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

few words with Mara were enough before she turned to Percival. “Percival, why don’t you take

at

her smile beaming at Mara. “It’s

warmth was such that even she would have been

she was driven—Vivienne was all about

her true love, Mr.

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

that was the case, she was

stumbled to her feet, only to collapse to her knees

before. Please forgive me. Gillian and Grandma misled me, and I never meant for things to

hitting the floor. Though intentionally hard, she had assumed that even if Percival did nothing and Isolde was too young to understand, at least Cecilia would rush to stop her. After all, if you’re

her dismay, no one came to

out loud but managed to keep

fell into an awkward silence until Mara lifted her head, her eyes filled with fear and pleading,

responded with a smile, mimicking Mara’s tone. “What are you doing?

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

pull this act again. Admitting

snorted from the

scolded by a kid fresh out of elementary school was too much for Mara’s ego

is right. Get

climbed back onto her feet, and whether by design or not, she

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

side, helping

will my scar ever heal?” Mara clung to Cecilia’s hand, her eyes betraying

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