Joshua and Steve, lifelong friends, buy a lottery ticket together and make a pact to split any winnings. When they hit the jackpot, Steve vanishes, leaving Joshua in shock. As rumors of Steve’s lavish new lifestyle spread, Joshua realizes his friend’s betrayal, igniting a battle for justice.
Steve and I have been best friends since we were knee-high to a grasshopper. We’ve weathered countless storms together, both literal and metaphorical.
I remember the time my car broke down in the middle of nowhere.
A man peering at a car engine | Source: Pexels
Steve didn’t hesitate; he lent me his car for a week without a second thought. And let’s not forget the endless weekends he spent helping me renovate my house.
In turn, I’ve been there for him through his rough patches. When his marriage fell apart in a messy divorce, I was his sounding board and his support system, both emotionally and financially.
One rainy Friday evening, we were sitting on my porch, sipping beers and talking about life, never realizing this was the start of a sequence of events that would destroy our friendship.
Two chairs on a porch | Source: Unsplash
“Hey Josh, ever think about what you’d do if you hit the jackpot?” Steve asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
I laughed, shaking my head. “Man, if I had a dollar for every time I daydreamed about that, I’d already be rich. But seriously, I’d probably pay off the mortgage, maybe take the family on a world tour.”
Steve grinned. “Yeah, same here. But let’s make a pact, right here, right now. We buy a lottery ticket together, split the winnings 50/50, no matter what. Deal?”
Two men shaking hands | Source: Midjourney
I raised my beer in a toast. “Deal. We each put in ten bucks, make it a twenty-dollar ticket. No backing out.”
It was a joke, really. A pipe dream. We never expected anything to come of it. But life has a funny way of surprising you.
A week later, we were sitting at the same spot, beers in hand, scratching off our ticket. I almost choked on my drink when the numbers lined up.
“Steve, do you see what I see?” I stammered, my heart pounding in my chest.
A person holding lottery tickets | Source: Pexels
Steve’s eyes widened, and then he started whooping with joy. “Holy cow, Josh! We did it! Ten million dollars!”
We hugged, jumping around like a couple of teenagers. I was already imagining all the ways I could make life better for my family. But first, we needed to celebrate.
“Let’s go tell Reyna, man. This is incredible!” I said, getting up to find my wife, Reyna, inside the house.
But Steve stopped me, a strange look on his face.
A man with an unreadable expression | Source: Pexels
“Actually, let’s keep this between us for a bit,” he muttered. “You know, figure out the best way to break the news. I don’t want my ex to come after me for more alimony.”
It seemed odd, but I trusted him. We had a bond that went deeper than blood. Or so I thought.
The next few days were a blur of euphoria. I tried calling Steve to plan our big reveal, but his phone was off. No biggie, I thought. Maybe he was taking a breather.
A man making a phone call | Source: Pexels
But then days turned into weeks, and my calls went unanswered. I even drove by his place a few times, but it was dark and empty.
Worry gnawed at me. Had something happened to him? Was he in trouble? I started asking around, but no one had seen or heard from him. It was like he’d vanished into thin air.
One evening, while having dinner with Reyna, she mentioned something she’d heard through the grapevine.
“Did you know Steve quit his job? And apparently, he bought a house in Wyoming?”
A woman looking on as her husband rests a hand against his face | Source: Pexels
I felt a cold knot tighten in my stomach. Wyoming? He hadn’t mentioned anything to me about that. I decided to dig deeper.
Rumors were flying. Steve had been seen living it up, throwing money around like confetti. My anxiety turned into a gut-wrenching realization. He wasn’t missing. He was hiding! Hiding from me and our agreement.
I felt a sharp sting of betrayal. This was the man who’d stood by me through thick and thin, and now he was cutting me out of something we’d won together.
A man with his arms crossed | Source: Pexels
I sat down with my phone, scrolling through old messages and photos. There it was—a selfie of us holding the winning ticket outside the corner store. Proof of our pact.
Determined to make things right, I collected every piece of evidence I could find. Texts, emails, anything that could support my case. It wasn’t just about the money; it was about principle, about trust.
I contacted a lawyer and filed a lawsuit against Steve.
