Lottery Win: Husband Pushed Me Down the Stairs While Pregnant

I picked up the remote control and handed Preston a glass of iced cola.

"Honey, I'm sorry, I just spaced out for a moment.

"Your birthday's coming up, and I was thinking about what gift to get you. Do you want the limited edition AJ sneakers or the latest smartphone?"

Preston's eyes lit up immediately. "Roberta, you're the best. Let's go pick them out together. We can also buy the lottery ticket on the way."

My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly urged him, "It's too hot outside, and I'd feel bad if you got exhausted. You rest at home, and I'll go get them for you."

The lottery store was just downstairs, and when the weather wasn't too hot, Preston would spend entire days there.

He didn't just buy lottery tickets. He'd also splurge on scratch-offs, burning through hundreds of dollars at a time. He was so close with the store owner, Decker Powell, that they were like brothers.

Decker glanced at the numbers on my phone and asked, "Do you want to bet double?"

I paused.

In my last life, Preston had placed ten times the usual bet on these numbers. The jackpot for a single ticket was twenty million dollars, and he'd multiplied it by ten.

"What's the maximum I can bet?" I asked.

Decker looked surprised. "The highest is a hundred times. Does Preston really have that much confidence in these numbers?"

It was me who had confidence in these numbers.

But I knew I couldn't buy them here.

"No, just one ticket will do."

"Just one? Preston usually bets ten times. I better check with him."

I reached out to stop him, but he'd already dialed Preston's number.

"Preston, your wife's here to buy the lottery tickets. You're not doubling down this time?"

Preston's voice came through the phone, cursing, "I want ten times the bet, didn't she tell you? That damn woman, I swear she needs a good beating..."

I was so embarrassed I wanted to find a crack in the wall to hide in. Decker, rubbing his hands together, looked just as awkward.

I thought to myself, "When did Preston start treating me like that?

All he ever does is hit or curse at me, never giving me an ounce of respect in front of others."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

I grabbed the lottery ticket and left. I knew Preston wouldn't have much longer to enjoy his good life.

I went to a different lottery shop and bought ninety-nine tickets with the same numbers.