The Million-Dollar Heart

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!

her

with 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 with her." Slowly sitting

arm through Percival's, her smile beaming at Mara.

even she would have been surprised at

driven-Vivienne was all about making

her true love, Mr.

I'm not only less appealing than a strawberry

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

her IV and stumbled to her feet, only to collapse to her knees with a

meant for things to go so far. I was awful, please don't be

forehead hitting the floor. Though intentionally hard, she had assumed that even if Percival did nothing and Isolde was too young to

dismay, no one came to

but managed to keep

awkward silence until Mara lifted her head, her eyes filled

smile, mimicking Mara's tone. "What are you doing? I never blamed you

her barely suppressed mirth. He smiled, affectionately ruffling her

don't pull this act again. Admitting your mistake is one

from the corner,

out of elementary school was too

is right. Get up, what's

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

helping Mara