The rumor that I suddenly had $2 million spread like wildfire. Perhaps through the gossipy bank teller or the curious neighbors who saw me get into a luxury car. Overnight, my life turned upside down in a way I hadn’t expected, but one that was brutally realistic.
First thing in the morning, my phone started ringing off the hook. Unknown numbers, names that had vanished from my life a decade ago. A distant cousin, Jessica, who seven years ago, when I asked to borrow $200 for my mother’s medicine, had thrown me out like a dog, now called to ask about my health with the tenderness of a mother. She whined about her difficult situation and ended by asking to borrow $50,000 to start a business.
Then my best friends from college, the ones who had laughed at me when I was working washing dishes, were now texting to meet up, to reminisce about old times. They praised me, saying I was so smart and low-key. Someone even had the audacity to show up at my apartment with an investment proposal for a pyramid scheme.
I sat with them on the patio of a neighborhood bar, still in my simple clothes, watching their eager faces, their eyes shining as they talked about money. I felt disgusted. This society was ruthlessly materialistic. When you’re poor, you’re an outcast. But when you have money, you suddenly become everyone’s most beloved relative.
I remembered Daniel. He gave me everything without asking for anything in return. The contrast between my late husband’s true love and the phoniness of these people made me appreciate him even more. Daniel had taught me the lesson of dignity and poverty. And now indirectly, he was teaching me the lesson of clarity and wealth. I would not let his blood- earned money fall into the hands of those who didn’t deserve it. I would protect it as if it were his very soul.
My cousin Jessica was now clutching my hand tightly, sobbing loudly about her son’s gambling debts. She wailed, drawing the attention of nearby tables, as if trying to use social pressure to break me. But she didn’t know that my heart, forged in the fire of a false betrayal and a real death, was harder than steel.
“Laura, you have $2 million. Just lend me a h 100,000. It’s nothing to you, but it’s my son’s life. Are you going to let the lone sharks break his legs?” she cried.
I pulled my hand from hers, which was sweaty and sticky, and took a sip of iced tea. The bitter taste cleared my mind. I looked her directly in the eyes with a coldness that made her shiver. Her sobs died in her throat.
“Cousin Jessica,” I said calmly, but with a frigid voice. “You say $100,000 is nothing? Do you know what I paid for that? Nothing. I paid for it with my husband’s bone marrow. With his blood? With his agonizing pain? Daniel sold his life for this money. Do you think I’m going to use my husband’s blood to pay off your son’s gambling debts?”
Jessica’s jaw dropped. Her face went from red to pale white. She stammered, “But but the dead are dead. You’re alive. You have to worry about the living. As rich as you are, what’s a little help? You’re so stingy. No wonder your husband left you.”
Before she could finish, I slammed my glass on the table.
“Shut up,” I snarled, each word hissing between my teeth. “You have no right to mention my husband. You will not get a single scent of my money. I would rather burn it and let it reach Daniel in the afterlife than feed opportunists and ungrateful leeches. Get out of my sight, and don’t ever come looking for me again.”
I turned and walked away, leaving her speechless. I knew that from this day on I would have a reputation for being rich and stingy, but I didn’t care. I had learned Daniel’s greatest lesson. Kindness must be given to those who deserve it. Otherwise, it’s just stupidity.
That same afternoon, I went to one of the most prestigious law firms in the city. I’m no business expert, but I know how to protect money. I hired a lawyer to draft a will and create a trust. I was afraid. Afraid of having a fate as short as Daniels. afraid that if I died suddenly, this blood- earned money would be devoured by vultures.
The lawyer looked at me with surprise.
“Mrs. Laura, to whom do you wish to leave your entire estate should something happen?”
I looked out the window. The image of Daniel’s elderly, grieving parents appeared in my mind.
“Half will go to my in-laws for their old age,” I replied firmly. “The other half use it to help cancer patients without resources. people like my husband who don’t have money to buy painkillers.”
Leaving the law firm, I felt light. I had secured Daniel’s treasure, turning it into an impregnable fortress. I wasn’t just protecting the money. I was protecting his honor and his love.
That night, it rained again. I curled up in bed, listening to the rhythmic tapping on the roof. A heart-wrenching nostalgia washed over me. How long had it been since I heard Daniel’s laugh? How long since I felt the warmth of his hand?
I fell asleep to the sound of the rain. And then he came.
In my dream, I was standing in front of the courthouse again. It was pouring. In the distance, Daniel leaned against his car in his black trench coat, but this time he wasn’t looking at me with contempt. His deep eyes were filled with love and regret. He dropped his cigarette, crushed it under his heel, and walked quickly toward me. He didn’t toss the card at me. Instead, he opened his arms and held me tight.
“Daniel,” I sobbed his name, feeling his familiar warmth, his scent of tobacco and mint that I had missed so much. “Where have you been? Why did you leave me for so long? I’ve missed you so much.”
He held me tighter, stroking my hair.
“I’m sorry. I haven’t gone anywhere. I’ve always been here, right by your side, Laura. You’ve suffered so much. You did so well. Better than I ever expected.”
I looked at him. His face was no longer gaunt. He was the Daniel from before, handsome and full of life. He wiped my tears and smiled.
“Don’t cry anymore. Nothing hurts anymore. I’m strong now. I could carry you on my back all over New York City without getting tired.”
“Liar.” I punched him softly on the chest, laughing and crying. “You’re a liar. You said you’d live to be 99. Give me my husband back.”
He took my hand and placed it over his heart. I felt its beat, strong and steady.
“I can’t give you back my body. But this heart, this love will always be yours. Laura, live happily. Don’t hold on to sadness. Only if you smile can I rest in peace.”
Slowly, he let me go. His figure faded into the rain. I ran after him, trying to hold on, but I only grasped at air.
“Daniel, don’t go. Don’t leave me alone. I’ll be waiting for you.”
His voice came from the distance, light as the wind.
“At the end of the road, I’ll be waiting. Live well, my love.”
I woke with a jolt, soaked in sweat and tears. The room was dark. Only the sound of the rain remained. I sat up and touched my chest where Daniel had touched me in the dream. The warmth seemed to still be there. It wasn’t a nightmare. It was healing.
Daniel had come back to say goodbye, to comfort my broken soul. He was no longer in pain. He was free. The dream was like a cleansing rain for my parched soul. I dried my tears and smiled in the darkness. He was still here in my heart, and he was waiting for me. I was no longer alone.
After that dream, it was as if I was reborn. I started doing what Daniel wanted, what he had earned for me with his life. First, I went to the bank. I requested to move the 2 million into long-term deposits and government bonds, leaving only a small portion for expenses.
