I had been dating this guy for almost a year. Besides the usual relationship problems—jealousy, talking to exes, etc.—everything seemed normal. He and his daughter lived with his dad in a big, fancy two-story house. His dad worked a lot and made really good money. I definitely would have considered them upper class.

Anyway, my ex supposedly had a full-time job with hours that varied, but he’d go in almost every day. He would always tell me about his day, his work—typical stuff.

One day, I got a disturbing call from my parents, saying they were worried about me. They told me they had seen my ex, who was supposedly at work at the time, standing in the median of a busy intersection. He had a sign and was begging people for money.

I eventually found out that he had been doing that for years, had never had a job the entire time we were together, and was just lazy. I was shocked at the time, but now, looking back, I realize I missed the warning signs.