We may have known someone for years, if not decades, without realizing they are keeping a deep, devastating secret. People have shared the incredible truths they’ve discovered about individuals closest to them in the compilation we’ve put together for you today. We applaud their candor and boldness in sharing these insights with millions.
Story 1
One week after my 35-year-old spouse ᴅɪᴇᴅ unexpectedly, I read through his correspondence. I uncovered a “location tracking” service he’d been surreptitiously using for months. Curious, I managed to log in using one of his old passwords. To my surprise, it revealed his current location—not far from where we live.
Five minutes later, after gathering my thoughts, I got into the car and decided to find it. Suddenly, a chat box appeared on the screen, and I received a girl’s photo and a text. I received a message from an unknown identity asking, “Are you still there? What should we do next?” Someone responded from my husband’s side with a selfie, but it wasn’t him.
My gut turned when I thought someone else had hijacked his account. I wasn’t sure if the illusory hope that he was still alive gave me relief or added to my anguish.
Story 2
When I was about two years old, my mother’s mother looked after my sisters and me while my parents worked in the city. She refused to let us see our parents for any reason, so we ended up staying with her for nearly a half year.
Our parents got stuck in the city for two days due to a terrible snowstorm, so my nanny went to court and claimed they abandoned us. She took temporary custody of us, and my parents had to wait six months to be approved as “suitable” parents. © BloomieBoii / Reddit
Story 3
I was an illegitimate son of a married man with a family. He had an affair, and his pregnant girlfriend placed me for adoption. It was embarrassing when I hunted down my half-sister via DNA matching and we found how we were linked. © Jekyllhyde / Reddit
Story 4
When my grandmother died, she left our rental property (three houses) to me in her will, assigning my father as guardian until I reached legal age. I discovered out years after I turned 18, because my father never told me. While reading through old paperwork, I came across her will and learnt that he had sold one of the properties years ago as if it were his own.
He also took out credit cards in my name when I was still a child, so my credit was messed up before I reached 18. © Ludwig_Von_Koopa1 / Reddit
Story 5
On the day my father ᴅɪᴇᴅ, I found he had a secret family: a new wife and a thirteen-year-old daughter. While entering his Facebook to post information about his ᴡᴀᴋᴇ, I discovered messages from his other wife. My world had fallen apart, and I was at a loss for words to tell my mother and two brothers. To make matters worse, all of his relatives knew about it but never told us. © weekend_rockstar / Reddit
Story 6
Over a decade after his ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ, I discovered that my grandfather had a secret marriage before my grandma. Nobody has asked her about it, partially because she is in her 80s and it seems pointless to bring it up. © CharlieChooper / Reddit
Story 7
I have a sister from another father, who, like my father, has ᴅɪᴇᴅ. We discovered about a month ago that she had another brother on her father’s side from when her father cheated on my mother several years before she became pregnant. © mkicon / Reddit
Story 8
My closest friend’s mother attempted to have an affair with my father. He notified my mother, which is why our families stopped hanging out, but they allowed me and my closest friend to continue seeing each other since they felt it was unfair to us.
My father then proceeded to cheat on numerous women, stating that it was due to his depression.
It was also revealed that my mother was in love with someone else when she and my father were dating, but the man refused to be with her due to her pregnancy. That’s why she stayed with my father. © D***Unicorn0229 / Reddit
Story 9
I was approached via a DNA service by someone claiming to be my first cousin, but I didn’t recognize the name. My aunt had placed this cousin for adoption when he was born years ago. My aunt had only told my mother, who informed me once I began researching our family history. My aunt is now frightened that I learned about her child and avoids me at all means during family occasions. © never_mind_its_me / Reddit
Story 10
My mother’s friend’s brother told me that my father has a secret family. Apparently, he cheated on my mother several times with other ladies a few years ago and now has an entirely new family that he never met. Nobody is supposed to know about this. I have six siblings (7 in total), and there are apparently even more.
I’m not sure if I’ve seen them on the street, at work, or if I need to run background checks on potential romantic partners in case they’re siblings…so, thanks, Dad. © Fabulous-Dark / Reddit
Story 11
My grandfather cheated on my grandmother a lot when they initially got together. They married just because she became pregnant. He had a son with someone else, and I only found out about him after my grandfather ᴅɪᴇᴅ. I believe my mother met him before but never told anyone. © graciepaint4 / Reddit
Story 12
My father discovered a few years back, through an obituary, that he had an aunt he had no idea about. He asked my grandmother about it, and she said they put her sister in an institution when she was in her teens (in the 1940s) because she was “too wild” and never talked about her again.
Even when he inquired about it, she refused to discuss it with him. She eventually told him the very minimum—that she was really crazy, and their father had her committed to an institution. © superstartsky / Reddit
The most astounding admissions frequently emerge from the mouths of children, who have no filter for honesty. Prepare to reveal some pretty astounding family secrets in this article.