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

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

at Percival with remorse.

through Percival’s, her smile beaming at Mara.

even she would have

she was driven—Vivienne was all about

true love, Mr. Wolf merely a supporting

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

Since that was the case,

stumbled to her feet, only to collapse to

and I never meant for things

did nothing and Isolde was too young to understand, at least Cecilia would rush to stop her. After all, if you’re going to perform,

one

laughed out loud but managed

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

smile, mimicking Mara’s tone. “What are you

at Vivienne, noting her barely suppressed mirth. He smiled, affectionately ruffling her hair. “Yeah, Vivienne is

easily. Mara, don’t pull this act again. Admitting your mistake is one thing, but forgiveness

snorted from the

elementary school

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

her feet, and whether by design or not, she winced at a sudden pain in

bed, she

side, helping Mara

her eyes betraying a fragility, like a delicate flower

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