The morning sun rose over the island like a gentle veil of gold, but for Fiona, the light carried no warmth. She sat outside the small kindergarten office, sketchbook on her lap, trying to pretend her trembling fingers were simply cold. Children's laughter echoed in the distance, a soft reminder of the life she had just begun to build here—quiet, distant, and untouched by the past she had buried.
But fate didn't believe in distance.
And her past was arriving on a private jet.
Liam stood at the edge of the island's airfield, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. He had received the anonymous tip that morning.
"The William family departed at 6 a.m. They are headed to her."
Her.
Fiona.
His chest tightened painfully. He hadn't slept. Not after learning about her disappearance, not after seeing her with Robin, and certainly not after obsessively digging into everything about her.
He thought he knew everything about Fiona—her habits, her smiles, her pain.
But even he wasn't prepared for what the next hour would reveal.
The helicopter blades roared to life and slowly descended. Three individuals stepped out—an elegantly dressed man with streaks of gray at his temples, a woman in a deep navy suit, and a boy in his early twenties. They walked with urgency. With desperation.
With blood ties.
Liam's jaw tightened.
He already didn't like them.
"Mr. Smith?" The man stepped forward. "I am Henry William. We were told you might be able to lead us to… our daughter."
Liam's mind blanked.
Daughter?
Their daughter?
"Your… what?" he forced out.
The woman's eyes filled instantly with tears. "Fiona. Our Fiona. Our eldest child."
The world tilted for a moment.
A thousand memories flashed—Fiona laughing, Fiona crying, Fiona calling herself an orphan, Fiona trembling when someone talked about family.
And these two strangers were claiming to be her parents?
Liam's breath grew sharp. "Fiona is an orphan. She told me herself. She grew up in an orphanage."
Henry swallowed hard, guilt tightening his face. "Because of us. Because we abandoned her there."
Liam's blood turned cold.
The mother's voice broke. "We were forced to… for reasons we couldn't control. We searched for years, and when we finally found clues… it was too late. And now we heard she has been kidnapped—"
Liam stiffened.
So they knew.
Henry bowed his head. "Please. We just want to see our daughter. Even if she refuses us… we need to see her. Once."
A war erupted inside Liam's chest. He wanted to roar at them. He wanted to protect Fiona from everything—including them.
But he also knew Fiona deserved the truth.
He turned away sharply. "Follow me."
Fiona was wiping the paintbrushes in the small art room when she heard footsteps. At first, she ignored them—parents visited the kindergarten often. But the steps didn't belong to children or teachers.
They were heavy.
Hesitant.
wounded.
She turned. And the world stopped.
A man and woman stood by the doorway, trembling, tears running freely down their faces. Behind them stood Liam, expression tight, eyes locked on Fiona.
The woman covered her mouth with her shaking hands. "Fiona…"
Henry's voice cracked. "My child…"
Fiona blinked.
Once.
Twice.
"No," she whispered. "No… no, don't—don't call me that."
She took a step back instinctively, breath coming quick and shallow.
The woman broke into sobs. "Fiona, baby, we—"
"Stop." Fiona's voice shook violently as she held up a trembling hand. "Don't come closer."
Liam's heart clenched painfully watching her. Her eyes were filling with panic… the same fear she had only shown him once—when she thought she wasn't worth loving.
"You abandoned me," Fiona whispered, voice hollow. "You left me at the orphanage. You left me to survive alone. And now you appear out of nowhere? Why?"
The younger boy stepped forward. "Sister, please—"
"I'm not your sister." Fiona's voice cut like a blade.
The woman sobbed harder. "We had no choice. There were threats… there were people who wanted to kill you as a baby. We thought leaving you there would protect you. We never stopped searching—"
"You never came." Fiona's voice cracked. "Not for my birthdays. Not when I was sick. Not when I cried. Not when I begged for a family."
Her vision blurred.
"You don't get to claim me now."
The silence was suffocating.
Henry lowered to his knees in front of her. "Even if you don't forgive us, let us explain. Please… Fiona, please."
Liam clenched his fists.
Fiona's body trembled with every ragged breath. Anger. Pain. Fear. All tangled inside her.
"I don't want your explanation." Her voice was cold now. Empty. "I have no William family."
The woman sobbed louder.
Fiona stepped back toward the door. "You should leave."
Henry opened his mouth, but she shook her head sharply.
"Leave before I break."
Those words hit all of them like a storm.
Liam finally spoke, voice low. "You heard her. Go."
Henry stood slowly, eyes full of shattered hope. "We will… but we will return. We won't give up on her again."
The family slowly walked out of the room, broken shadows against the sunlight.
Liam remained.
Fiona's knees finally buckled, and she fell against the wall. "Why… why now? Why did they come now, Liam?"
Liam knelt in front of her, voice shaken. "Because they realized too late… and because fate is cruel."
She covered her face with her hands.
"I don't want them. I don't want that pain back."
Liam pulled her into his arms without thinking. "Then you don't have to take it. You choose your family, Fiona. Not blood. Not fate. You."
Her tears soaked his shirt, and Liam held her tighter than he ever had before.
Inside his heart, one truth settled heavily—
From today onward, he would stand between her and the world.
Even if that world included her own blood.