Dumped By My Husband, I Hit The Jackpot After returning from a three-month company training program, I found my husband gone, the locks changed, and a stranger opening the door. One question was all it took to learn the house had been sold. Unable to reach Jake, I headed to my in-laws’ place, only to find the entire run-down neighborhood dark and deserted. My in-laws, Mark, and Brenda, all had their phones switched off. I panicked, not knowing who to call. No one in the family SnapChat group bothered to reply. My ride-share driver told me the old houses there were being torn down for a redevelopment project. They ran off, terrified of having to share any money with me. But what they didn’t know was that my parents had hit the lottery for three hundred million dollars, and I wasn’t scared anymore. Not one bit. Three months ago, my company sent me away for training, promising a promotion and a significant pay raise upon my return. Jake and I had been married for two years. Our salaries weren’t high, so we planned to save up for a couple more years before having kids. This trip meant a substantial boost to my income, so I agreed without hesitation. Just last night, I had FaceTimed Jake, and we were planning our happy future with kids. He even said he’d pick me up from the train station today. But when I got off the train, he wasn’t there, and he wasn’t answering his phone. I thought he’d simply forgotten, but when I took a cab home, I found him gone, and our smart lock had been changed. I wondered if the old lock had broken, and he’d replaced it, but he hadn’t told me. After knocking for ages, a scruffy, bearded man opened the door, asking angrily who I was. I flinched and asked him the same, checking the house number to make sure I wasn’t at the wrong place. He claimed to be the owner, saying the house had been sold ages ago. He even asked if Jake and I had argued, because why else would my husband sell the house without telling me? A whirlwind of thoughts flashed through my mind, then it all went blank. I pulled out my phone and dialed Jake’s number again. Pick up, pick up, Jake, just pick up! What’s happening?! I crouched in the hallway, phone in one hand, anxiously chewing on my thumbnail, completely at a loss. I quickly sent him SnapChat messages, but my hands were shaking too much to type. I ended up sending a barrage of ten or so voice messages, asking where he was, why someone else was in our house, when it was sold, why I knew nothing… A storm of questions raged in my head. No reply. In desperation, I quickly called Mr. and Mrs. Miller. But their phones were all switched off! This sent me into an even greater panic.
I quickly grabbed my things, hailed a cab, and headed to my in-laws’ old, dilapidated house, less than half a mile from ours. As the car got closer, the neighborhood grew darker, not a single light shining anywhere. “Why isn’t there a single light on?” I blurted out. “Oh, it’s a redevelopment project. Didn’t you know? Everyone’s moved out. What’s a young woman like you doing here? Are you here to pick something up?” “Redevelopment? No, I had no idea. When did this happen?” “Just the last couple of months. I heard the compensation money had already hit their accounts, and some families had even moved abroad!” “What?!” “We’re here. It’s really dark, miss, be careful.” The driver was nice enough. I thanked him and got out. I switched on my phone’s flashlight and stumbled my way to my in-laws’ old place. The yard was a mess, and I couldn’t see much inside, but it was definitely empty. Still, I hammered on the door, just to be sure. Luckily, I had a spare key. I fumbled for my keyring and unlocked the door. The moment I stepped inside, I jumped. You’d think the place had been ransacked. The house was a complete disaster, as if a hurricane had swept through it. Pots, pans, dishes—everything was scattered everywhere. I quickly called Mark and Brenda, but they still didn’t answer. Jake and I rarely contacted his relatives after we got married, so I naturally didn’t have their numbers. I could only reach out to Kevin, his oldest friend. Kevin said: “His parents got twenty million dollars from the redevelopment project. Jake sold *our* house for six hundred thousand. And his brother Mark, his wife Brenda, and the rest of the family – all five of them – they’ve gone abroad.” “You… you’d better figure out a place to stay for now. That’s all I can tell you.” With that, he hung up. What kind of sick, twisted plot was this? Had Jake’s entire family just abandoned me like this? I stood there amidst the wreckage of what used to be my life, trying to process it all, utterly incredulous. Was this real? Just yesterday, we were so happy. I looked around and suddenly felt a profound chill. The world was so big, but where was my home?
