I can’t shake this guilty feeling. It’s been a while but I still get anxious when lotteries come up in conversation.
My brother isn’t into gambling. He’s always been careful with money. One day we were shopping and he bought a ticket on a whim. I teased him but got one too.
Later I was at his place and saw his ticket. I checked the numbers and realized he’d won a big prize. Without thinking I swapped our tickets.
I used the money to pay off my house early. Nobody knows what I did.
My brother is doing okay financially which makes me feel a bit better. But sometimes I wonder how things might be different if I hadn’t switched the tickets.
The other day we entered a raffle and didn’t win. He joked about his bad luck and I felt awful inside.
I’m not sure how to deal with this guilt. It’s eating me up even after all this time.
man, that’s a tough spot. guilt can really eat at you. maybe you could find a way to help your bro out financially without him knowing? like anonymously paying off some of his bills or something. might ease your conscience a bit. just a thought.
Oof, that’s a tough one. I can totally see why you’re feeling so guilty about it. It’s like, you didn’t mean for it to spiral this way, but now you’re stuck with this big secret. 
Have you thought about maybe doing something nice for your brother? Not to make up for it exactly, but just to show him you care? Could be something small like treating him to dinner or helping him out with a project he’s working on. Might make you feel a bit better, ya know?
And hey, if it’s really eating you up inside, maybe talking to someone about it could help. Doesn’t have to be your bro, but like a friend or even a therapist. Sometimes just getting it off your chest can make a world of difference.
Hang in there, okay? We all mess up sometimes. The fact that you feel bad about it shows you’re a good person at heart. 
That’s a heavy burden to carry, mate. The guilt must be eating you up inside. Have you considered talking to a therapist or counselor about it? They might be able to help you process these feelings without judging you. It’s not an easy situation, but carrying this secret around clearly isn’t doing you any favors. Maybe finding a way to give back or help others could ease some of that guilt too. volunteer work or anonymous donations could be a start. just remember, we all make mistakes - the important thing is learning from them and trying to do better going forward.