Chapter 4 - What the Jackpot Was Actually ForI didn't use the jackpot to prove I was rich. I paid my taxes, bought a quiet house with a garden, and put most of the money into conservative investments. I also set up a grant through a local women's center for expectant mothers facing sudden abandonment.
Mrs. Alvarez was the first person I invited to see the nursery.
My daughter, Lily, arrived healthy on a bright October morning. Marcus met her later, through a court-supervised parenting plan, after completing the counseling the court required. I never used the money to keep him from his daughter. I used evidence to keep his chaos away from hers.
A year after the drawing, I watched Lily toddle across the lawn under strings of white birthday lights. My phone buzzed — Marcus's final restitution payment had come through, with a message attached.
I lost everything because of one mistake.
I deleted it.
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Leaving us had been his choice. Trying to steal our future was another one entirely.
The jackpot didn't save me. It just gave the woman he'd underestimated enough room to save herself.
