I was still a mess myself, but I had to run back and help Joseph.

He couldn't walk or get out of bed on his own, and he stubbornly refused to use a catheter or wear adult diapers.

Each time, he ended up lying in his own mess, then casually announced, "Lydia, I took a dump."

I wrung out a wet towel. And as I pulled down his trousers, a nasty smell assaulted my nostrils.

"Joseph, how about trying diapers? Cleaning you up like this every time is getting really tough," I suggested.

Joseph gave me a fierce glare. "What kind of man wears those? I'm embarrassed just hearing you suggest it."

I started wiping him down, but the stench twisted my face.

"What's with that look? Are you disgusted by me? If so, just leave. You're only here for the airline payout, aren't you? Stop putting on an act," he said.

I clenched my fists tight. "How much do you think I should get paid to keep wiping your ass willingly here?"

My outburst made Joseph start coughing. Seeing him like that, I instantly regretted blowing up.

"He's sick, and he's been through a near-death experience. It's natural for him to break down," I reminded myself.

I tried to comfort myself. After dealing with the mess, I planned to wash him with slightly warmer water to make him feel better.

So, I grabbed a new basin of water. Just as I picked up the kettle, the doctor called me over.

"Joseph's condition is grave. His internal organs are severely damaged and it's irreversible," the doctor explained.

Holding Joseph's X-rays, which I couldn't understand, I could still clearly see that his organs were not normal.

"Doctor, please do something. He's only 27," I begged.

The doctor gestured helplessly. "At this stage, even a miracle wouldn't be enough.

His only option is an organ transplant, replacing all the damaged ones, but that's..."

The doctor shook his head. Even he didn't believe a transplant would work.

Finding so many matching organs was a long shot, and the cost would be more than most could afford.

"Is there any hope for him?" I wasn't sure why I asked. Maybe I was just looking for a glimmer of hope.

A little reassurance from the doctor, and I'd be convinced Joseph could be saved. I was ready to do whatever it took for him.

"So, you're finally selling the house?" the realtor exclaimed.

The agent grabbed my hand excitedly. My house was downtown, right by a popular tourist spot. It was the only thing my parents had left me.

Over the years, many people had asked if the house was for sale, but I always turned them down. But this time, in my desperation, I sold it for nearly half what it was worth.

"Top dollar for hair! We pay top dollar!" echoed a voice nearby.

Stepping out of the real estate office, a woman on the street who bought hair caught my hand and asked, "Miss, interested in selling your hair?"

I pulled back my waist-length hair, nodded with tears in my eyes, and whispered, "Yes."

She began cutting my hair. Others usually cautioned her not to cut too much, fearing it would look terrible. But I urged, "Cut it as short as possible. I need all the money I can get."

My tears fell with my hair, which I had grown for ten years. And I got $712 for it.

With ten dollars, I bought Joseph's favorite ravioli. Nearby, a lottery store was loudly promoting a recent million-dollar winner.

"Why not try?" I mused to myself.

On a whim, I fished out two dollars and bought a lottery ticket, using my parents' and my own birthdays for the numbers.

Back at the hospital, I saw a shapely woman through the half-open door of Joseph's room. He spread his arms wide. "Come on, give me a hug."

Standing at the door with the ravioli in hand, I saw her leap into Joseph's arms, tearfully saying, "I thought you were lying to me."

Joseph stroked her hair, "How could I lie to a girl who kept her hair long for me?"

I ran my fingers through my crudely cut, embarrassingly ugly hair, feeling like the world's biggest fool.

The woman got up, held Joseph's face in her hands, and asked, "What about her..."

Joseph shrugged dismissively. "She's just like a maid. Why bother about her? I heard the airline's payout is getting sorted. Don't worry, I'll dump her soon."

He leaned in and kissed the woman. They wrapped around each other, lost in a passionate kiss.

And yet, he couldn't even drink water unless I held the glass to his lips.

I stood frozen at the door, gripping the bag of ravioli tightly.

I thought to myself, "Joseph, am I just a part of your little game?

When did I become the punchline? Was it from the start? Did you ever really love me?

Joseph, what about the frail man you were in front of me? Are you too proud to let her see that?"

