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 palm, her mind racing with

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

at

her smile beaming

that even she would have

was driven—Vivienne was

her true love, Mr.

I’m not only less appealing than a strawberry cheesecake

Vivienne would actually reach out to her. Since that was the case, she was not about to miss this opportunity to overplay her

IV and stumbled to her feet,

I was wrong about everything before. Please forgive me. Gillian and Grandma misled me, and I never meant for things to go so far. I

did nothing and Isolde was too young to understand, at least Cecilia would rush to stop her.

dismay, no one came to

out loud but managed to keep

until Mara lifted her head, her

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

barely suppressed mirth. He smiled, affectionately ruffling her hair.

the biggest heart. She doesn’t hold grudges easily. Mara, don’t pull this act again. Admitting your mistake is one thing, but forgiveness

from the corner,

scolded by a kid fresh out of elementary school

“Mara, Isolde is right. Get up,

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

the bed, she clutched her cheek.

did Cecilia move to her side, helping Mara back into bed. “You need

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

softly. “With today’s technology, there’s hardly anything that can’t be