After Being Abandoned, She Won A Prize of 100 Billion

The agent grabbed my hand excitedly. My house was downtown, right by a popular tourist spot. It was the only thing my parents had left me.

Over the years, many people had asked if the house was for sale, but I always turned them down. But this time, in my desperation, I sold it for nearly half what it was worth.

"Top dollar for hair! We pay top dollar!" echoed a voice nearby.

Stepping out of the real estate office, a woman on the street who bought hair caught my hand and asked, "Miss, interested in selling your hair?"

I pulled back my waist-length hair, nodded with tears in my eyes, and whispered, "Yes."

She began cutting my hair. Others usually cautioned her not to cut too much, fearing it would look terrible. But I urged, "Cut it as short as possible. I need all the money I can get."

My tears fell with my hair, which I had grown for ten years. And I got $712 for it.

With ten dollars, I bought Joseph's favorite ravioli. Nearby, a lottery store was loudly promoting a recent million-dollar winner.

"Why not try?" I mused to myself.

On a whim, I fished out two dollars and bought a lottery ticket, using my parents' and my own birthdays for the numbers.

Back at the hospital, I saw a shapely woman through the half-open door of Joseph's room. He spread his arms wide. "Come on, give me a hug."

Standing at the door with the ravioli in hand, I saw her leap into Joseph's arms, tearfully saying, "I thought you were lying to me."

Joseph stroked her hair, "How could I lie to a girl who kept her hair long for me?"

I ran my fingers through my crudely cut, embarrassingly ugly hair, feeling like the world's biggest fool.

The woman got up, held Joseph's face in her hands, and asked, "What about her..."

Joseph shrugged dismissively. "She's just like a maid. Why bother about her? I heard the airline's payout is getting sorted. Don't worry, I'll dump her soon."

He leaned in and kissed the woman. They wrapped around each other, lost in a passionate kiss.

And yet, he couldn't even drink water unless I held the glass to his lips.

I stood frozen at the door, gripping the bag of ravioli tightly.

I thought to myself, "Joseph, am I just a part of your little game?

When did I become the punchline? Was it from the start? Did you ever really love me?

Joseph, what about the frail man you were in front of me? Are you too proud to let her see that?"

They kissed, lost in a heated embrace, and I couldn't stand to watch.

So, I ran. Tears clouded my vision as I bumped into several people.

On the rooftop, all of Joseph's promises replayed in my head.

"Really? You're actually going to marry me?" I had asked him once.

Back then, we were cramped in a tiny 75-square-foot apartment, living off instant noodles.

"Of course. When your hair reaches your waist, we'll get married," Joseph had promised.

From that day, I never cut my hair. A decade slipped by just like that.

Now, with no family left, Joseph was all I had clung to, but now...

As I moved a foot closer to the edge, I hesitated, lacking the courage to step off. That was when my phone buzzed with a lottery notification.

"I might as well check if I won. I can't die with questions," I thought.

I stepped back from the edge and checked the numbers against my ticket.

One by one, they matched. I had won. It was 100 billion dollars.

"Die? No way! It's time to really start living," I decided.

I had always heard about the power of money but never really felt it until now.

Wiping the tears from my face, I popped a couple of ravioli in my mouth.

"Yummy!" I exclaimed.

I had always known these raviolis were good, but a serving only had eight, and Joseph would eat them all, leaving me none. So I always let him have them, pretending I wasn't much into them.

"I was such an idiot, totally love-struck!" I scolded myself as I grabbed the leftover ravioli and headed home. On the way, I picked up several more servings of ravioli and indulged in a feast once I got home.

"Lydia, we're not even married. That insurance payout from the airline has nothing to do with you," Joseph said.