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

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

Mara looked at Percival with remorse.

looping her arm through Percival’s, her smile beaming at Mara.

even she would have

she was driven—Vivienne was all about making

was her true love, Mr.

appealing than a strawberry cheesecake

out to her. Since that was the

to her feet,

forgive me. Gillian and Grandma misled me, and I never meant for things to go so far. I was awful, please don’t be angry with me anymore?

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 going to perform, you need to make it look real,

dismay, no one came to her

laughed out loud but

Mara lifted her head, her eyes

tone. “What are you doing? I never

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

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

snorted from the

of elementary school was too

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

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

bed, she clutched her cheek. “Ah,

side, helping Mara back

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

technology, there’s hardly anything that can’t be fixed. Just take it easy, and