I was helping my sister plan her wedding in Jurong. We needed a S$30,000 deposit for the venue and I was in charge of the bank transfer.
When I logged into the joint family account, the balance was S$10,000 less than expected. The missing amount matched the exact deposit we needed.
I asked my mother why the money was gone. She said she had moved the S$30,000 to my brother’s account to fund his new tech startup. She promised my brother would pay it back before the wedding date.
My brother, who has been borrowing money from friends, said the startup was already in trouble and he could not guarantee a repayment. He told me he would try to raise more funds, but the deadline was only two weeks away.
My sister was furious when I showed her the bank statement. She said the venue would cancel if we didn’t pay today. She accused my mother of favouritising my brother over her future.
My mother defended herself, saying she wanted to give my brother a chance because he has always struggled to find a stable job. She added that the wedding was not as urgent as my brother’s business.
Now the whole family is arguing. My father passed away last year, so the money is technically part of his estate. My mother says she can still cover the deposit from her savings, but she looks exhausted.
I feel torn between protecting my sister’s dream and not betraying my mother’s trust. I could confront my brother to demand the money back, but that might ruin his startup forever.
Should I tell my sister the full truth about the loan even if it destroys my mother’s trust
How would you handle this if it happened inside your own family?
