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!

her chin in her palm, her mind

before she turned to Percival. “Percival, why don’t you take Isolde back

sitting up, Mara looked at Percival with remorse.

her arm through Percival’s, her smile

that even she

was driven—Vivienne was all about making

Mr.

thought, “Now I’m not only less appealing than

that Vivienne would actually reach out to her. Since that was

stumbled to her feet, only

wrong about everything before. Please forgive me. Gillian and Grandma misled me, and I never meant for things to go so far. I was awful, please don’t

was too young

no one came to her

nearly laughed out loud but managed to keep

an awkward silence until Mara lifted her head, her eyes filled with fear

with a smile, mimicking Mara’s tone. “What are you doing? I never blamed

mirth. He smiled, affectionately

don’t pull this act again. Admitting your mistake

from

by a kid fresh out of elementary school was too

right. Get up, what’s with this kneeling and

else could I do to apologize?” Mara screamed silently. Reluctantly, she climbed back onto her feet, and whether

she clutched her cheek. “Ah,

then did Cecilia move to her side, helping Mara

ever heal?” Mara clung to Cecilia’s hand, her eyes betraying a fragility, like

hardly anything that can’t be fixed. Just take