Chapter 5: Claiming her prize

Nami barely slept that night.

Every time she closed her eyes, the numbers appeared in her mind. Six numbers. Six numbers that would completely change the course of her life.

Ten million dollars.

Even after checking the results repeatedly, she still found it difficult to believe. The lottery had been a gamble, but unlike everyone else buying tickets and hoping for luck, she knew exactly what the result would be because she had already lived through the next six months once.

She remembered the winning numbers because the announcement had caused a brief commotion in her workplace during her first life. Someone had joked about quitting their job if they ever won that much money.

Back then, Nami had laughed along with everyone else.

Now, she was the winner.

She picked up her phone again and opened the lottery website. The result was still there, each of her numbers matching the official announcement.

She had checked them so many times that she no longer needed to look at the ticket to remember the numbers.

Nami sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the screen.

In her past life, she struggled a lot to secure enough supplies to keep dozens of people alive. There were times when she spent entire days searching for food, medicine, and other necessities, only to return with barely enough to meet the settlement’s needs.

She remembered rationing food, negotiating with desperate survivors, and making difficult decisions whenever their supplies ran low. She remembered how much effort it took to build something stable from almost nothing.

And she remembered the people who eventually destroyed it all because of their greed.

Thankfully, this time, she wouldn’t have to begin from nothing or struggle through the same circumstances.

The money would give her a chance to prepare properly, but she couldn’t afford to become careless. Ten million dollars might seem like an enormous fortune, yet the things she needed would cost a great deal. Land, construction, equipment, food, medicine, fuel, security systems, and everything required to keep a community functioning.

She wasn’t preparing a comfortable home for herself, she needed somewhere people could survive.

First, however, she had to claim her prize.

Nami checked the lottery website for the official instructions. There were documents to prepare and a claim process to follow. She would need to verify her identity and submit the winning ticket before the prize could be released.

She took screenshots of the result, saved the ticket information, and made a list of everything required.

Then she placed her phone aside and finally tried to sleep.

The following morning, she began the process.

She arrived at the lottery office shortly after it opened, carrying her identification and the original ticket and was directed to the prize-claim department.

After a short wait for her turn, a staff member invited her into an office and began reviewing her documents.

“You’re here to claim the jackpot?”

“Yes.”

The woman glanced at the ticket before comparing its details with the information on her identification.

“Ten million dollars,” she said, sounding slightly more attentive. “That’s quite a win.”

Nami offered a small smile. “I suppose it is.”

The woman continued with the verification process, explaining the necessary paperwork and the procedures involved in releasing the prize. Nami listened carefully, asking questions whenever something was unclear.

She had no intention of rushing through the process simply because she was excited.

There were several documents to complete, and the office needed time to finish its checks. Nami was informed that the prize would be transferred once everything had been approved.

“Is there anything else I need to provide?” she asked.

The staff member reviewed the documents again, and replied, “At this stage, everything appears to be in order. We’ll contact you if anything else is required.”

“Thank you.”

Nami collected her copies and left the office.

The process was not as dramatic as she had imagined it would be. There were no cameras, no cheering crowds, and no sudden transformation into a different person. She was still Nami Bennett, an ordinary woman who had walked into an office with a winning ticket.

But when the money finally arrived, her circumstances would be very different.

She left the office, stepping outside to see the busy streets filled with people going about their day. Everything seemed perfectly normal.

Nami wondered how many of these people would still be alive six months from now.

Sighing, she pushed the thoughts aside cause all she wanted was to save herself before anyone else.

The apocalypse had taught her a lot of things about dealing with people, but her friends’ betrayal taught her even more about trust.

She still found it so hard to believe.

If she had won the lottery in her past life, the first people she would have called were Daniel and Chloe because they were the only family she had.

But now, there was no one she could call, or trust with the news.

In her previous life, she had made the mistake of allowing other people to become too comfortable with her generosity.

Daniel had always known how to make his problems sound urgent. Whenever she hesitated, he would remind her of their relationship, tell her how much he depended on her, or make her feel guilty for refusing to help.

Sometimes, he claimed he had an unexpected debt. Other times, he needed money for an investment or an emergency. The explanations changed, but the requests never stopped.

Nami believed him, believing that helping someone she loved was simply what she was supposed to do.

Now she knew that much of the money she had given him had ended up funding Chloe’s expensive lifestyle.

Their betrayal had taught her she needed to be selfish. That was the only way she could survive this time.