The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

An hour had passed before Mara finally stirred, a ghostly pallor on her face. Her voice was a weak whisper, barely there.

She had never felt so terrible in her life—it was like being on death’s doorstep!

That Gillian had actually given her a bottle of sleeping pills, and here she had thought they were vitamins.

If only she had known, she would not have taken a single one!

“Mara, you’re awake.” Cecilia’s voice carried a mixture of relief and worry, as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart upon seeing Mara’s eyes open.

To underscore her feebleness, Mara coughed deliberately, a decision she instantly regretted as her stomach convulsed painfully.

“Auntie, what happened to me?” Mara’s eyes brimmed with tears, but her pain was genuine.

Cecilia sat by the hospital bed, wiping away the tears streaking Mara’s face. “Oh, you silly girl. Do you have any idea how close you came to never seeing me again?”

Mara feigned shock, glancing down at her wrist as if seeing it anew, a look of realization crossing her face. “I… I’m sorry, Auntie. I just wasn’t thinking straight.”

“You really…” Cecilia held Mara’s hand, her heart full of unsaid words.

Across the room, Percival sat brooding on the couch, his eyes stormy as the horizon’s edge.

Vivienne, on the other hand, watched the scene with a certain amusement.

Such a promising talent, indeed.

Mara seemed to be cut from the same cloth as Gillian had been.

If she were to be signed and groomed properly, she might even outshine Kala!

Kala: Impossible, utterly impossible!

chin in her palm, her mind racing

Percival. “Percival, why don’t you take Isolde back home? Everything’s under control here.

Mara looked at Percival with remorse. “Percival… Viv…

stood, looping her arm through Percival’s, her smile beaming at

she would have

was all about making

true love, Mr. Wolf merely a

thought, “Now I’m not only less appealing than a strawberry cheesecake but also

Since that was

IV and stumbled to her feet, only to collapse to her knees with

me. Gillian and Grandma misled me, and I never meant for things to go so far. I was awful, please don’t

young to understand, at least Cecilia

one came to her

but managed

silence until Mara lifted her head, her eyes filled with fear and pleading, “Vivienne, will

“What are you doing? I never

mirth. He smiled, affectionately ruffling her hair. “Yeah,

Admitting your mistake is one thing, but forgiveness comes from genuine remorse,

from the

elementary school was too

is right. Get up, what’s with

apologize?” Mara screamed silently. Reluctantly, she climbed back onto her feet, and

against the bed, she clutched her cheek. “Ah, it

helping Mara back into bed.

hand, her eyes betraying a fragility, like

hardly anything that can’t be fixed. Just take it easy, and