A man looking at his phone | Source: Pexels
The courtroom was a sterile, intimidating room. The kind of place that saps the warmth out of your bones. I sat on one side, my lawyer, Sarah, by my side, while Steve sat opposite me with his lawyer.
He wouldn’t even meet my eyes.
Steve’s defense was brutal. His lawyer painted me as a greedy opportunist, someone trying to cash in on an old friendship.
“Mr. Lambert,” Steve’s lawyer began, “is it true that you have financial difficulties? Isn’t this lawsuit simply a means to solve your monetary problems at the expense of my client?”
Exterior of a building with tall columns | Source: Pexels
I clenched my fists, trying to keep my voice steady. “That’s not true. This is about an agreement we made. Steve and I promised to split the winnings. It’s about trust and keeping your word.”
Steve finally spoke, his voice cold. “Josh, you know things change. I never thought you’d actually go through with this. I mean, who sues their best friend?”
I felt a lump in my throat. “Who disappears with ten million dollars and leaves their best friend in the dark?” I countered. “You vanished, Steve. No calls, no explanations. Just gone.”
A stern man | Source: Pexels
The tension in the room was palpable. Sarah presented our evidence—texts, emails, and that selfie of us holding the winning ticket. The photo hit Steve hard; I saw a flicker of guilt cross his face.
“We had a deal,” I said, my voice breaking. “You promised, Steve.”
The court case dragged on for months. Each hearing felt like a fresh wound being reopened. Steve’s defense grew more desperate, and the strain was visible on both of us.
But I had to see this through. It wasn’t just for me—it was for my family and the principle of fairness.
A tired and thoughtful man | Source: Pexels
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the court ruled in my favor. Steve was ordered to pay me half of the jackpot plus interest.
The victory was bittersweet. As the judge delivered the verdict, I realized it marked the end of a friendship I once thought unbreakable.
The day after the ruling, I was sitting on my porch, nursing a cup of coffee, when I saw Steve walking up the driveway. He looked different—defeated, smaller somehow.
“Josh,” he began, his voice cracking. “I’m so sorry. I was overwhelmed. I made a huge mistake.”
A defeated looking man | Source: Pexels
“I know I have to cover court costs, too,” he continued, “and it’s more than I can handle. Please, I’m begging you. I’ll give you three million if you drop the case. It’s all I can afford without ruining my life completely.”
I looked at him, memories of our shared past flashing through my mind. The countless times he’d been there for me, the laughter, the struggles.
Part of me wanted to forgive him, to take the offer and end this nightmare. But the betrayal cut too deep.
A thoughtful man | Source: Pexels
“I appreciate your apology, Steve,” I said quietly. “But I can’t accept your offer. This isn’t just about the money. It’s about what we stood for. The principle of our agreement matters too much.”
Steve’s shoulders sagged, and he nodded, tears in his eyes. “I understand. I really screwed up, didn’t I?”
“Yeah,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “You did. But maybe this is a chance for both of us to start over.”
A man frowning | Source: Pexels
He left, and as I watched him walk away, I felt a strange mix of sadness and relief. This was the end of an era, but also the beginning of a new chapter.
Steve was forced to liquidate his assets to comply with the court order. His extravagant lifestyle came to an abrupt end. I heard through mutual friends that he was struggling to rebuild his life, living more modestly now.
As for me, I received my rightful share of the winnings: five and a half million after interest.
An excited man | Source: Pexels
I paid off my debts, bought a comfortable home for my family, and invested wisely. The financial stability was a blessing, but the lessons learned were invaluable.
I reflected on the painful but valuable lessons about trust and friendship. The experience had hardened me, made me more cautious. I resolved to be more careful in the future, to ensure no one could take advantage of me again.
Life went on. I found new ways to rebuild, focusing on my family and the things that truly mattered. The wound from Steve’s betrayal would heal, but the scar would always remind me of the importance of trust and the price of betrayal.
Why More Happy Couples Prefer to Sleep in Separate Beds
According to a survey, only 14% of couples sleep in separate beds every night. And while many of us might believe in the saying “couples who sleep apart grow apart” there are studies that show the opposite is actually true.
