10+ Everyday Moments With Truly Unexpected Endings

Just when we think we’ve got everything figured out — life, people, even the ending of a story — something unexpected happens. A single twist can flip everything on its head and remind us that nothing is ever as predictable as it seems. These stories prove that one surprise can change the way we see everything.

• It happened so fast — my wedding ring just slipped off and disappeared down a drain while I was rushing for a cab. I tried everything to get it back, even called the city, but no luck. A few weeks later, while walking my dog, a man approached me with a grin. “This yours?” he asked, holding up the ring. He’d found it after a heavy rain. We laughed about it, then ended up walking our dogs together.

• A colleague I’ve been working with for years, supporting her on two projects, and exhausting myself to get promoted. We had a good relationship, too. During our last round of evaluations, I asked for a promotion (to be on roughly the same level as her), thinking she would back me up. She didn’t and even said I wasn’t doing well or working independently enough.
  I later found out it was because she wanted to make sure I’d keep working for her. That was unexpected after four years of really helping her out. © elvagabundotonto / Reddit

• I had a colleague who never spoke to me—not even a word. I wanted to be friends with her because we were two females around the same age in the company. But a quick nod to my “Hi” was all I ever got. Yet, we exchanged work emails regularly.
  5 years later, at our annual Christmas party, she gave me a locket without a word and walked away. Inside, there was a piece of paper with 2 words: I’m mute. All these years, I’d assumed she didn’t want to talk to me. Our relationship didn’t change much after that. She stayed shy, and I simply smiled when I saw her, not wanting to bother her.
  7 years later, she suddenly left the company. I couldn’t even say goodbye. The next day, another colleague said, “Emma wanted you to have this.” It was another locket. I opened it and found a folded piece of paper. It had 2 words: Favorite colleague.
  I was stunned. I never sensed she cared for me, yet she clearly did. I tried to find her, but she had moved abroad. I still keep both lockets, and they remind me of the quiet bonds we sometimes share without realizing it. Wherever she is, I hope Emma is doing well.

• In college, four of us lived in a two-bedroom apartment. I shared a room with Reuben, who was a really introverted, shy nerd who didn’t seem capable of socializing well or talking to women much.
  We had a small group of us go to this karaoke bar, picking the usual bad songs and singing stuff. Reuben hadn’t joined in or sung anything, so we pushed him a little bit to pick a song, and he chose “Always” by Atlantic Starr.
  Then, it was like a moment out of a reality show—he just totally rocked that song, singing his heart out with more passion than I’d ever seen him put into anything. We were all silent and in awe that he could belt out a song like that and sing perfectly. © yakusokuN8 / Reddit

• My cousin, who’s in his 50s, was having a rough time financially, so his parents (in their 70s or 80s, I think) helped him move out of state to be closer to them. They bought him a house and got him set up so he could become financially stable.
  Shortly after, he sold the house, pocketed the money, and went on an around-the-world trip. During that time, his dad passed away, and my cousin chose not to come home for the funeral.
  I never thought he would do something like this. Now I see him posting pictures from his trip on Facebook, having a grand old time. I feel bad for my aunt. © bigblackkittie / Reddit

• I thought she was my “best friend.” She asked me to be the godmother to her son, and I said yes. About a month after the birth, we got matching tattoos for him (the baby). About two months after the baby was born, a mutual friend told me that she had an affair with the guy I was seeing while she was pregnant with my "godson"—so four months prior.
  I asked her about it, and she said it was years ago. It was not. He had told me the truth about it. Anyway, she said it was bad of me to be hurt by it and that she was sorry she even asked me to be the godmother. © f**guyst***gler / Reddit

• I worked with a guy for 17 years. We got along pretty well and were work friends. I always covered for him when he messed up, needed a day off, or whatever. I never once complained to the boss about anything he did, even when sometimes I probably should have.
  Then I found out that for the last couple of years, he had been running me down in front of our supervisor. Any complaints I had made about work between us, he was running off to tell the owner. © FreydyCat / Reddit

• My friend got engaged. He’s been very vocal in the past about not wanting to get married, and when another friend got engaged after being with his girlfriend for six months, this guy went on a rant about how it was stupid to get engaged after such a short time.
  Well, come June, it turns out he’s engaged, has been for six weeks, and has only been with the girl since February. Oh, and she’s his best mate’s ex, and that relationship ended in January.
  The hypocrisy is staggering. © keekee13 / Reddit

• When my husband left... it felt like the world stopped. The apartment was silent — painfully silent. I packed his things, sat on the floor, and cried until there were no tears left. For days, I couldn’t even bring myself to cook. Then one night, I suddenly heard a strange noise outside the window. I looked out, and to my surprise, I saw a kitten — cold, scared, and alone. I brought her in. Weeks passed, and suddenly, I was laughing again. Feeding her, playing with her... living again. I thought I’d lost my home. But maybe, I was just learning to build a new one.

• My sister is five years older than me and still lived with the family at age 22. She didn’t do well in school and didn’t really manage to get going afterward, so everyone kind of just expected her to stick around. (My parents have a big house, so they gave her two rooms with her own kitchen, etc., because they thought she’d probably live with them for a long time.)
  One night, she packed all her stuff and left, breaking all contact with the family. I haven’t seen her since. (It’s been about four years.) © Unknwon author / Reddit

• I left my phone at a café and rushed back to get it. The barista said a man had already turned it in, so I thanked her and checked my photos. I was stunned by what I saw. There was one new picture I hadn’t taken. It showed me, sitting at that same table... but from outside the café window. I asked who returned the phone, but no one had noticed him. I still don’t know who took that photo — or how he knew where I’d be.

Life sure knows how to surprise us. Just when everything seems ordinary, it throws in a twist worthy of a blockbuster movie. From parents reuniting after years apart to family secrets surfacing out of nowhere, these real-life stories will make you question what’s possible.