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A woman in North Carolina is feeling overwhelmed and in awe after scoring a massive $200,000 lottery win thanks to a ticket purchased by her "honey."
Linda Benefiel, of Fuquay-Varina, arrived home from a stressful day at work earlier this week to find a $5 Lightning 7's ticket that her partner purchased for her at Chalybeate Store on U.S. 401 North, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery.
"My honey bought it for me," she said. "He said for some reason that one stood out to him."
His instinct was dead-on as they quickly learned when she scratched off the ticket to reveal the six-figure prize, which he originally thought was much lower.
"He got so excited and said, 'We won $200?'" she recalled. "I told him, 'No, we won $200,000.' Next thing I know we were both crying."
Benefiel claimed her prize at lottery headquarters on Wednesday (October 4), taking home a grand total of $142,501 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. According to lottery officials, she and her partner already have big plans on what to do with the win.
"We decided we are going to pay off our mortgage," she said. "It's such a wonderful feeling."
As for where they are at now after the massive win, Benefiel is still coming to terms with the "surreal" situation, saying, "It was surreal and just overwhelming. We're still in awe."