My mother's laugh was sharp and cold. She looked at me like I'd lost my mind.
"Corinne, do you even hear yourself? Every cent you saved in three years of working—you gave it all to me. You probably can't scrape together five hundred dollars right now, and you have the nerve to claim you can buy property here?"
That was my mother.
Even knowing I'd given everything to this family, that I might be completely broke, she'd still thrown me out without a second thought.
In this moment, I was more grateful than ever for that lottery ticket. It had shown me exactly who she was—and saved me from ending up on the streets.
My sister looked me up and down, her voice dripping with scorn. "What's your game here, sis? You think if you talk big enough—maybe play the crazy card—we'll feel sorry for you and hand over some of the settlement money?"
"Dream on. You're not getting a single cent from this family!"
Philip was practically doubled over with laughter. He jabbed a finger at me and announced to the entire sales office:
"Everyone, come look! We've got a broke nobody here pretending she can buy property!"