A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust by Sally Garcia

Calliope stared at Zelda in disbelief. "You think I'm heartless?"

She'd just spent hours in surgery saving Horatio's legs-hours of grueling work, most of it done herself. Sure, others helped, but she was the one who pulled it all together. Horatio's condition had been dire; fixing it took everything she had.

And now, she was supposed to keep up daily treatments for him, needlework and all that jazz.

Yet here was Zelda, accusing her of being heartless.

Heartless? They'd barely done anything for her all these years! How in the world was she the one who is heartless?

Calliope looked at Zelda, caught between exasperation and amusement. The irony was almost funny. Zelda didn't even know the truth: Calliope wasn't her real daughter. Her own child had died a long time ago.

"Calliope, you're staying tonight to look after Horatio!" Zelda snapped, barking the order like a drill sergeant.

Calliope blinked. She glanced at Monty, hoping for backup.

Callie, you do know medicine, and you did the surgery. You probably understand best how to take care of him. He's your brother, after all. Wouldn't it make sense for you to help out? Maybe you should stay with him tonight," he added, as if it were the most

stared, shocked. Was nobody going to

to Valerian. He hesitated, looking around at the others and then at Calliope, as if weighing his options before finally shrugging. "Callie, might as well see it through, right? You already did the hard

up, "Callie, Horatio was so good to you when you were kids! You know more about all this stuff than we do. You'll do a much

family turned to look at Calliope, like it

in to swap

How shameless could people be? The Miracle

She

marathon surgery. should be resting, not being guift-tripped into playing nursemaid! Seriously, was there no limit to how far this family would

really needs rest after a surgery like that. Maybe you don't know, but surgery

asked you? I don't remember inviting you to lecture me! She can rest right here, can't she? Watching over her own brother

What's so hard

glass. The nurse turned red,

a loss for how to