A few years ago, a coworker from my old job handed me a lottery ticket as a friendly gesture. “Here, maybe it’ll bring you luck,” he said with a grin. I didn’t think much of it — until I scratched it later that night. My heart nearly stopped. It was a $10,000 winner.

I sat there frozen, staring at it, barely breathing. The next day, he stopped by my desk casually and asked, “Hey, did you scratch that ticket yet?” My voice cracked as I lied, “Not yet.” He smiled and walked away.

After he left, my hands were shaking. Thoughts raced through my head — should I tell him? Should I keep it? It was technically a gift, right? My guilt was battling my excitement. I decided that when he asked again, I’d just say it wasn’t a winner and leave it at that.

Before putting it away, I flipped the ticket over to read how to claim the prize. That’s when my stomach dropped. In tiny print, I saw the words:

“This ticket is for entertainment purposes only — NOT a valid lottery ticket.”

My face turned red. It was a fake — a prank ticket. I’d gone through every emotion imaginable in 10 minutes: joy, guilt, greed, panic, and humiliation.

The next morning, he walked in, trying not to laugh, and asked, “So? Did you win?” I couldn’t even be mad — I just handed it to him and said, “Yeah, ten grand in emotional damage.”

To this day, I’ve never trusted anyone handing me a “lucky ticket” again.