After years of being single and losing hope in finding love, I decided to try a dating site one last time. Initially, I faced the same disappointments until I met Jake. From our first conversation, it felt different—he was genuine, kind, and attentive. After weeks of chatting, I wanted to meet him in person.

When I arrived at the airport, I spotted a cardboard sign with my name held by a disheveled homeless man, not Jake. He told me Jake had sent him, which shocked me. The man explained that Jake was at a shelter and wasn’t who I thought he was.

My heart sank as I realized the man I had fallen for had lied about his life. I asked to be taken to him. At the shelter, I found Jake looking ragged, confessing he had been homeless for years. He had created a false persona to escape his reality.

Devastated by the betrayal, I told him I needed to leave. As I boarded my flight home, I understood that true love cannot be built on lies.