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.

They 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.

The "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.