After winning seven million dollars in the lottery, I swiftly quit my job, claimed my prize, and booked a flight home, all in one go.

I even gave my pregnant sister-in-law a big amount of money.

My dad prepared a lavish meal and asked why I had suddenly come back.

On a whim, I decided to joke around, so I deliberately said, “Dad, I got fired from my company. I might have to rely on you from now on.”

Unexpectedly, my dad’s expression darkened. “Why did you quit a perfectly good job? It’s hard to find work these days. You’re already an adult, can’t you be more responsible?”

Seeing my dad’s angry expression, I realized he wasn’t joking.

At that moment, my newly pregnant sister-in-law spoke up. "Jacelyn, you’re not planning to stay here long-term, are you?"

I smiled. "Why? Am I not welcome?"

She and my brother had been married for two years but hadn’t been able to conceive. People used to gossip about it, making remarks behind their backs.

I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I took her to see a renowned gynecologist in the provincial capital. Unexpectedly, she got pregnant soon after.

Now, she could finally hold her head high when speaking, and I was genuinely happy for her.

But I hadn’t expected that as soon as I asked my question, her expression would darken.

"Jacelyn, you know I just got pregnant. The doctor said the baby needs a quiet environment to grow. Besides, there are too many people at home, and it’s not convenient. How about you rent a place to stay instead?"

As soon as she said that, the entire dinner table fell silent. My dad’s face also turned a little grim.

Although I didn’t interact with Lori often, I always included her when sending gifts home. Because of that, our relationship had always been fairly good.

I put down my spoon and said softly, "Lori, what’s so inconvenient about it? I’m the baby’s aunt. Later, I can even help you take care of the child. Besides, I just lost my job. How can I afford to rent a place right now?"

But she still wouldn’t give up. "When the baby is born, we’ll need to hire a maternity nanny, a housekeeper, and set up a nursery. The house isn’t that big, where will everyone fit?"

I chuckled. "Our house is a three-story standalone Western-style home. There are plenty of rooms. Even if you have a second or third child, there’ll still be enough space. Don’t worry about it."

I wasn’t wrong. This old Western-style house had been left to my mother by my grandmother, and later, it was passed down to me.

With three stories above ground and two levels underground, it was an incredibly spacious home, with only about a third of it currently occupied.

But Lori pouted and, to my surprise, started tearing up.

Carol, sitting beside her, quickly comforted her. "Lori, don’t worry. We won’t let you or the baby suffer. Please don’t get angry. It’s not good for the baby."

Lori sobbed. "The doctor said pregnant women are prone to depression. I just don’t want an outsider suddenly living in our home. Is that so wrong?"

As she spoke, she seemed to realize that her words might have been too harsh. Her tone softened. "Jacelyn, I don’t mean anything bad. But you’ve been working for so many years, still unmarried, and now you want to stay here long-term… isn’t that a bit inappropriate?"

She went on, "You lost your mother early, and it was your father who paid for your education all these years. And whose money do you think that was? My son’s! Now, you just quit your job on a whim and expect to come back home to freeload? Shouldn’t you have a little more self-awareness and not be so shameless?"

My expression darkened as I glanced at my father and my stepmother, Carol.

My dad shot Lori a disapproving look. "You’re getting more and more out of line. This house is not yours to rule over!"

Hearing that, Lori’s eyes immediately welled up with tears.

My brother quickly pulled her into his arms, his face dark with anger. "Dad, Lori is pregnant. Can’t you speak to her more gently? Besides, she’s not wrong."

My dad completely lost his temper. He slammed his spoon down on the table and pointed at my brother. "Take your wife and get back to your room right now!"

Lori was right. My mother passed away a long time ago.

My dad was a teacher, while my mom ran her own beauty company.

When I was in high school, my mom went on a business trip out of town and got into a car accident. She was in surgery for a full day and night, but in the end, she became a vegetative state.

