Because of my kindness toward a dog, I was gifted $5 billion. All I had to do was spend it, and my liver cancer would miraculously disappear. I stared at the balance on my phone, wiping away my tears. If I could spend to my heart’s content before I die, it was worth it! The day I was diagnosed with liver cancer was Christmas. The streets were filled with the sound of Christmas carols, and the atmosphere was lively and cheerful. I drifted down the street with the lab results in my hand. “Liver cancer, late-stage” were the words glaring at me from the medical report. The doctor’s words still echoed in my mind. “If there’s something you want to do, do it quickly.” “Treatment isn’t going to help you. You only have a few months.” I had sensed something was wrong with my body for a while, so the news wasn’t a surprise. There was just this feeling of, “Well, that figures.” Maybe it was the years of overworking. Maybe it was all the dinners and drinks with clients. Maybe it was the malnutrition from my teenage years catching up to me. My phone screen lit up. It was a message from my boyfriend, Tyler Martin. [Baby, I have to work late tonight. I can’t spend Christmas with you.] I looked up and saw two people locked in an embrace, not far away. So, this was what he meant by “working late.” Suddenly, being cheated on didn’t seem like such a big deal in the face of death. But did he really have to flaunt it in front of me? I walked up to them and yanked the two of them apart. A loud slap landed square on Tyler’s face. “Working late?” He looked stunned. He turned to see me, his eyes wide with shock, and just as he was about to explode in anger, I slapped him again, this time across his right cheek. “Working late with her face?” I had fallen for that gentle, nerdy face of his. He seemed cultured and sweet. Sure, he had his faults—he wasn’t exactly strong, and he had a ton of quirks—but I liked him anyway. So, I played the naïve girlfriend for three years. Who would’ve thought he’d turn out to be such scum? I still wasn’t satisfied. I raised my hand and slapped him once more. This time, he lost it, clenching his fists and charging at me, breathless with rage. I kicked him square in the chest, and he stumbled back a few steps, gasping for air, unable to form coherent words. “Carrie Mitchell, are you insane?!” I smirked. “Yeah, I am. I’m dying, actually.” I kicked him again, sending him sprawling to the ground. Tyler lay there, groaning in pain, barely able to breathe. I stepped on him, grinding my foot into his chest for good measure, and glanced around at the crowd forming nearby. People were starting to gather, some even pulling out their phones to record the scene. “I’m just dealing with a cheating scumbag. Any of you want to defend him, or do you want to be next?” As soon as the words left my mouth, the crowd scattered. Soon, it was just me and the pale-faced girl standing there. She looked young, probably just graduated from college. “How long have you been dating him?” She mumbled, “Not even six months.” “Did you know he had a girlfriend?” The girl shook her head furiously, eyes wide. “No! Not until now! I’m done with him! I swear!” I nodded in approval. “Then what are you waiting for? Leave.” “Right! Right, I’m going! Wishing you—” I cut her off, annoyed. “Don’t bother wishing me anything. I don’t have a thing for secondhand men.” Once the girl was gone, I grabbed Tyler by the collar and dragged him to the railing. I was strong by nature, and a few years of martial arts training had made sure I could handle someone like him without breaking a sweat. “Now let’s talk about us.” “We’ve been together for three years. How much have I spent on you?” Tyler’s face was swollen and red, looking nothing like the clean-cut guy I used to like. “Uh… maybe $30,000? No, wait, $50,000.” “Are you sure?” “And the $30,000 you loaned me. So, $80,000 total.” “No interest?” Tyler quickly changed his answer. “Okay, okay! $100,000! I owe you $100,000!” I stuffed my medical report back into my coat pocket. “Pay up. Cash or transfer?” “Transfer, transfer!” I stared coldly at him. “Don’t forget to add a note.” He flinched and immediately added a note before shakily entering his password to make the transfer. My phone buzzed with the notification. $100,000 received, labeled as “Repayment.”