I walked to the nearest motel, my stomach rumbling. Ha. Just yesterday, Jake said he’d take me out for a fancy dinner when I got back. How ridiculous. My husband’s family had run off with twenty million six hundred thousand dollars. What were the odds? I went downstairs to the convenience store and bought a cup of instant noodles. Honestly, most people in this situation probably couldn’t eat or sleep, but I devoured mine without missing a beat. After eating, I lay on the bed and felt a sudden sense of physical relief. After all, I’d been on a train all day, dragging my suitcase around, and then dealing with this completely devastating news. My body finally relaxed, but my mind was a jumbled mess. Why? How could they? For the two years we were married, I’d been frugal, buying cheap skincare and hardly any new clothes, all to save more money. But Jake? He made just $3,200 a month, and that money would vanish on gas, cigarettes, and stupid video games. I couldn’t count on him to contribute to the household. Utilities, HOA fees, and heating bills were all my responsibility. Every morning, I had to get up and make breakfast, because if he wasn’t eating breakfast, he wouldn’t bother making any for me either. I ate lunch at work. In the evenings, when I worked late, he never waited for me; he’d just eat at his parents’ place and come home. I worked overtime five days a week, while he barely worked and spent all his time gaming. All this hard work, I never thought much of it. Marriage was about mutual tolerance, after all. But when I found out they’d gotten twenty million dollars and then dumped me, everything suddenly seemed so ridiculous, so terrifying, so pathetic. I worked so hard, all for the sake of having children with a man like that. I picked up my phone to send a SnapChat to my mom, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth. I didn’t want to worry her and Dad. Oh, how I longed for my parents’ freshly baked pastries, or their famous twisted bread sticks. Tears welled up as I thought about it. I couldn’t imagine how furious and worried they would be if they knew. That night, I kept calling Jake every so often until 2 AM, when his phone finally switched off. He actually switched it off! He must have seen my calls and SnapChat messages, but instead of giving me an explanation, he just shut his phone off! How was that different from betrayal? No, it *was* betrayal! I almost wished he’d cheated, so I could yell and scream at him. But now I couldn’t reach him, couldn’t yell at him, and still didn’t understand anything. This feeling was truly too painful, too helpless. I eventually fell asleep, still crying. I woke up the next day and called in sick to work. At this point, the situation seemed set, so I started thinking about how to find Jake’s family. I looked online; you couldn’t report someone missing until after 24 hours. So I agonized in the motel, waiting for the time to pass. Since they deliberately made themselves unreachable, I had no choice but to call the police. I don’t know how I made it through that day. As night fell, the motel’s already dim lighting made the room feel even quieter. I turned on the TV, and it happened to be the lottery drawing. I thought, given everything, I should have bought a ticket earlier. I gave a bitter laugh. I hadn’t given up trying to contact the five of them, calling each number, sending SnapChat messages and group messages, but still, no one answered. But why *her*? Why did they take Brenda, but not me? It was beyond infuriating. Perhaps because I’d spent the day searching for “redevelopment compensation distribution,” “missing persons,” “marriage,” “assets,” and “divorce” related topics. My YouTube feed was suddenly flooded with lawyer recommendations. I casually followed a lawyer with several million followers who was livestreaming. He was from around here. I figured a local lawyer would be easier to communicate with. After his livestream ended, he sent me a private message asking what help I needed, so I sent him the whole story. He said we’d have to find the family first before dealing with anything else. I asked about his fees, and he said he was quite expensive—$200,000. That didn’t even include other miscellaneous costs. Damn, I thought, I wouldn’t be able to afford a lawyer even if I found them. I did have some savings, but his older brother, Mark, borrowed $200,000 from us before the holidays and still hadn’t paid it back. I was left with only $120,000. It was money my parents had saved as my dowry. I really didn’t want to spend it.
“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.