They kissed, lost in a heated embrace, and I couldn't stand to watch.

So, I ran. Tears clouded my vision as I bumped into several people.

On the rooftop, all of Joseph's promises replayed in my head.

"Really? You're actually going to marry me?" I had asked him once.

Back then, we were cramped in a tiny 75-square-foot apartment, living off instant noodles.

"Of course. When your hair reaches your waist, we'll get married," Joseph had promised.

From that day, I never cut my hair. A decade slipped by just like that.

Now, with no family left, Joseph was all I had clung to, but now...

As I moved a foot closer to the edge, I hesitated, lacking the courage to step off. That was when my phone buzzed with a lottery notification.

"I might as well check if I won. I can't die with questions," I thought.

I stepped back from the edge and checked the numbers against my ticket.

One by one, they matched. I had won. It was 100 billion dollars.

"Die? No way! It's time to really start living," I decided.

I had always heard about the power of money but never really felt it until now.

Wiping the tears from my face, I popped a couple of ravioli in my mouth.

"Yummy!" I exclaimed.

I had always known these raviolis were good, but a serving only had eight, and Joseph would eat them all, leaving me none. So I always let him have them, pretending I wasn't much into them.

"I was such an idiot, totally love-struck!" I scolded myself as I grabbed the leftover ravioli and headed home. On the way, I picked up several more servings of ravioli and indulged in a feast once I got home.

"Lydia, we're not even married. That insurance payout from the airline has nothing to do with you," Joseph said.

The next day, when I confronted Joseph to settle up, he started in first.

"So that's how you see it," I said with a cold laugh. I laughed at how deeply I'd loved him and how foolish I felt now.

"Look at you now. You hardly look like a woman," he remarked, tutting at my hair. In the past, I might have apologized, but those days were over.

"I ended up like this because of the 700 dollars I needed for your medical bills," I shot back.

I tossed the 700 dollars on his hospital gown. He shoved the money off onto the floor and snapped, "Take it back. Don't kid yourself. I never wanted your money."

To myself, I thought, "Now you're sure you would be rich, huh? How much do you really think the airline will pay you? You haven't a clue. It probably won't even cover the cost of a new kidney.

Oh right, you don't realize just how sick you are."

"When are you marrying that girl? I'll make sure to send a fancy gift," I said with a smirk. That question threw Joseph off. His eyes darted around before he collected himself and retorted, "It's none of your business. I'm not breaking any laws or hurting anyone. You can't do anything about it."

"Yeah, not hurting anyone, huh? Did you know I almost killed myself?" I thought to myself.

"You should pick up that money. You'll need it," I said.

The 700 dollars was all that remained from selling my long hair, a symbol of my love for him over the last decade.

Now that my long hair was gone, so was my love. That money? Just consider it my parting gift to him.

"Joseph, why are you even talking to her?" Naomi, who had been kissing Joseph in bed the day before, hurried over. I wasn't in the mood for a fight, so I turned to leave.

The room was tight, and as I quickly stepped away, I bumped into Naomi. She nervously clutched her stomach. I glanced at it and said, "Oh, pregnant, huh?"

Joseph burst into a coughing fit on the bed and barked at me, "Don't touch her! This is between us. Don't drag her into it."

Seeing him so worked up still hurt a bit. I rolled my eyes and retorted, "Come on. Seems like you're the one who dragged her into this, not me."

I couldn't help but think, "If the plane hadn't crashed, would he have shown up to marry me as planned and left her and the unborn child behind? Or would I still have been waiting for him at city hall all day?"

"Don't you dare hurt me!" Naomi suddenly slapped me, acting as if she was defending herself.

I thought, "Being pregnant doesn't give you the right to be this shameless. You're going too far."

Unwilling to let others find excuses to harm me, I slapped her back forcefully.

"Ouch!" Naomi collapsed onto the floor, bursting into tears and cursing me out.

"Save your energy. You're bleeding," I said.

I watched her calmly as she hurled insults, growing fiercer with each word while blood pooled faster from between her legs. To all the onlookers, Naomi was the one making a scene.

"Doctor, doctor, help me!" Naomi cried out.