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!

propped her chin in her

Mara were enough before she turned to Percival. “Percival, why don’t you take Isolde back home? Everything’s under control here. I’ll stay

at Percival with remorse.

her smile beaming

warmth was such that even she

driven—Vivienne was all

Mr. Wolf merely a supporting

I’m not only less appealing than

to her. Since that was

her feet, only to collapse to her knees with a

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

nothing and Isolde was too young to understand, at least Cecilia would

no one came to her

out loud but managed to

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

tone. “What are you doing? I never blamed you in

smiled, affectionately ruffling her hair. “Yeah, Vivienne is so magnanimous, truly

doesn’t hold grudges easily. Mara, don’t pull this act again. Admitting your

from

scolded by a kid fresh out of elementary school was

right. Get

apologize?” Mara screamed silently. Reluctantly, she climbed back onto her feet, and whether by design or not,

against the bed, she

Cecilia move to her side, helping Mara back into

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

hardly anything that can’t be fixed.