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.
