Chapter 4

"Chloe! We won! We won! We hit the jackpot!"

"Won what? What did you win? Slow down."

"Your dad and I passed a lottery stand yesterday and bought a $20 ticket, just like we always do. We just checked the numbers, and we got them all right!"

Hearing this, I jumped up and down on the bed, ecstatic.

I was so overwhelmed with excitement, I didn't know what to do.

"Really? Are you sure? Did you both check it right? How much did you win?"

"We don't know, but all the numbers were correct!"

I quickly sat down and meticulously double-checked the lottery numbers and ticket ID my mom had sent me.

No mistake! It was real!

I immediately sent a private message to Mr. Sterling, asking him to be my lawyer.

The next day, I rushed out to buy a mask and a change of clothes, and even bought a full-body mascot costume to wear when claiming the prize.

I completely forgot about reporting Jake missing; I'd leave everything to the lawyer.

I quickly booked a train ticket home to my parents' place, fearing they might get overwhelmed by the process.

When I got home, they had prepared a feast of all my favorite dishes.

Tears streamed down my face.

I didn't know if I was crying from the pain of Jake abandoning me or the joy of the lottery win.

My parents thought I was acting strangely; why was I crying when it was such good news?

But they didn't ask further, just urged me to sit down and eat.

I ate two bowls of rice, and they kept telling me to slow down.

Being with my parents felt so wonderful.

After dinner, I sat on the sofa, thought for a moment, and decided to tell them everything.

After I finished, they were stunned and absolutely furious.

"What kind of family is that?! That bunch of good-for-nothing freeloaders, suddenly rich, just abandons their daughter-in-law? That's despicable!" my dad said, slamming his fist on the table.

"I didn't want you to marry into that family in the first place, but I couldn't talk you out of it. I never thought they'd do something like this. Oh, to think we won the lottery, such wonderful news, only for this to happen," my mom said sadly.

"It's okay, Mom and Dad. I've already found a very good lawyer in our city, and he'll handle everything. It's just that I only have the $120,000 dowry you gave me when I got married, and the lawyer's fee is at least $200,000."

"We have money! Even if we hadn't won the lottery, the money your dad and I saved would be enough for you to hire a lawyer, let alone now that we've won.

"We'll support you no matter what. Don't worry, with your dad and me here, we saved this money for you, didn't we? You don't have to be afraid of anything."

I couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into loud, unrestrained sobs.

My parents transferred $180,000 to me, bringing my total to $300,000.

The next day, we packed our things and drove to the state capital, where we met my lawyer and paid him.

Then we went to complete the lottery claim procedures.

A week later, my parents received the prize money. They had won a staggering $360 million! After paying the 20% tax, we were left with a solid $288 million.

After discussing it as a family of three, we decided to donate $80 million to charity.

After all, it was lottery winnings; giving back to charity felt right, like it would bring us peace of mind.