I was lounging at home after winning a ten-million-dollar lottery when I accidentally overheard a conversation between my mother, Tracy Powell, and my brother, Eric Powell. “Don’t worry, Eric, all this money will be yours. She’s just a useless girl who’ll end up in someone else’s family sooner or later. Our Powell family lineage depends on you.” That night, Tracy snuck into my room and stole the ten-million-dollar lottery ticket. I pretended not to notice. I bought Tracy diamond jewelry and even paid the down payment on Eric’s wedding house. By the time my bank account was completely drained and I was buried in massive debt, Tracy pulled out a document terminating our mother-daughter relationship. “Your brother is our family’s treasure. You’re just a money pit, and I can’t count on you for my retirement. For old times’ sake, I’ll give you two dollars for bus fare. Pack your things and get out of my house now!” I took the bag she had already packed for me and smiled calmly. “Fine.” “Amanda, since you’ve won ten million dollars in the lottery, you should take some time to rest at home. By the way, you’ve kept the ticket safe, right?” Tracy sat by my bed with a concerned look, holding a plate of freshly cut fruit. I flashed a confident smile, deliberately patting my bed. “Don’t worry, I’ve kept it safe. I’ll go cash it in once things quiet down a bit.” Tracy nodded, unable to contain her smile. “Good, good. I always knew you’d amount to something. Your brother and I will be counting on you from now on.” Her kind, gentle expression was completely different from when she had pointed at me and called me a money pit. She left my bedroom with a smile, not forgetting to remind me to keep the ticket safe. She also took the fruit she had just cut with her. As Tracy closed the door, the smile vanished from my face, leaving only coldness. Soon, I could hear hushed discussions from the next room. I knew they were plotting how to get their hands on the easy ten million dollars and then kick me to the curb. I’d always known Tracy hated me. She preferred Eric because his birth was proof that she had continued the Powell family line, giving her a reason to hold her head high. When I was little, I wasn’t allowed to eat at the table, but Eric could climb onto it during meals, and Tracy would praise him for being so clever. The good food was for Eric, leftovers for me. New clothes and shoes were for Eric, while I got hand-me-downs from relatives that had to be altered. While Eric played in the snow wearing thick clothes, I would shiver despite wearing all my clothes layered together. Eric could join any extracurricular activities he wanted, but I couldn’t even attend tutoring sessions. When I got into a prestigious university, she refused to pay my tuition or living expenses. But when academically challenged Eric wanted to go to college, Tracy emptied her savings to get him into a community college. She paid tens of thousands for his tuition and thousands each month for his living expenses. Whenever Eric ran out of money, he’d come to me, still in college myself. If I refused, Tracy would show up at my school the next day, calling me unfilial and spreading rumors that I was being kept by men. I’d had enough of supporting these two bloodsucking parasites all these years. So when I discovered I’d won ten million dollars, I knew the opportunity I’d been waiting for had finally arrived. Listening to the occasional mentions of “lottery,” “ten million dollars,” and “mattress” from the next room, I just smiled faintly. My fingers traced the edge of the lottery ticket, and my heart was completely at peace. This ticket had already served its purpose. If Tracy wanted it so badly, she could have it.
Early the next morning, as I came out of my room, Eric was humming a tune and twirling his car keys as he returned from outside. “Did you get a new car?” My sudden question startled Eric. “Why are you standing there like a ghost? Trying to scare me on purpose?” Ignoring the disgust in his voice, I continued asking. “When did you buy a car? Why didn’t you tell me? I might have been able to chip in some money.” He clicked his tongue, his tone filled with disdain. “This car costs seven hundred thousand dollars! Your pathetic salary couldn’t even pay for one interior piece!” With that, he went straight to his room. Seven hundred thousand dollars? I remembered the demolition compensation for the hill behind our old house was about five hundred thousand dollars. I had asked about that compensation money before, and Tracy had always guardedly said she put it all in fixed deposits. She repeatedly warned me that all that money belonged to Eric and told me not to set my sights on it. Six months ago, Tracy had taken one hundred and twenty thousand dollars from me, claiming she needed surgery for an illness. That one hundred and twenty thousand was what I had barely managed to save over the years by living frugally. I lived in the worst apartment, cooked my own meals with discounted groceries, never ate at restaurants, and even worked part-time jobs after my regular shifts. When I heard she needed surgery, I transferred the money to her without hesitation. I even got an advance on my monthly salary from my boss and borrowed from friends to send her a total of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. I was planning to take time off to go back and care for her, but Tracy frantically stopped me when she found out. She said Eric would take care of her, and I should just focus on my job. At the time, I was touched, thinking Tracy had finally recognized my goodness and started to care about me. It turns out she was afraid I’d come back and discover she had used the money to buy Eric a car. Although I already knew what kind of person Tracy was, I still felt a chill in my heart. While I was so worried about her health that I couldn’t sleep at night, she was helping Eric shop for a new car. In this family, I’ve always been the odd one out. Ever since I won ten million dollars in the lottery, Tracy and her son have acted as if they had a legitimate excuse to ask me for money to buy things more and more frequently. Before, they would at least make up some excuses, but now they brazenly demand money. “The air conditioner at home isn’t working, Amanda, why don’t you buy a new one?” “Amanda, my friend has this beautiful diamond bracelet. Didn’t you win ten million in the lottery? Buy one for me.” “Your brother is getting married. As his sister, shouldn’t you show your support? Eric has already picked out a car, so just pay the down payment for him. When you cash in your lottery ticket, you can pay off the rest.” “Your brother’s wife is about to join the family. Mom, can you cover the wedding gift money for me first?” “I’ve found a house I like. Sis, can you help with the down payment? Better to spend the money on me than on others. When I get the house, you can stay there whenever you want!” From small appliances and jewelry to cars and houses. Time after time, I accepted their unreasonable demands. One by one, my bank cards were emptied, and when money wasn’t enough, I used credit cards. As long as they asked, I would definitely agree. I knew they wanted to completely drain me before I cashed in the lottery ticket, but I didn’t refuse any of their requests. I gradually cultivated their appetite, elevating their spending habits to another level. Watching them treat me like an ATM that only spits out money, mocking me as a fool behind my back, laughing heartily. I also laughed heartily. I sincerely hope they can still laugh this happily after they learn the truth.