At that time, my dad was busy with work at school, and I was preparing for my college entrance exams. I spent my days running between the hospital and school until my body finally gave out from exhaustion.

My mother’s condition devastated my father, but when he saw me growing weaker by the day, he was even more heartbroken.

One day, my dad came to me and said he wanted to hire a caregiver for my mom. Otherwise, if my college entrance exams were delayed, he wouldn’t be able to face my mother even in the afterlife.

But I hesitated.

Many caregivers were irresponsible, taking advantage of the family’s absence to mistreat patients. I couldn’t bring myself to entrust my mother to a stranger.

However, my dad told me he had an old classmate who had studied nursing and was currently looking for a job.

“She can give it a try,” he said. “At least we know her background, so you won’t have to worry.”

Seeing my father’s exhausted face, I finally agreed. Sure enough, his old classmate was indeed professional and took great care of my mother.

Every time I came home, I would see my mother clean and well cared for, which gave me great comfort.

She was cared for like this for about two years before she passed away.

It was only after her passing that I learned she had left me the old Western-style house that my grandmother had originally given her.

Friends advised me to sell it, but I refused.

That house held memories of three generations. It was something I wanted to keep as a remembrance. But as the years dragged on, the house began to deteriorate more quickly.

My dad said it was because no one was living in it. He suggested that we move there so he could help take care of the place.

I agreed.

Later, when my dad remarried. He moved in with my stepmother and her son. And my stepmother was none other than Carol, the caregiver who had looked after my mother.

After marrying my dad, Carol had always treated me well.

Sometimes, when I had conflicts with her son, Gordon, she would always take my side and scold him.

But after Lori’s outburst today, I suddenly realized something. Had my dad and Carol never told her that this house belonged to me?

No wonder she reacted so sarcastically when she heard I was planning to stay.

I pulled my dad aside and asked, “Does Lori not know about the ownership of this house?”

Just as my dad was about to respond, Carol quickly interrupted with a flattering smile. “Your dad wanted to tell her, but I stopped him. Jacelyn, if you want to blame someone, blame me. I told Lori that this house belongs to Gordon.”

She sighed and continued, “You know how hard it was for your brother to find a girlfriend. Her family insisted that without a house, there was no marriage. Your dad and I had already been through a devastating divorce, and on top of that, we spent everything to put Gordon through university. How could we possibly afford to buy him a house? We had no other choice but to do this.”

Honestly, I could understand why Carol did this.

Children from blended families did have it tough. Some mothers even chose to leave their marriages with nothing, just to ensure they remained a part of their child’s life.

Besides, after my dad remarried, Carol had always treated me well.

So, I spoke to her gently, trying to reason with her. “Carol, I understand your difficulties, but the truth will come out sooner or later. I really think it’s best if you tell Lori as soon as possible. If you’re worried that Gordon and Lori won’t have a place to live, it just so happens that I put a down payment on a small apartment last year. I originally planned to use it as an investment, but they can stay there for now.”

Hearing this, my dad’s eyes welled up with tears. “Jacelyn, all these years, I’ve always felt guilty toward you. I never expected you to still think of your brother’s needs. Don’t worry, I’ll handle this properly and make sure you don’t suffer any losses.”

I nodded and said, “Dad, even though you have a new family now, we’ll always be family.”

I originally came home intending to tell my dad about winning the lottery and letting the family enjoy an easy life with me.

But for some reason, after everything that happened, I started to hesitate.

Maybe it’s best not to reveal my wealth just yet. It was better to wait and see how things unfold.

Over the next few days, every time Lori saw me, she either gave me a cold look or made sarcastic remarks.

"Some people are really shameless, staying in someone else's house, eating for free every day, and refusing to leave no matter what. They think they're so likable, but they don’t realize that everyone actually despises them."

I had to listen to comments like these every single day.

Normally, with my temper, I would have snapped back long ago. But I remembered what my dad said that he would handle the situation so I forced myself to swallow my anger.

