12 People Share Vile Events That Still Haunt Them to This Day

Certain moments in our lives leave a lasting impact on our feelings, staying with us forever. They shape who we are and how we view the world. Although these memories can be tough and even hurtful, they make us stronger, fostering growth and teaching us important lessons. Viewing them from this perspective can be helpful.

• When I was a child, I received an invitation to a birthday party. It was handwritten and given to me by the kid whose birthday it was. When I got there, he pretended not to remember inviting me and asked to see the invitation. He denied writing it in front of many of my classmates and said I invited myself. I was so upset that I wanted to leave immediately, but my mom had already left. I had no choice but to tell him mom what happened so she could maybe drop me off.
  
  His mom’s reaction caught me off guard. As she recognized his handwriting, she clearly got angry at her son for being unkind. She was super sweet, gave me some Lamingtons and a soda, and told me I could go play video games by myself until my mom picked me up. That was the day I discovered that none of my classmates were my friends.
  © MoefsieKat / Reddit

• When I was in kindergarten, my mom thought it was pajama day and sent me to school in pajamas. It was not pajama day; it was picture day. So, in my picture with my classmates, everyone is dressed all nice, and I’m wearing pajamas. To this day, when there is something like a costume party or a casual day at work, I will literally check that it’s the right day every hour before going in, asking multiple people to clarify, and still bring a change of clothes in case, every single time I checked the date, I read it wrong or the universe suddenly skips a day.
  © Unknown user / Reddit

• I asked my high school crush if she would pose for a drawing I was working on in art class. She agreed, and we chatted the entire time while I drew her. She loved the drawing, and at that moment, I grew the courage to ask her out on a date. However, she kind of mumbled something and hastily retreated from the art room. I still get a spine-tingling sensation whenever I think of that moment. © Drawn4U / Reddit

• Over 10 years ago, my husband’s family accused me of stealing stuff at their house, and I still can’t get over it.
  My husband and I moved away from our country. He left first, and I stayed in his family’s house until I could also go (about 2 years). A few months after I left, my brother-in-law and mother-in-law visited. They spent a few days with us like normal, but then one day his brother asked me to leave them alone as they had a private matter to discuss. I got mad at this but left. A few minutes later, my husband came to pick me up, very upset with them, and told me they accused me of stealing. They separated us, trying to give him “a way out.”
  
  Despite therapy and all, I just can’t get past it. I haven’t been able to have a painless interaction with anyone in that family ever again. © Mmmmboop / Reddit

• There was a girl next door to my grandparents’ house that I had the biggest crush on, Becca. We had known each other since I was really little, both entering the age of developing feelings for the opposite gender at the same time, and we shared similar troubled childhoods. Somewhere after holding hands and a first kiss, Becca gave me a ring she had ’borrowed’ from her grandpa, emphasizing the need to return it the next day. I was on cloud 9.
  
  Excitedly, I showed the ring to my mom. Abruptly and without explanation, she told me to get in the truck, insisting that I bring the ring. Confused, I had no idea what was happening. We pulled up to a “jewelry store,” and my mom went inside, returning about 20 minutes later. Afterward, we went to McDonald’s, marking the first time I had eaten anything other than food pantry food in at least a year. She explained that the “jewelry store” needed to borrow that specific ring for a few weeks to clean it up. When I asked what I should tell Becca about it, she instructed me to say that I had lost it. I never saw the ring again, and Becca never talked to me again.
  © Davidsilak / Reddit

• When I was 7 or 8, I was snooping around my parents’ room, hoping to find Christmas presents they might have purchased well in advance. Instead, in my mother’s dresser, I found my parents’ preliminary separation agreement. I didn’t tell anyone at the time; I was afraid I’d get in trouble. She told me maybe a year later about the separation. I’ve never told her. I’ve shared it with my wife and a few close friends as an adult. It’s still a lot to carry. © NathObx / Reddit

• I was 17 when my ex-girlfriend pretended she was pregnant. I did what I thought was right and asked her to consider getting rid of the pregnancy, as we were both too young for a child. We had back-and-forth discussions for months before she finally revealed that she had been pretending the whole time.
  
  To this day, I carry emotional wounds and remain distrustful. However, my current fiancée is very understanding of my emotional struggles, and we’ve just adopted a puppy together. I believe I’m finally breaking through my own barriers. © scottrm93 / Reddit

• When I was three years old, my mom cheated on my dad, and I was the one who found out because the person stayed the night at our house. When I told my dad about Mom’s friend staying over, it all unraveled. To this day, I struggle to trust not only my closest friends but also new people in my life. © Competitive_Ad496 / Reddit

• It was in 9th grade. My best friend told me he was never my friend and that he was just hanging out with me because no one else would, and he felt sorry for me, but that he couldn’t stand me anymore.
  That was 15 years ago, and I’ve had dozens of great friends since, but that moment is burned into my brain forever. I always wonder if anyone actually likes me or if they just pity me. It really marked me for life. © JBHUTT09 / Reddit

• When I was eight, I had a birthday party on a very hot day. Unfortunately, there were two other parties that day, and as luck would have it, people chose to skip mine. Only two people came. To make it worse, on the Monday after, my school teacher asked how the party was, and I told her. She yelled in front of the whole class that it wasn’t nice that no one came, and everyone had to bring me a present the next day. It was mortifying. To this day, I panic about any event where I am the center. Every dinner party, even my wedding, was super anxiety-inducing.
  © inthissilentcity / Reddit

• My dad and I went to a pizza place, and they had an ice cream sundae dessert on their menu that was absolutely the best dessert I’ve ever had — warm brownie topped with creamy vanilla ice cream.
  
  A few months later, we go back there to have it again, but I see it isn’t listed on the menu anymore. I ask the server what happened to it, and he says they’ve never had that as a dessert, and he’s been working there for years. My dad and I were so puzzled that we ended up talking to the manager, who also said he’d been there for 10 years and that was never a dessert.
  
  I’d think I was crazy, but it wasn’t just me; my dad and I both will insist we had it. We literally have no explanation other than some multiverse mysteries. © z_Dax_z / Reddit

• In high school, I started dating a girl I had a crush on for a year prior. During that time, I was confident, outgoing, and had no issue with women. However, after a year and a half of dating, she broke up with me on Christmas Eve. That was 9 years ago, and to this day, she still hasn’t told me why.
  
  I’ve moved on and haven’t even thought about her in years, but the hit to my confidence hasn’t healed. I’ve dated and such, but haven’t had anything official since. Almost a decade later, and the furthest I’ve gone relationship-wise is 3-4 dates. I struggle to talk to women because I’m afraid that if I start a relationship again, I’ll do whatever it was that drove my last relationship apart without knowing what it is. © Yeetster3000 / Reddit

Some of the most powerful memories are when we unexpectedly discover a troubling family secret. In this article, people have chosen to open up about these secrets, hoping that sharing them will bring a sense of relief.