When my sister told me she’d met “the one” and wanted to marry him, I gave her my entire house fund without hesitation. At 35, I’d worked hard to save for my dream home, but I trusted her completely. What she did with that money shattered everything I believed about family.

Monica was always the dreamer, falling fast and hard. She convinced us all this was different—this time, she’d found true love. We helped plan a beautiful wedding, but the groom was nowhere to be found on the big day. Soon, we discovered he didn’t even know about the wedding.

It turned out Monica made it all up. She’d been seeing someone else, a man who needed money, and she’d used our trust to fund a lie. She vanished after stealing all the wedding gifts, leaving us with heartbreak and betrayal.

I lost $5,000, but she lost far more—our trust, respect, and family love. Some lessons are painful, but they teach us who we really can count on. Love isn’t worth that kind of price.