Blood Over Five Million

Our family was so poor we could barely afford to eat, yet the lottery ticket I casually bought won five million dollars.

My brother's eyes turned red as he lunged at me, snatching the ticket and trying to tear it up.

My dad, who usually doted on me most, held a knife to my throat: If you don't tear up that thing, I'll cut off your hands today.

Even my mom, bedridden and waiting for life-saving money, propped up her weak body and crawled over, crying out in terror: "You can't claim the prize."

To stop me from claiming the prize, my family tied me up in the basement and threw in a starving wolf-dog.

In the end, I was mauled to death by that beast.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day I won the lottery.

My brother was holding two stale pieces of bread, smiling as he handed them to me. "Stella, once our family has money, we can take you out for your favorite pasta."

"By the way, did that lottery ticket you bought win anything?"

Hearing his concerned voice, I snapped back to reality.

Looking at the familiar lottery ticket in my hand, I realized I had been rebornreborn to the day I won the lottery.

In my previous life, I occasionally bought lottery tickets, and my whole family hoped that one day I'd win big and we could live a good life.

Our family was very poor.

I had already dropped out of school because we couldn't afford the tuition.

My brother was about to get married, but if we couldn't scrape together money for a house soon, his girlfriend would break up with him.

When Dad was working as a security guard, he accidentally damaged a resident's luxury car and still owed a huge compensation payment.

And Mom had kidney failure and was waiting for money to stay alive.

The whole family struggled even to eat enoughevery meal was just nibbling on bread.

Yesterday, I dreamed of a set of lottery numbers. The moment I woke up, I went to the lottery store and bought a ticket.

After the drawing, I checked repeatedly and confirmed I'd won the jackpot.

I excitedly told my brother, who was in the kitchen slicing bread. He took the ticket, looked closely at it, and his smile froze on his face, replaced by a look of terror. Without a word, he tried to tear up the ticket.

I quickly snatched it back and said urgently:

"Once we claim the prize, our family will have money! You can buy a house and get married, and Mom will have money for treatment."

But my brother acted as if he couldn't hear me, frantically fighting me for the ticket.

In the chaos, desperate, I bit down hard on his hand. He cried out in pain and staggered back a few steps.

My brother's eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted as he roared at me: "Stella, you can't claim that prize! Tear up the ticket now!"

That terrifying look left me frozen in place, trembling all over.

Just then, Dad came home.

Seeing my brother cornering me, he didn't say a wordjust slapped my brother on the back of the head: "How dare you bully your sister!"

My brother pointed at me with a shaking finger, his voice breaking:

"She dreamed of a lottery number sequence and bought a ticket that won five million dollars!"

Hearing this, the anger on Dad's face instantly turned to terror.

His eyes went wide as he rushed into the kitchen like a madman, grabbed a knife, and charged at me.

"Tear up that winning ticket right now, or I'll kill you!"

Dad's knife was about to come down when Mom came in just in time and shielded me.

"Have you lost your mind? You're going to use a knife on our daughter!"

Dad gave a cold laugh.

"Stella's lottery ticket won."

"So what? Stella's always been luckyshe wins five or ten dollars all the time."

"It's the jackpot. Five million dollars."

Mom, who had just been protecting me, turned deathly pale, as if she'd seen a ghost. She shoved me out of her arms and shook her head frantically: "No, no, you can't."

At that moment I realized my whole family didn't want me to claim the prize. I waved my hands frantically, trying to explain:

"This money isn't just mine! With this money, my brother can start a family, Dad won't have to hide from creditors, Mom can get treatment and surgery, and I can go back to college. This is a miracle for us!"

But neither parent paid me any attention. They frowned and exchanged panicked glances.

Then Dad spoke: "We can't let her leave the house anymore."

Mom's face darkened.

"I have an idea. Lock her in the basement with the wolf-dog."

I stood frozen, my whole body numb, unable to believe what I was hearing.

I couldn't understand why, after learning I'd won five million dollars, they'd all changed completely.

Our whole family desperately needed money. This windfall should have been a blessing, so why had things turned out this way?

Before I could figure it out, my parents started dragging me toward the basement.

In my panic, I turned and tried to run, but my brother grabbed me.

I cried and begged them to let me go, even saying that if they didn't trust me, I'd give them the ticket and let them claim the prize.

However, they turned a deaf ear to my pleas and forced me into the dark, stinking basement.

They wouldn't let me eat or drink, and they put a starving wolf-dog in the basement with me.

My whole family knew that I'd been bitten by a wild dog as a child and was terrified of dogs.

The moment I saw the wolf-dog, I nearly collapsed in fear. I pounded on the door with all my strength, begging them to let me out.

But no matter how much I cried and screamed, no one responded.

The wolf-dog suddenly lunged at me and tore a chunk of flesh from my thigh.

The intense smell of blood rushed into my nose. I passed out from the pain.

After one night, my parents and brother came to the basement to see me.

My mom asked with a smile: "Stella, you must be hungry? I brought you some bread."

