The roof was still leaking when my brother Evan showed up at my door, looking hollow and desperate. He confessed his landscaping business was collapsing and begged me for help. When he said he needed $150,000, my heart sank—but he was my little brother, and I wired the money, trusting him.
A week later, over coffee with a friend, I saw a photo on her phone that stopped me cold. There was Evan—grinning beside his fiancée, slipping a massive diamond ring onto her hand. My chest tightened. That was my daughter’s college fund sparkling on her finger.
I confronted Evan, and he admitted he’d spent the money trying to keep her happy, believing love could be bought. I dragged him to a restaurant where we saw her laughing and kissing another man, accepting yet another ring. Evan’s face crumbled as the truth set in—he was just one of many.
On his porch that night, Evan whispered, “I’ll pay you back.” I shook my head. “I didn’t come for the money. I came for my brother.” He broke down, and I told him what he needed to hear: “Love isn’t bought, Evan. It’s earned by honesty and respect. It’s time to wake up.”