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!

in her palm, her mind racing with

to Percival. “Percival, why don’t you take Isolde back home? Everything’s under control here. I’ll stay with

up, Mara looked at

through Percival’s, her smile beaming at Mara. “It’s been

she would

was driven—Vivienne was

was her true love, Mr. Wolf merely a

not only less appealing than a strawberry cheesecake

would actually reach out to her. Since that was the case, she was

to her feet, only to

I never meant for things to go so far. I was awful,

knelt there, her forehead 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,

dismay, no one came to

nearly laughed out loud but

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

Mara’s tone. “What are you doing? I never

mirth. He smiled, affectionately ruffling her

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

snorted from the

by a kid fresh out of elementary school was too much for

Isolde is right. Get up, what’s with this

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

the bed, she clutched her cheek. “Ah,

side, helping Mara back

to Cecilia’s hand, her eyes

can’t be fixed. Just