Before leaving, I gave him one last chance. “Do you need me to call the cops for you?” Tyler was trembling like a leaf, looking pitiful. “No! I, uh, fell. I haven’t seen you today!” I lost interest. “Fine then.” “I like your hands. It’d be a shame if they got broken because you didn’t behave.” “Now get lost.” Tyler stumbled to his feet and fled. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my body, and I could barely stand. Sweat poured down my face as I crouched, hugging my knees. It took a while for the pain to pass. I slowly made my way home, but then my mom called. “Carrie, you haven’t sent this month’s money yet.” My heart sank to the bottom. I finally realized how meaningless all my efforts for my family had been. I was dying. Yet the only thing my family cared about was why I hadn’t sent money this month. These were the people I’d been planning to leave my inheritance to. “What, is $5,000 a month not enough for you and Dad?” “It’s enough, but your brother just graduated. He needs to pay rent, and he’s got a car loan. He’s short on cash.” I scoffed coldly, “So now I’m the ATM? What am I, his parent?” Her voice immediately rose. “Carrie Mitchell, how can you say that? Don’t forget, when you were a kid, your brother saved your life!” Saved me? David was two years younger than me but always better fed and healthier. He pushed me into the river because I wouldn’t let him ride on my back like a horse. Mom, Ellen, knew the truth. But she had used that story to guilt-trip me my whole life, making me feel like I owed them everything. Out of love for my family, I kept quiet about it. But now, I no longer had to. I cut her off, “Do you think I don’t remember?” “Maybe I should ask Uncle Wayne, the one who actually saved me, what he thinks.” Mom fell silent. She tried to start yelling again, but I didn’t give her the chance. “I’ve kept records of every transfer. I paid for the house’s down payment and mortgage too.” “I’ve repaid what you spent raising me. You’ve got enough for retirement.” “If you still want to make a fuss, I’ll make sure your precious son pays for it.” “We’ll see who cares more.” Her angry curses filled the phone. I hung up and blocked all contact with them. A sense of calm settled over me. All the resentment I’d bottled up for years suddenly seemed insignificant in the face of death. In my final months, all I wanted was to treat myself better. As I walked through Briarwood Alley, I heard a rustling behind me. Under the dim streetlight, a hulking man with a scruffy beard was approaching, holding a knife. Despite his efforts to seem calm, his hands were shaking. A newbie? I said, “Are you robbing me?” “Y-yeah, but aren’t you scared?” I cut him off. “Would $5,000 be enough? Give me your number, I’ll send it over.” Better to give it to this guy than let my family drain me dry. The man looked confused. I grabbed his hand, fished out his phone, and pulled up the payment screen, transferring $5,000 to him. He still hadn’t recovered from the shock. I frowned. “Is $5,000 not enough? Asking for more would be rude.” “W-why are you being so cooperative?” Honestly, he seemed kind of dumb—like a big bear with a scruffy face. I pulled out my medical report. “See this? Stage four liver cancer. I’m terminal.” The man’s face changed, and tears welled up in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away and transferred the money back to me. Then, he pulled out a wad of cash from his pockets and stuffed it into my hands. “I’m sorry, sis! My grandpa had cancer too. I didn’t know what else to do.” “Please, get treatment! You’ll be okay, I swear!” He hurried off, still crying. I stared at the crumpled bills in my hands, feeling a lump rise in my throat. A stranger had more compassion for me than my own family ever did.
Near the trash cans by Oakwood Apartments, I found a stray dog, its fur matted and filthy. Something tugged at my heart. I took off my coat, wrapped the little dog in it, and rushed it to the Brooklyn Veterinary Clinic. Thankfully, I brought it in just in time, and they managed to save its life. As I was carrying the little dog back home, I noticed someone following me. Another mugger? I spun around. It was an older man, his hair streaked with gray, and he looked tired and worn out. His eyes were locked on the little puppy in my arms, filled with a strange mix of pain, sorrow, and… relief? Something about him felt off. “Miss, can I have my grandson back?” I clutched the puppy tighter. “And how do you plan to prove it?” His throat made a strange, guttural noise, almost inhuman, sending a shiver down my spine. Then, the puppy, which had been barely moving, perked up. It opened its eyes and started wriggling in his direction, its little paws reaching out. The man took the dog and stroked its head gently. “Thank you for saving him, miss. Let me offer you a reward for your trouble.” I shook my head. “No need. I’m dying soon anyway, so money’s not much use to me.” The man’s eyes shifted color—his once dark pupils turned a glowing green, scanning me up and down as if he could see straight through me. My skin crawled. “Good deeds don’t go unrewarded. You saved my grandson, and for that, my family is forever grateful.” “If you can spend this money within three months, your illness will be cured.” I blinked in confusion. “What?” My phone buzzed, and when I looked at the screen, a new account had appeared, linked to a Chase Platinum Card. I did a quick count. $5 billion. I glanced back at the man and the dog, but they were already gone. My coat pocket felt heavier than before. I reached in and pulled out a sleek black credit card. Was this some kind of joke? Curious, I decided to test it. I emptied my Amazon cart, hitting checkout, expecting it to fail—but the transaction went through. That man wasn’t lying! I flagged down an Uber and headed straight for the city center. If I was going to die, I might as well go out in style. I arrived at the Galleria on Fifth Avenue, looking as pale as a ghost, with my clothes still covered in dirt from the dog. Even the little dog had gotten my coat all dirty. The sales associate who approached me looked barely older than twenty, nervous and shy. Probably new on the job, otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent her to deal with me. She seemed nice enough, though. She even offered me a cup of hot water when she noticed I didn’t have a jacket. I pointed to two coats and asked her to ring them up. “Don’t you want to try them on first, miss?” she asked hesitantly. I shook my head. “No need. Just bill me.” After the transaction, I pulled out my phone to check the balance. Sure enough, the card had worked, and a tiny progress bar had appeared on my phone screen. It read: 99.98%. I called out to another sales associate who had been watching me from the moment I stepped in, her nose high in the air. She barely hid her disdain as she sauntered over. “Excuse me, could I—” She cut me off with a sneer, rolling her eyes. “We don’t accept returns or exchanges on purchases here.” I raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t asking for that.” “You’re blocking my view.” Turning to the first girl, who seemed much kinder, I waved her over. “Miss, can you help me out?” “Of course! What would you like?” I pointed to several bags on display. “You see those three rows of bags? Grab the second one on the first row, the first one on the second row, and the fourth one on the third row.” The girl hurried off to retrieve them. “Would you like them gift-wrapped?” “No, thanks.” The snooty sales associate looked like she was about to say something again, but before she could open her mouth, I continued. “I’ll take everything else in those three rows. Pack them up, and put them all on her sale.” I pointed to the kind associate.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “294726”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #校园School #魔幻Magic #励志Inspiring #惊悚Thriller #浪漫Romance #擦边Steamy #重生Reborn
Leave a Reply