North Carolina Man's 'Dream Came True' After Landing $2 Million Lottery Win

A man in North Carolina is celebrating his dreams coming true after landing a $2 million prize off of a scratch-off lottery ticket.

Daniel Greenan , of Mooresville, stopped by the Home Run Market on Williamson Road on Friday (May 17) where he picked up a $20 Instant Millions ticket, a move that landed him the first $2 million prize in the game that launched this month, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery .

"I started crying," he said. "Never in a million years did I think something like this would happen to me."

He recounted to lottery officials about telling his partner the exciting news, such a wild announcement that she had difficulty believing it at first.

"I said, 'We just won $2 million,'" he said. "She said, 'You're lying,' and I said, 'No honey I swear I am not lying.'"

Greenan, who joked that he hadn't "slept since Friday," claimed his prize at lottery headquarters on Monday (May 20), where he had the choice of receiving his win as either an annuity of $100,000 over the course of 20 years or as a one time, lump sum payment of $1.2 million. He ultimately chose the former and was able to taking home his first annuity payment this week, a total of $70,657 after all required state and federal tax withholdings.

"It was $20 and a dream," he said. "And the dream came true ."

According to lottery officials, he plans to use his winnings for his sense of adventure, traveling around the country to see places like Hawaii and the Grand Canyon.