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.

Simon 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.