?"
The amusement park manager hesitated, looking conflicted. Then, in a low voice, he muttered, "Mr. Garland approved the renovations."
I was stunned before I finally asked, "What? I didn't hear you. Say that again!"
He quickly repeated himself, "Mrs. Garland, right now, Mr. Garland is at the seaside villa on the island. If you have any concerns, you should speak to him directly. Please, don’t make things difficult for us. We’re just following orders."
I sucked in a sharp breath, fury igniting in my chest. Without another word, I turned and strode toward the seaside villa.
As I made my way to the seaside villa, I saw people capturing the capybaras that had been raised on the island.
I overheard someone say that my husband had ordered the removal of all small animals from the island.
Apparently, it was because Sophia’s son did not like them.
Suppressing my anger, I arrived at Aurora Haven Villa, only to witness a little boy gleefully beating a capybara with a stick. The more the poor creature cried out in pain, the more excited he became.
I strode forward, grabbed the stick from his hand, and threw it aside.
Before I could say anything, the little boy glared at me viciously and shouted, "Bitch, get out of here!"
Without thinking, I slapped him.
The little boy froze for a moment, then clutched his face and ran toward the villa, crying.
As he ran, he screamed, "Mom! Dad! Someone hit me!"
I had already guessed that this boy was Sophia’s son, but the moment he called out "Dad," a shiver ran through my heart.
Chapter 3The "Dad" he called out could not be Simon, right?
Moments later, a man and a woman stepped out of the villa, their expressions unfriendly. It was Sophia and Simon.
The instant they saw me, their faces shifted.
Sophia’s eyes flickered with something unreadable. After a brief moment of confusion, she curved her lips into a taunting, sarcastic smile.
Simon, on the other hand, looked flustered.
The little boy pointed at me, crying loudly, “Dad! Mom! She hit me! You have to make her pay!”
Simon rushed over, forcing an awkward smile. “Honey, why are you here?”
I shot him a cold glare, my voice sharp with anger. “Do I need your permission to come here?”
“Simon Garland, didn’t you say you’ve been too busy with work lately? That you don’t even have time to come home? Yet somehow, you found the time to bring this woman and her son here for a vacation. How impressive! Such a ‘busy’ man indeed!”
Simon opened his mouth but had no words to defend himself.
Just then, Sophia stepped forward, showing fake fragility, her tone laced with pitiful innocence. “Camila, please don’t be angry at Simon. It’s my fault. Lately, I’ve been struggling with insomnia and depression. Simon thought the peaceful environment of this island might help, so he brought my son and me here for a short stay.”
I turned to her with an icy glare.
Her delicate, pretentious act really made my stomach turn.
I ignored Sophia completely and turned to Simon, my voice cold and sharp.
“Simon, this island was meant to be a gift for our daughter’s birthday celebration. Every detail here was carefully planned by me.”
“Yet, without even informing me, you brought that woman and her son to live here and even had my daughter’s amusement park torn down. What exactly are you trying to do?”
Simon’s face stiffened with embarrassment. “I just thought… since our daughter is no longer here, leaving this island empty would be a waste.”
“Sophia has been feeling down lately, so I brought her here to rest for a while.”
“As for the amusement park, it had been abandoned and wasn’t in good shape. Harvey loves Ultraman and monster-fighting games, so I thought…”
I cut him off, my anger flaring. “So what? Since our daughter isn’t here anymore, you’ve decided to gift this island to your first love and her son instead?”
“How generous of you, Simon Garland.”
“Her son even calls you ‘Dad’. Tell me, is he actually yours?”
Simon’s expression darkened. Perhaps it was the humiliation of being questioned and being yelled at so openly in front of his precious first love.
Sophia once again put on an aggrieved expression, her voice trembling as she said, “Camila, please don’t be angry. This is all my fault. I’ll take Harvey away right now!”
“Don’t blame Simon. Please don’t let our presence affect your relationship.”
“Harvey’s father passed away early. After I brought him back to this country, Simon helped us a lot, so Harvey started seeing him as his father. You can insult me, but please, don’t doubt the purity of my relationship with Simon.”
“Since Camila doesn’t like having us around, then we won’t bother you anymore. We’ll leave and avoid any more misunderstandings.”
With that, she wiped away her tears and turned toward the dock, pulling Harvey Keaton along with her.
