12 Partners Whose Relationships Were Built on Shocking Secrets

Relationships often reveal their true nature slowly, piece by piece. Sometimes it takes years before the cracks begin to show — and when they do, the truth can be far more unsettling than anyone expects. Here are their stories, each one a reminder that even the closest relationships can hide disturbing surprises.

• I walked in on my then boyfriend sitting on the bed with his foot up to his mouth, biting off his long toenails. We were living together and had been dating for three years at this point. I didn’t want to mock him or anything, but how does someone decide that’s the right way to handle long toenails?! © twdani / Reddit

• For years, my partner insisted we should adopt someday because “pregnancy is too scary.” He would shut down anytime I brought it up. Last month, I learned he had gone through the entire pregnancy journey with his ex — ultrasounds, classes, everything. But the worst part is that the baby didn’t survive, and he never told me.

• I don’t think his youngest son is really his. The story behind how this child came to be is very suspicious. Between his vasectomy reversal, the fact that he caught the boy’s mom cheating while they were trying for a baby, and how quickly she came back with the paternity results—it all feels off.
  Now, 13 years later, when we talk about his youngest, he always brings up how similar they look. I just agree, but honestly, this kid looks nothing like him or his other two children. My boyfriend is 5’7″, with blue eyes, black hair, and a lean build. The youngest is already over 6 feet tall, with brown eyes, brown hair, and is a bit chubby. His mom is very slim, with blue eyes and blonde hair. He wanted to get them all 23andMe kits for Christmas, but I talked him out of it. I think it would ruin Christmas for him if the results came back differently. © Cramit82 / Reddit

• He constantly accused me of cheating on him during the first half of our marriage. He was very jealous and insecure. Five years in he told me he cheated on me with a woman I actually knew.
  © MillionBookReader / Reddit

• For years, my husband would make me feel ashamed about the number of people I had been with before we met. He often pointed out that my number was too high for such a short period of time. The thing is, he had only two partners before me. He would often bring up this fact to our new acquaintances and friends, turning it into a joke every time.
  But after 10 years of marriage, he finally admitted that his number was actually much higher than mine. What stung the most wasn’t the revelation itself, but the fact that he had spent all those years making me feel guilty for something that, in the end, wasn’t as significant as he’d led me to believe. I divorced him.

• He was very anti-cheating. He cut off ties with friends who cheated on their girlfriends or wives. He went on rants about how he was just starting to like his cousin’s husband until he cheated.
  His mother cheated on his father, which caused a divorce when he was 5. He saw it as the thing that broke apart his family and swore to never cheat, forgive, or tolerate cheating.
  What do you know, he cheats on me. So much for all that talk. © honestgoing / Reddit

• He decided 6 years into the relationship that he wanted to have multiple partners. I don’t mean he wanted an open relationship. He just wanted to have the same relationship he had with me, with a bunch of other women at the same time, and he wanted them to live with us. Completely out of the blue. © uncool4skool / Reddit

• 13 years, 2 kids and a whole life together. After years and years of me saying to her “something doesn’t feel right, what’s up, what’s wrong” and always being told “nothing, it’s me, depression, anxiety” etc. Told me she didn’t love me the other week, doesn’t know if she ever did, brilliant. © Nixher / Reddit

• My boyfriend always said he couldn’t handle kids. He shut down the conversation every time, saying he wasn’t “the father type.” Turns out he already was a father. But the worst thing is that he is not just a father, he has two children from two different women. Both before me. And he wasn’t “handling” that either.

• I’ve been in a relationship for 8 years and married for 3. Last year, I found out that my husband had been using dating sites and apps throughout our entire relationship.
  I only discovered this because I was installing an antivirus and gave apps permission to run. His Skype was open, and it popped up when I checked the permissions. He had been using video calls, using a fake name and email, of course. I decided to check the email it was attached to through Microsoft, since it had been switched from his original email used to set up the laptop.
  I found various logins and notifications from several sites, along with messages from people on those sites. It was pretty rough. © zigiboogieduke / Reddit

• Found out 15 years into my marriage that my wife has no canine teeth. She had them removed as a kid due to some issue with big teeth, small jaw.
  No wonder it takes her so long to eat her dinner. © Throwaway7219017 / Reddit

• My wife always insisted on doing the laundry herself. She said I mixed colors wrong and ruined fabrics. I thought she was just particular about clothes.
  Last year, when she left town for a week, I decided to wash a basket she’d been keeping in the closet.
  At the bottom, I found a stack of men’s shirts — none of which were mine. She didn’t even deny it. But my heart leapt when she said, “I’m surprised it took you this long.” We filed for divorce soon after.

Discovering the truth about someone you love can feel like having the ground pulled from beneath your feet. Yet for many, these revelations became a turning point — a moment of clarity that ultimately set them free. No matter how long a relationship lasts, trust is what truly holds it together. And once that trust breaks, the truth has a way of rewriting everything.