The day I was supposed to register my marriage with my fiancé, Joseph Palmer, his plane crashed.
Rescuers claimed it was a total firestorm. No one could've survived.
I didn't buy it, though. I dug through the dirt with my bare hands until I found Joseph, barely hanging on.
But on the very day he woke up, he dumped me, all for a huge insurance payout from the airline.
Ironically, that was also the day I hit the jackpot and won a hundred billion dollars.
*****
The first thing Joseph said when he came to was like he was bossing a servant around, "Lydia Lawson, go get my SIM card reissued."
I did as he said. I rushed to take out four months of my salary from my account to buy him the latest, high-end smartphone.
With his injuries, Joseph could barely lift his arm, yet there he was, anxious and swiping furiously on his new phone. Finally, he let out a sigh of relief, "Good, it's still here."
I just shook my head, not getting what he was fussing about. Then, I went to fetch a wet towel to clean him up,
"Damn, that's hot! Can't you do anything right?" Joseph snapped.
His outburst scared the hell out of me, and I hadn't even touched him with the towel.
Maybe it was tough for Joseph to face how he looked now, stuck in a hospital bed. Ever since he woke up, he had been acting so differently.
I told myself he must be dealing with PTSD and that I needed to be more understanding.
I filled a kettle with cold water and was about to pour it into a basin when Joseph hurled his phone at me. It knocked over the basin and smashed the phone.
Water splashed onto my shirt, making it see-through and slowly revealing my chest.
I crossed my arms over my chest, shielding my dignity and my embarrassment. The guy in the next bed sneaked a peek like it was some sort of show. I hadn't even started crying. But Joseph barked, "Look, this is a public place, and you're flashing your boobs? You're shameless."
Tears instantly started rolling down my face, dripping into the basin on the floor.
Then, wiping my tears, I bent down to pick up the phone. "Joseph, the phone is broken."
He looked at me with a smug grin, like some movie villain. "Broken? Then buy me another one."
I was boiling inside, but seeing all his injuries, I managed to keep calm and said, "I just bought you this one, and it cost me four months' salary. I know you're upset, but please stop breaking things and throwing fits. If we have problems, let's just talk them out, okay?"
I felt a pang of sadness, and tears began to stream down my face. Joseph snapped, "Get out! I'm not dead yet. What the hell are you crying for?"
Covering my mouth, I ran outside, sobbing until my body shook and I could hardly catch my breath.
"Lydia, I need a dump!" Joseph shouted from his bed.