I trusted my dad. I also trusted Carol.

But I still underestimated Lori’s ability to stir up trouble.

That night, I had a gathering with some old classmates I hadn’t seen in a long time and ended up coming home quite late.

To avoid disturbing my family, I didn’t turn on the lights and quietly took my newly bought toiletries into the bathroom.

My bedroom was the master bedroom on the second floor, complete with a private balcony and an en-suite bathroom. However, the bathroom light had been broken for a while and hadn't been fixed.

As soon as I opened the bathroom door, under the faint moonlight, I suddenly saw a bare body, followed by a sharp scream.

I quickly stepped back and immediately turned on the room's light.

Under the bright light, I saw Lori wrapped in a towel, shivering as she walked out of the bathroom.

I looked at her in shock. "Loei, what are you doing in my bathroom?"

She glared at me. "Do you not have eyes? Obviously, I was taking a shower."

I was a bit confused. "Doesn't your room have its own bathroom? Why did you come to mine to shower?"

Lori snorted coldly. "This is my home. I can shower wherever I want. Do I need your permission?"

At that moment, Carol also arrived. She shot a glance at Lori before smiling and trying to soothe me. "Jacelyn, I forgot to tell you. Lori moved into your room. This afternoon, while you were out, she complained that her room didn’t get enough sunlight. The doctor said pregnant women need plenty of sunshine for the baby’s development."

It was only then that I noticed everything in my bedroom was gone.

In its place were unfamiliar furnishings.

This bedroom indeed had great natural lighting. Every morning, I would wake up bathed in sunlight. It was the happiest part of my day.

It was understandable to take care of my pregnant sister-in-law, but the fact that she took over my room without my permission genuinely made me uncomfortable.

Seeing me frown and remain silent, Carol sighed. "Jacelyn, we were wrong not to ask for your permission first. But Lori is in a special condition, and we had no other choice but to act first and inform you later. I hope you can understand."

I could understand that pregnancy made her emotionally sensitive, but did she really not even have time to give me a heads-up?

And why did she choose to move in now, right after I had been staying here for a few days? Not earlier, not later, just when I returned? Was she deliberately disregarding me as her sister-in-law?

Just then, my dad arrived. Seeing Lori, his face was full of anger. "So what if you're pregnant? Does that give you the right to take over Jacelyn’s room? Move out immediately!"

Seeing Carol's awkward expression, I quickly waved my hand. "No need, Dad. I'll just sleep in another room. Our house has plenty of rooms. Or, I can sleep in Lori's old room."

My dad sighed. "Jacelyn, I'm sorry for this."

I waved my hand again. "We're all family, no need to be so formal."

At this moment, Carol hesitated and said, "Lori's old room is filled with baby supplies. It's not suitable for anyone to stay there for now."

The corner of my mouth twitched. "Then where exactly am I supposed to sleep?"

Carol pointed to the small maid’s room in the farthest corner of the second floor. "I've already moved your things into that room."

This maid’s room was barely bigger than a bathroom, with tiny windows that let in almost no light, let alone good sunlight.

Noticing my dissatisfaction, Lori started making sarcastic remarks again. "If you don’t like the lighting in this room, why don’t you move up to the attic? It’s quiet, gets plenty of sunlight, and I’m sure you’ll love it."

I was speechless. "Lori, if the attic is so great, why don’t you move up there yourself?"

Seeing the situation, Carol quickly tried to smooth things over. "Jacelyn, it’s so hot right now. How could we let Lori stay in the attic? There’s not even an air conditioner up there."

I chuckled. "Exactly. The attic is so hot, who would even think of letting someone live there?"

Realizing she had misspoken, Carol fell silent and said no more.

My dad also shot her a fierce glare before coming over to comfort me, saying that it was just a temporary arrangement for me to stay in the maid’s room for a few days.

This time, I endured it again.

After all, harmony in the family brings prosperity.

But I never expected that what happened next would completely shatter my worldview.