A woman who won $600,000 on the lottery claims her life has become a "nightmare".
Lottery winner is miserable after win
A Reddit user has revealed how she bought a lottery ticket on a whim and only remembered to check her numbers after flicking past the draw on television.
She found out she'd won the huge amount (£450,000), but her relationship with her boyfriend, parents and sister have all gone south since she received the money.
She wrote: "I never thought winning the lottery would be anything other than a dream come true. But here I am, with more money than I ever imagined, and it feels like my life is falling apart.
"I couldn't believe my eyes — I had won $600,000. At first, I was in shock. I called my boyfriend, James*, and he rushed over, equally ecstatic.
"We were both over the moon, dreaming of what we could do with the money. But the dream quickly turned into a nightmare."
Her partner began to make plans to spend the money without checking in, including wanting to quit his job and make "risky" investments.
She suggested being more cautious and talking to a financial advisor, which made him "defensive" as he claimed she was being too controlling.
She continued: "Then my family got involved. My parents, who I’ve always had a strained relationship with, suddenly wanted to reconnect.
"They started dropping hints about their financial struggles and how they could use some help.
"My sister, who’s always been jealous of me, outright demanded a share, saying she deserved it for all the times she 'supported' me. It felt like they were all looking at me differently, like I was just a bank to them now."
Her boyfriend became distant while her family were more aggressive, with her sister branding her "greedy" and accusing her of "abandoning" her loved ones.
She said: "I'm alone with my fortune, but I’ve never felt poorer. My family is barely speaking to me, and I’ve lost someone I thought I’d spend my life with. I’ve hired a financial advisor and a therapist to help me navigate this new reality, but the emotional toll is immense.
"Winning the lottery was supposed to be a blessing, but it turned into a curse. I wish I could go back to the way things were before, when life was simpler and relationships were genuine."