I laughed bitterly, not understanding how she could act like nothing had happened.

I demanded like a madwoman: "Why? Why are you doing this to me?"

The smile vanished from her face instantly, replaced by cold indifference.

Dad's face also darkened, his eyes full of disgust. Then he kicked me in the chest.

"You ungrateful bastard."

The pain made it hard for me to even breathe.

A terrifying coldness churned in Mom's eyes as the corners of her mouth curved into a chilling arc.

"Since Stella doesn't want to eat bread, let's bring in a few more wolf-dogs to keep her company."

"These beasts have all been specially trained. They know how to 'entertain' disobedient brats."

Then they released several wolf-dogs that surrounded and trapped me, tearing at me viciously.

My two arms were torn clean off. In less than a day, I died in excruciating pain.

Even in death, I didn't understand why they wanted to kill me after learning I'd won five million dollars.

The terror from my previous life surged through me. I clutched the lottery ticket tightly and took a deep breath.

This time, I had to find out the truth.

This time, I didn't tell my brother I'd won.

I thought that as long as I didn't let him know I'd won five million, nothing bad would happen.

But unexpectedly, my brother smiled and asked: "Stella, I saw you go buy a lottery ticket yesterday. Did you win anything?"

My heart skipped a beat. I smiled and said: "No, it's not that easy to win."

"You're so careless. Give the ticket to me and I'll check for youmaybe you got it wrong."

"No need, I just checked the numbers one by one. I really didn't win. Don't you trust me?"

"It's not that. What if you did win and you made a mistake? Our family would miss out on an opportunity. It won't hurt for me to take another look."

I deliberately put the ticket in my pocket. "You just don't trust me. I won't let you see it."

My brother thought I was being playful. He smiled and patted my head, then stuffed the bread into my hand. "Fine, fine, I won't look. You must be hungryeat up."

I took the bread and headed out. "The weather's nice. I'm going out for some air."

I decided to leave the house first and calm my panicked mind.

But the moment I turned into the alley, my heart suddenly clenchedthe ticket in my pocket was gone!

My blood froze instantly. I immediately turned and ran back. When I caught sight of our front door from a distance, I saw my brother standing there, deathly pale and rigid.

The ticket that should have been in my pocket was now in his hand.

He raised his hand to tear it, but I rushed over, snatched the ticket back, and ran.

I heard him roar behind me: "Stella, you can't claim that prize!"

In my previous life, even until I died, I never understood why my brother, who had loved and doted on me since childhood, would change so completely the moment he learned I'd won big.

The viciousness in his eyes was something I'd never seen before.

My brother chased me desperately. My stamina was no match for his, and he caught up quickly.

I trembled all over and screamed: "Help! My brother's trying to kill me!"

The alley was full of familiar neighbors. Hearing my shouts, they all came out to see what was happening.

My brother clearly hadn't expected this. Seeing I couldn't escape, I turned and dropped to my knees before him, crying: "Why? We're about to have a good lifewhy do you want to tear up that ticket?"

My brother ground his teeth and cursed under his breath: "Shut up, you bastard!"

He tried to drag me away, but just then, some of the watching neighbors hurried over.

Mr. Thompson from next door forcibly pulled him away from me.

"How can you hit your own sister?"

The other neighbors started talking among themselves.

"I just heard you shouting about winning the lotterythat's wonderful news! Why would you hit her?"

"Even if she's your sister, you can't hit her! Hitting people is illegal! If you try anything else, we're calling the police."

My brother's breathing was rapid, veins bulging in his neck as he glared at me viciously.

But surrounded by the crowd, he couldn't do anything.

Suddenly, he smiled at something behind me. Confused, I turned around and saw Dad approaching.

From a distance, Dad saw my brother and me surrounded by the crowd and his brow furrowed deeply. It was obvious something had happened.

Seeing Dad approach, my body tensed up sharply, my nails digging deep into my palms.

The neighbors all talked at once, complaining to Dad that my brother had laid hands on me.

Dad immediately flew into a rage, raising his hand to slap my brother's face. Just as the slap was about to land, my brother shouted: "Stella won a five-million-dollar jackpot!"

"That's not true! My brother made a mistake!" My eyes reddened with anxiety, my voice trembling.

"It's absolutely true! I even took a photo of the ticket." My brother's tone was agitated as he eagerly showed his phone to Dad.

The moment Dad's gaze fell on the screen, his eyes trembled slightly. Then he stared fixedly at the image, frozen in place.

I called out anxiously: "Dad..."

When he looked at me again, Dad's eyes were bloodshot. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face.

"He told you to tear up that ticketwhy didn't you listen!"

My heart was utterly shattered, yet I still bit down hard and argued: "The family really needs money. Mom's illness needs treatment, you need money to pay your debts, my brother needs to get married, and I want to go back to school."

"You heartless bastard, how dare you talk back to me!"

Dad rushed over, pressing my head hard against the wall with one hand while the other went for my pocket.

