But feeding greed only made it grow. The relative returned multiple times, asking for more—100,000, then 150,000—each time inventing new reasons, from buying a house to purchasing a car or even just wanting to splurge on a restaurant meal. It was blatant extortion.
The stress of keeping their wealth a secret weighed heavily on Josie. She avoided buying expensive items, refrained from eating meat, and lived cautiously, even fearing casual conversations with neighbors. Eventually, after giving away over a million dollars to this relative, she decided enough was enough.
Determined to escape, the family made plans to move to new City. However, before they could leave, the frustrated relative exposed their lottery win.
The aftermath was chaotic. Relatives showed up at their doorstep, no longer asking for money but outright demanding it, some even attempting to take it by force. They accused the Amara family of being heartless, dredging up petty memories like gifting an apple to little Amara and claiming the family owed them.
In no time, the Amara family became pariahs. Neighbors gossiped, and relatives slandered them as ungrateful wolves.
Despite the verbal abuse and harassment, Josie stood firm. One night, the family fled to new City, leaving everything behind.
There, their luck held out. Josie and Micah used their remaining funds to start a business, which grew steadily. They invested in real estate, amassing substantial wealth, which ultimately led to their current status as a prominent family.
But the ordeal left scars. Winning the lottery, initially a blessing, had turned into a nightmare. The strain of keeping it a secret, the betrayal by relatives, and the ceaseless harassment took a toll on Josie’s health. Even as their business flourished, Micah began to stray, spending time with mistresses—a common consequence of sudden wealth and newfound luxury.
Micah, a man of modest education, was ill-prepared to handle such wealth responsibly. The more they prospered, the more his infidelity grew, leaving Josie heartbroken.
The chronic stress from both her family and her husband eventually led to her current state of ill health.
—
After hearing Amara’s summary of events, Sophia nodded and said, “It’s likely that this began affecting her health back then. Madam’s condition has persisted for over a decade now, deeply impacting her internal organs. I’m afraid it’s beyond cure at this point.”
With that, Sophia let out a regretful sigh.
As a doctor respected even by the esteemed Mateo Aaron, her words carried immense weight. If she claimed there was no hope, it was a grim reality.
Hearing this, Josie burst into tears.
“I knew it! I’m beyond saving!” she sobbed. “What did I ever do to deserve this? All I did was win the lottery, but it turned everyone against me! I’ve wronged no one, yet my parents disowned me, my brothers call me heartless, and my sisters claim I’ve let them down. Every relative tried to extort me, and I didn’t even know I had so many!
“But why should I give them my money? Why?
“I moved here where I know no one. I’ve faced countless challenges starting this business, but I never complained. So why do I have to endure this? Why do I have to be the one wearing myself out to provide for the family while my husband squanders my money on other women? Why must I be the one who looks haggard and aged, raising children and running a business, while he lives it up with my money?”
She poured her heart out, venting years of pent-up frustration and pain.
Micah’s face turned alternating shades of pale and red, clearly humiliated by her accusations.
But everything she said was true, leaving him unable to retort.
After Josie finished crying, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief. For once, she had said everything she had been bottling up for years without holding back.
This time, she didn’t care if others were upset; she just wanted to feel good herself. After all, she believed she didn’t have much time left. Why bother worrying about anything else?
When she finally stopped crying, Sophia brought out her acupuncture needles and asked, “Feeling better after that cry?”
Josie blinked in surprise. “You know what? I actually feel like I can breathe easier.”
“Good! Stick to the prescription Dr. Brooks gave you, and if all goes well, you’ll start feeling better in about two weeks.”
Stunned, Josie paused, unable to process what she had just heard. “Two weeks? Feeling better? Dr. Sophia, didn’t you just say I was beyond saving?”
Sophia smiled knowingly. “Illnesses caused by energy stagnation can’t be cured by medicine alone. If you don’t change your temperament and let go of that fire inside you, there’s no way to fix the root of the problem. To be frank, your illness is a psychological one. How can medicine cure your heart?”
It dawned on Josie that Sophia might have exaggerated her diagnosis earlier just to make her cry.
