The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne pushed open the heavy iron gate, rubbing her arms.

Though the sun was shining bright outside, the place seemed to cast a chilling shadow over everything.

“Mom, Grandpa, are you sure you don’t need me to come with you?” Vivienne asked.

Jasper shook his head. “No need, sweetheart. Your mother and I can handle this. You just wait here, okay?”

Vivienne nodded, watching Karen and Jasper disappear through the doorway.

She settled back into the car and began to nibble on a strawberry cheesecake.

As Karen pushed open the door, a nauseating stench hit her full force.

The person inside, hearing the noise, slowly turned her head.

Her hair was a tangled mess, unwashed for days.

Stains marred her clothes, and her bare feet were caked in dirt.

The source of the foul smell was clear—it emanated from her.

Jasper sighed deeply at the sight. “Diana…”

The person trapped here was, indeed, Diana!

After the cliff side explosion, Diana had been rushed to the hospital. Once she survived, the Perez family had locked her away here.

The villa might have looked like a luxury home, but it was more akin to a prison cell.

It had everything—a complete set of furniture.

But the all-black decor and the perpetual darkness turned the spacious abode into a haunted house.

There were no lights, no windows, and even the walls were painted black.

heat of summer could penetrate the

only the torment of stillness, existing

only to ensure Diana remained alive. Unaware of time or place, she could not hear anything outside her darkness. She relied on touch to find

took Diana a while to adjust and recognize the figures before

agape, but no

at Karen and

“I am the only daughter of the

her back, protecting her

just how deep Diana’s

I’ve raised you all these years, but our

Karen’s hand, signaling it was time

to engage with the

Jasper in putting an end to it all. He had truly loved Diana as

their relationship had

they turned to leave, Diana’s eerie laughter filled the room, reminiscent of a deranged spirit from a

Ha, you talk

Was it because someone said adopting a child would bring prosperity to the Perez family? Or that this adopted daughter would

your righteousness! You’re nothing but a hypocrite! You adopted me with ulterior motives, and

that day. If I had, there would

giving Diana one last

Diana and Willa, especially with so many kids at home. Rumors spread, and I thought she was educated enough not

did you

and I initially planned to send her to an orphanage and support her from a distance. But you wanted a sister,

fate entwined. “I don’t remember how I felt back then,

regret had no place in Karen’s world. Even picking up a proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing did not faze her. After all, she had raised

could I possibly

“Mr. Wolf, you’ll always be a wolf

daughter and said, “Vivienne is

her arm through Jasper’s, “Yes, and

pair shared a knowing smile. In their world, there was no room for regret. To them, regret was for those who could not

Vivienne—they were not

destiny, never allowing anything to break