Just then Mom rushed over, pushing Dad away forcefully and shielding me behind her.

"What are you doing? Stella's forehead is bleeding!"

Mom yelled at Dad.

But Dad wasn't angry. He just laughed coldly: "You feel sorry for her, but this heartless bastard doesn't deserve to be our child."

After Dad said this, all the neighbors were shocked.

Everyone knew that Dad usually loved me, his daughter, the mosttreating me like a precious gem. No one could believe he would say such things about his own daughter.

Mom clutched her chest in anger and asked: "What on earth happened?"

My brother handed over his phone. I quickly blocked Mom, looking at her with pleading eyes. "Mom, don't look at it. Don't believe them."

I knew that once Mom looked at the phone and learned I'd won the jackpot, she would immediately disown me as her daughter.

Mom held me in her arms, softly comforting me: "Don't worry. Your dad and brother are probably just confused about something. Once I figure it out, everything will be fine."

I shook my head desperately: "No, Mom, don't believe them. If you believe what they're saying, you won't love me anymore."

"Stella, don't worry. No matter what happens, I'll be on your side. I love you more than anyone in the world."

She looked at me with gentle eyes, trying to reassure me.

Just then Dad lost his patience and shouted at Mom: "She won a five-million-dollar jackpot! The ticket's in her pocket."

After hearing Dad's words, Mom's face changed drastically. Her originally gentle features became twisted, a sinister gleam flashing in her eyes, frightening me so much I trembled all over.

Her face went pale as she forced out a stiff, bitter smile and looked at me.

Unlike Dad and my brother's agitation, Mom's abnormally calm reaction sent chills through me, making my skin crawl.

Her voice was ice-cold: "This is good news, Stella. Come on, let's go home and celebrate."

But there was no joy in those words, not a trace of a smile on her face, and the hand she extended toward me was trembling slightly.

Clearly she was barely holding herself together, desperately suppressing her emotions.

"No, I don't want to go home." I scrambled to my feet in panic, stumbling backward into the crowd.

Mom's brow furrowed into a dark cloud, her eyes revealing a sinister, vicious look as she demanded coldly: "Stella, what are you doing? It's getting darkif you won't go home, where will you go?"

My parents were about to grab me.

I quickly grabbed onto a neighbor, pleading through my tears: "Please save me! I can't go back with themthey'll kill me!"

The neighbors looked at each other in confusion.

Everyone knew that our family doted on me. Even if I did something wrong, it was only natural for my parents to discipline me. Outsiders really had no place interfering.

Just as everyone hesitated, Mrs. Martinez stepped forward. "The child seems to have something on her mind. Don't force her."

"That's right. Stella's always been such a good kid. Talk it out nicelydon't use force. Look how scared the child is."

But my parents seemed consumed by rage, unable to hear any advice. Their faces twisted as they closed in on me.

"Stella, are you having some kind of episode? Stop spouting nonsense!"

"Come home with us right now! Stop making a scene!"

As soon as the words left their mouths, Dad and my brother came forward without another word and grabbed me.

Seeing this, Mrs. Martinez hurried to block them. "Don't be so rough with the child! What if you scare her badly?"

"I'm disciplining my own daughterit's none of your business!" Dad's eyes were red as he roared at Mrs. Martinez.

Mrs. Martinez was elderly after allthere was no way she could stop my strong young brother.

I felt my wrist gripped tightly as I was forcibly dragged out, the rough ground scraping my knees painfully.

The watching neighbors, no matter how kind-hearted, wouldn't dare fight my parents for me.

Just then, a pair of hands blocked my brother's path.

"Who said you could drag a young girl around like that!"

Hearing this stern rebuke, my brother finally let go. It turned out a neighbor had called the police.

Seeing the officers, Mom quickly explained: "Officers, this is our daughter. It's getting late and she won't come home. We're worried about her safety, so we wanted to bring her back."

The officer turned his gaze to me.

I immediately protested loudly: "That's not true! I won a big prize and they want to take me back and lock me up!"

The three people behind me stood frozen, their expressions unspeakably strange.

"If you don't believe me, ask the neighbors. My family's been acting really weird since they found out I won."

The officer asked around the crowd. The neighbors confirmed one after another that my family's attitude had indeed been suspicious.

After getting confirmation, one officer questioned them sternly: "Why are you trying to stop the child from claiming her prize? Are you worried she'll keep all the money? But the child already said the money would be for the whole family."

My parents sneered disdainfully. "We don't care about any prize money. We just want to bring our daughter home."

"Illegally restricting someone's personal freedom is against the law."

The officer's tone grew more serious.

But they still looked completely unconcerned.

I anxiously grabbed the officer's sleeve: "I just want to know why they'd rather break the law than let me claim the prize. Why do they have to lock me up?"

Under the police's stern questioning, Dad reluctantly handed over his phone, his movements full of resistance.

When I saw clearly what was on the phone, I finally understood why they wouldn't let me claim the prize.