12 Dark Family Secrets That Could Have Been Movie Plot Twists

Secrets are more often than not the root of a lot of family drama. Whether it’s lies about money or love affairs, these stories elicit a gasp or two. But some endings become so unexpected that you have to re-read the story to make sure you read it right the first time, like these ones.

1.

My mom was never married to my dad—and was in fact his mistress. I knew my father was married to another woman and had 3 kids with her. But I thought he split with her and married my mom, and they made my sister and me together... and then they split up and he got back with his original wife... Nope. My mom was his mistress. © Ordinary_Ice_796 / Reddit

2.

Aunt had a child no one knew about (maybe aside from her parents) back in the 50s. My dad (her little brother) thought she “went away for school for a year,” but didn’t connect the dots. My cousins and I had dinner with her (the baby, now a grown woman), and she’s absolutely fabulous.
© dingdongdahling / Reddit

3.

My daughter was born premature and lived only a few days. My husband never spoke about her, never grieved, just buried himself in work. It broke us apart, and eventually, we divorced. Fifteen years later, after he passed away, his sister handed me a letter. It said: “I knew she wasn’t mine. But I loved her as if she were. I just couldn’t forgive you for lying to me.” I felt like I lost her all over again.

4.

That my father was actually my stepfather, who took care of six children who were all my siblings, as if he were our own father, with ever-loving love unconditional love. So much so that we remember him even after 25 years since his passing away. His heart should never have stopped beating. How could it? It’s impossible. How could a heart stop beating when it’s made of gold? © Martiallawtheology / Reddit

5.

My cousin was due to marry this big guy. We had the invite to the wedding, and it was about a month away. Suddenly, it’s off, and nobody is talking about it. My mum told me at the time that he had hidden debts from her and had planned for them to sell her house to pay them off when they got married. © Wind_Yer_Neck_In / Reddit

6.

Aunt had a secret relationship with her sister’s husband for 2 years. Came to light when he got her pregnant. My aunts no longer talk to each other, and my aunt who got cheated on blames her divorce on her sister. © Subject_Crow3048 / Reddit

7.

My mother had affairs with my dad’s best friend and his brother. She married my dad’s best friend’s brother, then proceeded to have an affair with his nephew—my dad’s best friend’s son. Then she had another affair and left my dad’s best friend’s brother and moved out of town to be with him, and left us all. She’s on her 5th husband now. She’s exhausting. © mykitten***** / Reddit

8.

My mum passed away from a stroke at the age of 61. When me and my brother were going through all her stuff, we found old medical documents. We found out she had cancer when me and my brother were little kids, but she kept it a secret from everyone apart from our grandma... This all happened shortly after my Dad had an affair and left. © Step_Spiritual / Reddit

9.

I learned that my dad woke up every day, dressed up in a suit, and “went to work,” but he didn’t have a job and tricked the whole family. He also filed for bankruptcy behind my mom’s back. Needless to say, they are divorced now. © LostSupermarket / Reddit

10.

My 4x great-grandfather married a woman with two sisters and had two children. He had an affair with the middle sister and fathered two children. When his wife died, he married the youngest sister (still carrying on with the middle sister) and had three children. © maryfromthepoint / Reddit

11.

On my dad’s deathbed, he confessed that he never loved my mother to her face. She was devastated but also angry. She stormed out. After we went back home, I snooped in her closet and found a box filled with money and a letter. The letter said, “You deserve only the best, love, Henry.” Henry was my uncle (dad’s brother). Turns out, she’s been having an affair with him, and he kept giving her money, trying to convince her to leave my dad.

12.

When I was 7, my mom hired a nanny while she went off on her spa trips and friend hangouts. One day, I found my dad and nanny entering the same room. I told my mom, and she laughed, saying, “It’s okay, sweetie, sometimes daddy and Jenny need some alone time.” I found out a decade later that she was also cheating on my dad.

Family secrets can stretch deep. You can find secrets upon secrets. While honesty may be the best policy, some things may be best buried. Uncovering them may add more salt to the wound. Just look at how these people discovered secrets they shouldn’t have known.