We at Bright Side believe that there are no wrong or right sleep arrangements, because to some, sleeping in different beds can be as pleasing as for others sharing a bed with their partner.
A poor night’s sleep can turn lovers into fighters.
According to research, sharing a bed with a partner that has restless sleep behavior can deprive you of 49 minutes of sleep each night. And, when one partner doesn’t get a proper night’s sleep because of the other, it will most likely result in a conflict between them the next day.
Actually, the study even confirmed that couples who tend to have a poor night’s sleep have more severe and more frequent fights than those who wake up well-rested. People who get a good night’s sleep, on the other hand, are more likely to be in a good mood, have lower stress levels, and be more patient.
Resenting your partner because you can’t get a good night’s sleep can be destructive to the relationship.
Snoring, fidgeting, and bed or blanket hogging are just a few of many reasons why some couples choose to sleep in different beds or even in different bedrooms. Lying awake listening to your partner snoring while you beat yourself up to fall asleep can lead to a build-up of anger, tension, and resentment toward your partner.
According to Jennifer Adams, author of Sleeping Apart Not Falling Apart, sleeping in a separate bedroom can even help a relationship thrive because both partners are not sleep deprived.
Each partner can tailor their sleeping conditions to their heart’s content.
Tina Cooper, a licensed social worker, sleeps in different bedrooms with her partner because of their opposite sleeping habits. “I’m a night owl, he’s an early bird. I need soothing sounds to fall asleep, and he likes silence. He likes a hard mattress, and I like soft and full of pillows. And because I don’t like the early day’s sunlight, my boyfriend gave me the master bedroom which gets less light and he has the second largest room that gets the sunrise he loves.”
How you spend the nighttime in your shared bedroom with your partner can also influence your daytime functioning, marital satisfaction, and psychological and physical health. And when 2 people with different bedtime preferences and nighttime schedules end up together, changing themselves just to please their partner’s needs might harm their relationship in the long run.
Sleeping in different bedrooms with your partner means that the 2 of you will have a place just for yourselves where you can relax after an exhausting day. This way, both of you can satisfy your needs without tiptoeing around and worrying about whether your partner might wake up because you want to watch the latest episode of your show before bed.
Even if you don’t remember waking up, disturbed sleep can have a negative impact on your overall health.
During the night, our brain cycles through the stages of sleep several times: light sleep, deep sleep, and REM (Rapid eye movement sleep). But when you interrupt the cycle by waking up during the night, it means that your brain spends more time in the light sleep stage and misses out on REM. And without sufficient REM your emotional well-being and cognitive performance suffer.
Interrupted sleep can also have short and long-term health consequences, like hypertension, weight-related issues, mental health problems, reduced quality of life, and other health-related issues.
People on Reddit share why they decided to sleep separately with their partner.
- “Because a good night’s sleep is more romantic than sharing a bed. I snore and toss and turn. He gives off literal village levels of heat in his sleep and I can’t stand the heat. I read, he can’t stand light. We keep different hours to an extent. A million reasons. We get along so much better this way.” — crankyweasels
- “My partner and I have completely separate bedrooms. We ’sleepover’ occasionally in each other’s rooms. However, we both sleep exponentially better apart. He’s a night owl and I’m an early bird. He wants only one sheet on him, I want 10 lbs of blankets. In addition, having a separate room allows me to decorate it however I want, have my own personal space, and keep it to the level of cleanliness I prefer. People look at us sideways when I mention the separate rooms thing, but it’s been a game-changer.” — eriasana
- “Different sleep cycles due to different work schedules. We are still madly in love and we both agreed to this because it’s the best for both of us.” — AFishInATank
- “Early in our relationship, 90% of our fights occurred in the bedroom. I like to sleep in a cold room with the fan on and white noise like a box fan. I also like to go to sleep with the TV on. She likes to sleep in a warm, still, cave in complete silence and darkness. We started sleeping in separate rooms and all of a sudden 90% of our fights stopped. Also, because we were getting real sleep, other fights turned more into heated discussions.” — ttc8420
What are your sleeping arrangements with your partner? Do you believe sleeping in different beds can help a relationship thrive?
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