My parents immediately wanted to give me the rest of the money, but I refused. Because even though Jake had abandoned me, I was still legally married. If they transferred the money to me, it would become marital property, and there was no way I was letting my parents’ money become that scumbag’s money. Soon, the lawyer contacted me, saying he’d found Jake and his family of five. They were living it up in a lavish resort in the Caribbean, and the lawyer immediately sent me the address. To be safe, I set off for the Caribbean with my legal team. My parents wanted to come too, but I worried they’d get even angrier if they saw Jake’s family. When we arrived at their place, it was truly luxurious! A sprawling villa, a huge parking lot, and a yard that looked like an entire forest. When I saw them, they were splashing around in the large swimming pool in the yard! So, they were this happy after ditching me. Had they forgotten I even existed? Wait. No, there were six people. The closer I got, the more my rage surged, threatening to burst when I finally saw clearly. I wanted to unleash a bomb on that pool, to blast them all straight to hell. The lawyer noticed my emotional shift and quickly pulled me back. He warned me not to be impulsive and to follow his instructions. I took a moment to compose myself, exchanged a glance with the lawyer, and walked forward again. They saw me and stopped playing. Jake, his potbelly sticking out, jumped out of the pool in a flash. He strode towards me. “What are *you* doing here?” “What am *I* doing here? Shouldn’t *you* be explaining what *you’re* doing here first?” “You were away on your trip, so we came to have fun. How did you find us?” At that moment, his parents also walked up to me, followed by Mark and Brenda. “Your family is truly harmonious, aren’t you? Did you forget you even *had* a wife? Did you two forget about your youngest daughter-in-law? Did you two forget about your sister-in-law? “This place must cost a fortune, right? Where did you get the money to stay here? What happened to our house? What about your old house, you two? Explain everything to me!” “Why are you so loud? Your tone is so crude, so beneath this place. “Besides, what kind of daughter-in-law talks to her mother-in-law like that? Speak to us in a softer voice. You’re not worthy to yell at us.” His mother spoke first. “You still remember you’re my mother-in-law? I thought you’d already erased me from your family records! I remember my residency was tied to yours, all four of you, after we got married.” Hearing me mention the residency, their faces showed a mixture of panic and a strange expression. I almost laughed at the sight. “What residency? Why are you bringing that up?” his dad said. “Why am I bringing up residency? You all know perfectly well why.” “You found your way here, so you must already know about my parents’ old house redevelopment. That’s right, the compensation was twenty million dollars. “But that money belongs to my parents, not to us. What does it matter if your residency was tied to ours? Don’t even think about claiming a single cent of it.” “I wasn’t trying to claim your paltry compensation money. But what you did was utterly shameless, wasn’t it?” “What’s shameless about it? And you said ‘paltry’ compensation money? That was twenty million dollars! “You, a penniless nobody from that humble bakery, have you ever even *seen* that much money? You probably couldn’t even comprehend it, could you?” His mother started to verbally attack me. She was beyond unreasonable. “Forget about the twenty million for a second. What about our house?” “That wasn’t *our* house, it was my parents’ house! They bought it for me *before* we got married. You have absolutely no claim to it.” “No matter who bought it, that was our home! We’re still married, and you sold the house without telling me? I come back from my business trip, and you vanish, not even asking where I’m eating or sleeping?” “You’re a grown woman; why would I ask? If you’re hungry, just go back to your parents’ run-down bakery and munch on their pathetic little pastries! Hahahahaha!” After my worthless excuse for a husband said that, the rest of those shameless people all burst into laughter. I clenched my fists, wanting to punch him square in the face. He was infuriating! “When was *our* house bought by your parents before marriage? Clearly, they only paid a $100,000 down payment before marriage, and I transferred the remaining mortgage payments to you every month. “The title was in your name, but I was the one actually paying the mortgage. How can you say it’s theirs?” “Since they made the down payment, it’s *theirs*. And sure, you paid the mortgage, but our money was marital property, so it’s basically like *I* paid it. So, I say the house is *mine*.” “Now you know about marital property? Then do you know that the redevelopment compensation money is *also* marital property? Is your family so incredibly hypocritical? “Do you know that I also have a share in that compensation? You ran off just to avoid giving me my share? Are you planning to hide in the Caribbean for the rest of your lives? Never going back home?” “Go back home? Of course not! The old houses were demolished, our house was sold, and I even quit that pathetic $3,200 a month job. See this villa in front of you? We bought it. We’ve decided to live here from now on.” “Bought it? Your ‘whole family’ will live here, and those words don’t include me, do they?” “And who’s that woman in the pool? I’ve never seen her. Don’t tell me she’s part of your family now too?” “Don’t worry about it so much. I’m going inside to get something. You just wait here.” With that, he walked towards their grand villa.
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