At that moment, Harvey struggled and wailed, “I don’t want to leave! I want to stay here! Dad promised to give me this island!”
“I want Dad! Dad, don’t abandon me!”
As Sophia and her son cried pitifully, Simon’s expression grew even more unpleasant.
Chapter 4Simon turned to Sophia and her son and declared, “Stay here. Let’s see who dares to drive you away!”
Then, he turned to me, his face cold with irritation. “Camila, stop making a scene.”
“Cecilia is gone. She’s never coming back. What’s the point of holding on to this island? Can’t you wake up and face reality?”
“Rather than leaving this place abandoned, wouldn’t it be better to let Sophia and her son use it? It’s not like we live here. If you want to visit in the future, can’t I just come with you?”
“And what you just said was way out of line. Sophia and I are innocent. We’re not as filthy as you’re making it sound. Your words were hurtful. Apologize to her now.”
I was stunned by Simon's words.
Sophia looked at me with a triumphant, mocking smile as if I were nothing more than a joke.
The fury inside me burned to its peak.
But more than anything, I felt crushing disappointment with Simon Garland.
He actually asked me to apologize to someone like Sophia Keaton?
He always claimed to love me and our daughter, but now I see it clearly. No matter how much he said otherwise, in his heart, my daughter and I would never compare to Sophia and her son.
Thinking back on everything, I realized that my years of devotion felt like nothing more than a pathetic joke.
I felt worthless. I felt even more heartbroken for my daughter, who was no longer here.
Years ago, Sophia had chosen to go abroad, chase bigger dreams, and marry a wealthy foreign businessman.
Simon had been crushed. I was the one who stood by him, helped him regain his footing, and watched as he rose in his career. And in the end, I was the one he married.
Back then, we were deeply in love.
But after two years of marriage, I still had not gotten pregnant.
A hospital check-up confirmed my worst fear as we found it was my condition. I was infertile and would never be able to have children.
The news devastated me, but Simon held me close and reassured me.
“It’s all right, my love.”
“Not having children won’t change anything between us. These days, plenty of couples choose to be child-free. Just the two of us growing old together, that’s more than enough.”
Though Simon said he did not mind at all, I still could not shake the longing for a child. A home without children always felt incomplete to me.
At my insistence, we eventually went to an orphanage and adopted a baby girl who had been abandoned at birth.
We named her Cecilia Garland.
In the early years, Simon was a doting father and deeply involved in Cecilia’s life.
However, when Cecilia turned six, Simon’s affection for her noticeably faded. His once warm and attentive care became distant, his patience with her growing thin.
For this reason, Cecilia often came to me, her voice timid and filled with grievance. "Mom, did I do something wrong? Is Dad mad at me? Can you tell him I'll be good, okay?"
I pulled her into my arms, gently stroking her hair, forcing a smile to reassure her. "No, sweetheart. Dad isn’t angry. He’s just been busy with work lately."
Later, I noticed that Simon had started paying attention to high-end maternal and child products.
It was then that I learned Sophia had returned to this country with her newborn son and sought Simon’s help.
That night, I confronted him, and we had a terrible fight.
In the end, Simon lost his temper and said, "Sophia’s husband went bankrupt and abandoned them and their son."
"She has no one else to rely on after coming back to this country. I was just helping her a little. Why are you being so petty?"
In the years that followed, we often quarreled about Sophia and her son.
No matter how late it was, if Sophia called, Simon would drive to her immediately.
Chapter 5I had thought about divorce countless times. If not for Cecilia, I would not have endured this for so long.
And now, only three months after our daughter's passing, Simon was ready to hand this island over to Sophia and her son.
I was utterly disappointed in him.
Taking a deep breath, I looked at Simon and said coldly, "I will never apologize to this woman."
"Simon, since you cherish her and her son so much, you can spend the rest of your life with them!"
Without sparing him another glance, I turned and walked straight toward the beach villa, ignoring the unpleasant expression on his face.
This place held all the things I had carefully arranged for my daughter. I had to take them away before Sophia and her son tainted them.
However, the moment I stepped into the seaside villa and saw the state of the pink room I had decorated for my daughter, I froze.
The walls were covered in random, chaotic graffiti, ruining the intricate designs I had painstakingly created.