Eric completely gave up working. The money he earned after a month of hard work wasn’t even enough for one of his meals now. Every day, he would casually ask me for money. I never complained and would give him tens of thousands of dollars each time. Since quitting his job, Eric spent all his time hanging out with his poker buddies, staying out all night, and occasionally disappearing for days. As for his upcoming wedding, Eric simply delegated everything to me. And I was determined to prepare this wedding properly for him. Tracy, meanwhile, helped me prepare for Eric’s wedding every day, spending money without any hesitation. She not only chose a five-star hotel for the wedding venue but also booked an entire floor of rooms to accommodate relatives. Several times, Tracy tried to probe me subtly. “Amanda, this hotel is so expensive. I wonder if your brother can afford it?” Ignoring the blatant testing in her expression, I replied calmly: “Mom, even though my savings are gone and my credit cards are maxed out, once I cash in my lottery ticket in a few days, there won’t be any problem. Besides, Eric is our only son. If I don’t spend money on him, who else would I spend it on?” Without hesitation, I maxed out another credit card to book the luxury wedding package at the five-star hotel. Seeing how readily I paid, Tracy was overjoyed and excitedly grabbed my hands. “Good, good! I knew you were the most sensible one! Eric is so lucky to have you as his sister!” Lucky? Of course he’s lucky, especially since I’ve prepared a special gift for him. The wedding day arrived quickly. When I reached the venue, I was stopped by the hotel security. “Ma’am, you cannot enter without an invitation.” I frowned, my voice sharp: “What do you mean I can’t enter? I’m the groom’s sister! I paid for this entire hotel booking!” My shrill voice quickly drew attention, and soon some relatives recognized me. They vouched for me to security, explaining I was indeed the groom’s sister, but the staff member looked troubled. “Ma’am, I’m just following protocol. Please don’t make this difficult for me—I’m just doing my job.” Familiar relatives pointed and whispered about me, with some even spreading rumors that I must have done something terrible to my family for them to exclude me from the wedding. Amid the commotion, Tracy and Eric appeared in their designer outfits. Seeing Tracy, I immediately rushed over to complain: “Mom, this security guard won’t let me in. I’m the groom’s sister! I spent so much money, and they won’t even let me enter!” Tracy glanced at me and said dismissively: “I told them not to let you in. And from now on, don’t call me ‘Mom’ anymore. We’re severing our mother-daughter relationship!” My angry expression froze as I stared at Tracy in disbelief. The relatives present erupted in shock. “What’s going on with Tracy? Amanda has always been so filial. Why suddenly cut ties?” “She must have done something shameful for her own mother to disown her!” As confused questions filled the hotel lobby, Tracy shouted: “Amanda, you’ve racked up hundreds of thousands in credit card debt and you’ve been sleeping around! Now that you see your brother won the lottery, you want to come crawling back and have us clean up your mess! I’m telling you, it’s not happening!” She threw down a document terminating our parent-child relationship. “Your brother is the backbone of our family. You’re just a financial burden, and we can’t count on you for our retirement. For the sake of our past relationship, here’s two dollars for your bus fare. Now get lost!” Two coins mockingly hit me as I picked up the document from the ground. I looked directly at Eric: “Eric, what about you? Do you want to cut ties with me too?” Eric looked at me smugly, his face full of disdain. “Amanda, we’ve been siblings for so many years, so let me say a few final words to you. You really messed up, owing so much money and sleeping around. Tell you what—since we’re siblings, I’ll help you a little. Get yourself a hotel room for the night.” With that, he pulled out two hundred dollars and tossed it over my head. Some relatives who knew how Tracy had treated me spoke up in my defense. Facing the relatives’ indignation, Tracy and Eric remained completely unfazed. I picked up the termination agreement, suppressing my trembling body. “Fine.” I quickly signed my name. Tracy and Eric hadn’t expected me to sign so easily. They checked the document several times before revealing their smug, victorious expressions. Seeing a group of people approaching from a distance, I also broke into a wide smile. “Today is my brother’s wedding, and I’ve prepared a special gift for him.”
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