12 Stories That Prove Things Are Never What They Seem

People can surprise us when we least expect it. We might think we have everything figured out about someone or a situation, and just then, a sudden revelation or event puts everything we know to the test, prompting us to reconsider our beliefs. This is precisely what happened to the people in our compilation, who were confronted by an unexpected twist, whether good or bad, that completely changed their perspective.

• At 19, I was homeless. After a few weeks of sleeping rough, I was approached one evening by a man. He said, “I’m here to make sure you are safe.”
  We talked for quite a while until it was dark, and that’s when he offered me a bed for the night. Alarm bells were going off in my head, but he seemed genuine, so I went with him.
  He drove me to a house in the suburbs and asked me to wait in his car while he spoke to someone. A few minutes later, he returned with another man who offered to let me sleep in his garage for the night. Everything inside me was saying, “This is a bad idea,” but I accepted, as I had nothing left to lose.
  The garage was pretty standard, tools, workbench, etc., except in the corner, there was a box spring and some blankets. There was a connecting door to the main house that the man told me he would have to keep locked during the night. He apologized but said he had kids in the house and couldn’t take the risk.
  The first man asked if he could come by in the morning and speak to me, then went into the house with the other man. I don’t think I slept at all that night; I was terrified.
  The morning rolled around, and the most amazing thing happened; the man knocked on his own garage door to ask me if he could come in.
  I spoke with both men every day for the 7 weeks I slept in that garage. Between them, they managed to get me into a subsidized efficiency apartment (think studio apartment but a lot smaller), got me a job, and helped me get my life back on track. That was over 20 years ago, and I will always be indebted to both of them. © ItsNotLost / Reddit

• I went on a first date with a guy, and it was amazing. The next day, I received 14 text messages and 5 Snapchats from his current girlfriend. © sorrycauliflower / Reddit

• I met a guy at a night out through my neighbor, and he seemed cool. We sort of became friends. Then he started getting more and more clingy, but I didn’t think too much about it; I just found it annoying.
  Around 1:30 AM, I decided to go home to sleep. Then I woke up at about 3:00 AM because they decided to have an after-party at my neighbor’s apartment.
  Suddenly, someone knocked on my door. I decided not to open it. Then the person who knocked started talking with my neighbor, and it was that guy. He started screaming at me to come out. He kept knocking and yelling for a few minutes, then he stopped.
  For a few seconds, it was quiet, and then he started yanking the door handle really hard, trying to open the door. Now he sounded just outright crazy when he was yelling. Then he walked away. I have not spoken to him since then. © Schmorfen / Reddit

• A man approached me and my friends, wearing glasses and carrying a cane. He claimed to be blind and homeless, asking for money. I handed him a $20 bill. Then, he swiftly removed his glasses and ran off. We chased him for a block, but he managed to get away. © Ikea_mom / Reddit

• Someone on MovieStarPlanet offered me a VIP membership. At around 6 years old, my naive self agreed and decided to give them my password. Later that night, when I logged in, I discovered that all of my belongings had been stolen, and my friend list was completely empty. Oh, what a foolish kid I was. © Mitsurixx/ Reddit

• I received one of those keys that car dealerships send in the mail with the “if it fits, you win a free car!” postcards. I drove 20 minutes out to the dealership, excited about the possibility of winning. Upon arrival, they requested my email and phone number and asked me to wait in the lobby for a salesperson to assist me.
  However, the sales rep eventually informed me that it was just a promotion and the key wasn’t actually for a vehicle, despite its appearance. I felt disappointed and frustrated, having wasted almost two hours of my life between the driving and time at the dealership. Then, of course, I had to go through the process of unsubscribing from their ads and texts. © A_Quiet_Corner / Reddit

• Someone claimed they had a house for rent but was out of town and couldn’t show it to us. We drove to the house and saw what we could through the windows without being too creepy, and it was really, really nice.
  We said we wanted to rent the place; we may have even done an electronic rental agreement to make it “legit,” I can’t quite remember now. Then they told us to send the damage deposit (about $1,000), and they would mail us the key. We sent the money and, of course, never got the key and got ghosted instead. Still berating myself for this one. © greyflannelsuit / Reddit

• I dated this guy a few times, and we slowly stopped talking. I just didn’t think we were compatible. I started working at the same place he used to work, and it turns out he was arrested for breaking into the place and stealing all the money in the drawer/safe. He was always so kind to me; it was so surprising! © no_stairway/ / Reddit

• When I was in college on campus, I was approached by a guy who claimed his work truck had been towed with his wallet inside. He told me he needed to borrow cash to reclaim it because he didn’t want to notify his company about what happened. He seemed nice and honest enough, so we exchanged phone numbers, and he said he would reach out to me once he got the truck back.
  However, I never heard from him again. © imredheaded / Reddit

• After a year-long messed up relationship, I pretty much rebounded with a guy who seemed relatively sane. He was an extremely successful server at the establishment we worked at, and honestly, he was super popular among my coworkers, so I hung out with him throughout my breakup with my ex.
  Since we were going to colleges in different locations, we figured we could probably make it work, even though we were 400 miles away from each other. I was being really naive and continued to talk to him throughout the first week of school. I thought he was a well-adjusted, smart man, so I really put a lot of hope into him.
  But... the first night I went to a college party, he lost his temper. I told him I would be out, but that didn’t matter. He proceeded to call me at least 20 times within 30 minutes, and when I did talk to him on the phone, he was screaming and crying at me about how I need to be more reliable.
  I had only been dating this guy for a week, so I was absolutely shocked that he was acting like this. It was not hard to dump him. In the end, I just couldn’t believe how insecure and controlling this guy turned out to be despite everyone loving him. © Cr***P***Queen / Reddit

• I was eating at quite an expensive restaurant outside yesterday. A cute kid came up to me and asked for a slice. The kind side of me gave him one, and the little rascal proceeded to walk away and give the slice to a man who walked off enjoying my food with the kid in tow. I was laughing, but I was also sad because the pizza was good. © maybemale1900 / Reddit

• Me and my partner were looking to share an office space. We found the perfect commercial space. The guy showed us around, and it seemed legit at the time...we sent him the first and last month’s rent via Venmo before signing any type of lease or agreement.
  He gave us the keys, we moved EVERYTHING in the next day, and we never heard from him again. A couple of days passed, we still couldn’t contact him, and the landlord showed up asking who the heck we were since the space was up for lease, and he was actively looking to rent it out.
  It turns out a disgruntled employee posed as the shop owner, took several thousand dollars from us, gave us his key, and just dipped out. The landlord ended up being very cool about the situation and helped us out...so I guess it worked out in that aspect, but I couldn’t believe I let us make that mistake in the first place! © Infamous_Traffic4003 / Reddit

Uncovering deep family secrets that have been well-hidden for years can also have a shocking effect. The people in this article went through the unsettling experience of discovering a shocking revelation about their loved ones and shared their stories online.