The Capybara-themed pajamas and bedsheets I had prepared for my daughter were slashed to shreds.
But the most heartbreaking sight of all was her childhood photos, the ones capturing her life from birth to her final days, which were smeared, defaced, and torn apart, leaving nothing but scattered remnants in the mess.
At this moment, I was shaking with anger.
Sophia put on a look of false remorse and said, "Camila, I'm sorry. Harvey is just a little mischievous. He got too excited after coming here and ended up making a mess."
"But these things are useless now, aren't they? It doesn’t matter if they get thrown away. Don’t take a child’s actions so seriously."
She saw the anger in my eyes and deliberately fanned the flames, provoking me.
I knew exactly what she was trying to do. She wanted me to lose my composure in front of Simon so she could drive a deeper wedge between us.
Well, I would gladly grant her wish.
I slapped her hard.
Sophia stumbled backward, clutching her face in shock. She looked at me in disbelief, as if she never expected that I would actually dare to strike her so fiercely in front of Simon.
Her son, Harvey, erupted in fury. "You bitch! How dare you hit my mother! You’ll die a miserable…"
Before he could finish, my patience snapped. I kicked him away with full force, sending him flying several meters.
Before I could land another blow, Simon rushed over in a rage and struck me across the face.
The slap left me stunned.
In all our years of marriage, this was the first time Simon had ever hit me.
Even he seemed momentarily shocked by what he had done. Still, instead of apologizing, he forced himself to remain firm and scolded me sharply.
"Camila Saunders, are you out of your mind?"
"Sophia already suffers from depression, and you treat her so harshly. What if something happens to her?"
"And Harvey just had a heart, liver, and kidney transplant three months ago! He’s only recently recovered, and you kicked him with full force. What if something happens to him?"
"Apologize to them. Now!"
He wanted me to apologize? To them? Heh, over my dead body!
I could see clearly that Simon was determined to stand by Sophia and her son.
Since that was the case, there was nothing more to say.
With tears streaming down my face, I turned and ran out of Aurora Haven Villa, and my vision blurred with emotion. Behind me, Simon called my name, his voice laced with hesitation as if he wanted to come after me.
However, Sophia clung to Harvey, sobbing pitifully, as if she had suffered the greatest injustice. In the end, Simon stayed behind to comfort the mother and son.
Just as I was crying and about to run to the pier, I suddenly remembered that I had left something behind at the seaside villa.
When I first arrived on the island, I had carefully gathered my daughter's belongings, intending to build a resting place for her here.
The small suitcase holding her treasured belongings had been left behind in Aurora Haven Villa.
Chapter 6I could not care less about anything else, only that small suitcase. I had to take it with me.
Tears streaming down my face, I turned back to Aurora Haven Villa. Just as I was about to push open the door, I overheard the conversation between Simon and Sophia.
Simon’s voice was filled with anxiety. “Is Harvey okay? His surgery was recent, and Camila kicked him so hard just now. Should we take him to the hospital for a check-up?”
Sophia immediately feigned concern and replied in a pitiful tone, “It’s fine. Harvey is still young. He will heal quickly.”
“Simon, you should go after Camila instead! It’s all our fault. Harvey is just a child, so he didn’t know better and messed up the room. Camila must hate us now.”
“But… if she ever finds out that Cecilia’s heart, liver, and kidneys were all transplanted into Harvey, she might even want to kill us.”
“Simon, I’m so scared. We should just leave this place. If Camila ever knows the truth, she will definitely lose her mind.”
To my surprise, Simon responded without hesitation, “That adopted daughter of mine? How could she ever compare to your son? The fact that her heart, liver, and kidneys were a match for Harvey and saved his life is her blessing.”
“So what if she didn’t die when she fell into the sea? It was fate that her organs matched your son’s!”
“I raised her for so many years. She owed me this much. And she still had the audacity to think she deserved that island as a birthday gift? Ridiculous. That island was meant for your son from the start. How could I possibly give it to that adopted girl?”
“Don’t worry. Camila will never find out the truth. She’ll always believe that Cecilia Garland drowned in the sea, and she’ll never suspect…”
Before he could finish his sentence, I slammed the villa door open with a powerful kick.
Simon’s eyes widened in shock, his face turning deathly pale. He stammered, his voice trembling, “Dear, you… you haven’t left?”