The hollow victory

So you think you know somebody,
and that what you have is real,
but your connection is their hobby,
and real was never in the deal.

They lied and cheated you,
and made you feel a fool,
and claim they have defeated you
by the machinations of their tools.

But in reality they lost
before the game ever begun;
their deception came at the cost
of what victory would have won.

For you offered them a helping hand –
what better prize in a troubled land?