After Winning the Lottery My Family Plotted to Kill Me

"That's right. Julius has always been such a sensible child," someone in the crowd muttered. "If there's a problem, talk it out. No need to use violence. Look how scared he is."

But my parents seemed blinded by rage, completely deaf to any reasoning. Their faces twisted in fury as they closed in on me.

"Julius, are you having one of your episodes again? Stop spouting nonsense!"

"Come home with us right now! Stop embarrassing yourself in public!"

Before the words had even finished leaving my mother’s mouth, my father lunged forward and grabbed me roughly.

Granny Fatima quickly stepped in, blocking his path.

"Don’t treat the child like this! What if you scare him too badly?"

"He's my son! This is none of your damn business!" my father snarled, eyes bloodshot with rage.

But Granny Fatima was old and frail—how could she possibly stop a man like my father?

I felt his grip crush my wrist like a vice, and I was yanked forward with brute force. My knees scraped painfully against the rough pavement as I was dragged away. The searing sting brought tears to my eyes.

The crowd hesitated. No matter how kind-hearted they were, few dared get involved in family matters, especially when it came to my parents.

But just then, a firm voice cut through the tension.

"Who gave you the right to assault someone in the middle of the street?!"

The grip on my wrist loosened immediately. My father froze.

A group of police officers stepped forward—it seemed a neighbor had called them.

My mother rushed to explain. "Officers, please, this is our son. It’s getting dark, and he refuses to come home. We were only worried for his safety, that’s all."

One of the officers turned to me.

I didn’t hesitate and said, "No, that’s not it! I won the lottery—they want to lock me up and keep me from claiming the prize!"

My parents stiffened behind me. Their expressions darkened with something I couldn’t quite name.

I pointed toward the crowd.

"Ask the neighbors. Ever since they found out I won, they’ve been acting completely different. Just ask them!"

The officers turned to the crowd, asking questions. Soon, the neighbors began speaking up one after another, confirming that my parents' behavior had been unusually aggressive.

One of the officers, his expression now grim, turned back to my parents.

"Why are you stopping him from claiming the prize? Worried he won’t share the money? He already said he plans to use it for the whole family."

My parents scoffed.

"We couldn’t care less about the money. We just want our son home."

The officer’s tone hardened.

"You do realize it’s illegal to restrict someone’s personal freedom, right?"

But my parents just looked at him like it didn’t matter.

Panic rising in my chest, I clutched at the officer’s sleeve.

"Then why?! Why are they willing to break the law just to keep me from claiming the prize? Why do they want to lock me up?"

Under the pressure of repeated questioning, my father finally, reluctantly, handed over his phone. His hands trembled slightly with defiance.

When I saw what was on the screen, everything made sense.