25 Confessions People Kept From Loved Ones

Reddit is no stranger to jaw-dropping confessions and morally complex stories, but when someone asked, “What’s the darkest secret you have kept from your partner?” the responses ranged from heartbreaking and shocking to surprisingly relatable. While anonymity allows people to bare their souls, the revelations often leave us questioning the complexities of relationships and human behavior.

#1

Image source: BiscottiLeading, Anna Tarazevich

I don’t like mini golf. We went mini golfing on our 1st offical date. It was fun because he is fun. Now we go mini golfing at least once a year on summer vacation, we bring the kids now and it’s this whole day. The kids love it, my husband talks about our first date, and the whole thing is so damn cute. But I hate mini golf. I’ll never tell him, why would I, it won’t do any good. After 20+ years it would just be mean. So every year I go and make the best of it. It’s only fun because they’re fun.

#2

Image source: sacris5, Angela Roma

She moved from her home town to be with me. Her best friend from that home town was in treatment for cancer. She would go visit him periodically. I was good friends with him too. She had not visited him in quite a while (maybe a year) and couldn’t make it back for Christmas. She sent him a long letter and Christmas card, but messed up the address. He passed away suddenly, and the card ended up being returned to our home. I saw the returned letter in the mail and realized what happened. I threw it away and told her that she could have some solace in that he knew she was thinking about him before he passed. I will never tell her the truth.

#3

Image source: darybrain, charlesdeluvio

I didn’t use Vantablack to paint their darkroom because it was far too expensive. I only used regular Dulux black paint, however, they and everyone they show believe it is Vantablack and therefore think it is amazing.

I suppose this secret is not as dark as it should be.

#4

Image source: Dapper_Check9563, Pablo Merchán Montes

I just want my wife back. I want my wife who asked how my day was. I want my wife who reached for my hand on long car rides. I want my wife who would search slowly for my body in the dark. Depression is a thief. (Yes, she has seen help, medicated, it’s been 10 years) I know she loves me. But I wish I could tell her that her depression has robbed us both. That I know it’s not her fault. That I wish that even through the depression, she would see that I’m still here. I still care, and I yearn for the woman I fell in love with. I yearn for her to care for me the way I care for her.

#5

Image source: Otherwise_Ad233, Gabriel Ponton

I’m female and asked my male coworker for a hug. He’s twice my age, so to me it was a dad-hug (my own dad’s dead), but my husband would consider it cheating.

I had asked my husband for a hug the same day and he had refused because he wanted me to pull myself together first.

My coworker saw I was a mess and agreed to hug without hesitation.

#6

Image source: melancholyluna, Getty Images

About 6 months after I gave birth to my daughter I got pregnant again. My husband and I were living at his parent’s house at the time rent free, yet we still barely made enough money to support one child. I was devastated when I found out. Not only because of the financial burden, but also because my mental health made it a struggle to be a good mom to the kid I already had. I wanted an abortion and my husband agreed with me that it was the best option for us at the time. He was supportive and had an upbeat attitude about the whole thing right up until we checked in at the clinic. He broke down in the lobby and while he still supported my decision, he just couldn’t keep up the facade that he was ok with this any longer. Up until that moment I had absolutely no clue how sad he was about this, and my heart broke because I should have noticed. This didn’t change my decision, however. They make you get an ultrasound before the procedure and I decided that I would try to spare him a small amount of guilt. He didn’t accompany me to the ultrasound, so when it was done I went back to the lobby and gambled on a lie I hoped he would believe. I told him the ultrasound tech couldn’t find a heartbeat and that the fetus was not viable, but they would still perform the D&C instead of waiting to miscarry. He seemed so relieved that the decision to end this life was no longer ours to make. I genuinely think he believed it, but if he didn’t he has never called me out on it or questioned it. That was a decade ago and I still feel like s**t for lying, but at least he doesn’t have to live with the guilt or the regret for a decision I would have still made regardless.

#7

Image source: Substantial_Knee578, Yunus Tuğ

That I actually do know how to change my own oil. He just gets so excited to do it for me so I pretend. Best part is, I hate changing my oil. Win win!

#8

Image source: shialebeefe, RDNE Stock project

I know of someone who didn’t want children and so had a vasectomy but didn’t tell his wife because she wanted children. He let her struggle on for years and even go through some fertility tests. It’s one of the darkest things I’ve heard of anyone doing apart from the obvious things like m**der.

#9

Image source: EconomyLayer9685, RDNE Stock project

I have never been more lonely in my life with him.

#10

Image source: shutupjen, Daniel Martinez

My older sister has been insane for about two years now and we have been virtually no contact for the entire time.

My husband thinks it’s no big deal to me because of how “dumb” the situation is, but it really eats me up inside every single day. I can’t talk to him about how much it hurts me because he just laughs it off. I talk to my therapist just so I can release some of the tears and hurt I’m feeling because I just want my sister back.

#11

Image source: Sawoodster, Kira auf der Heide

I think the only secret I’ve kept is that she is honestly a terrible gift buyer. She is easily the sweetest most caring person I’ve ever met, who would do anything for anyone. And when she buys gifts in her heart of hearts she really thinks she did so good, and is so proud of herself. I will die with that secret because that beautiful soul does not need to be tarnished with that, but I am a grown man who loves the office, nothing about me screams I would like a music box that plays the office theme lol.

#12

Image source: dreamy_kiss, Kaysha

I work in a hospital so I have lots of weekdays off. I got bored one day and went to the casino since I haven’t been in years. About twenty minutes in I won ~$5,000 on the slots. Immediately cashed out and I chose to pay the taxes there on the spot. Took the rest home. A few weeks later my wife had a conference in Vegas and I tagged along so we could make a long weekend of it. The day of her conference I bought a drink and wandered around the strip doing nothing. When she got out of the conference that afternoon I told her I “won $5,000 on the slots.” Of course she was ecstatic because work had already paid for a room at the Cosmo and she had like $100/day in per diem so all that cash was spent on eating at Michelin starred restaurants and going to shows for free. I’ve never told her I won it at the dumpy casino twenty minutes from our house.

#13

I hid cash to pay for a lawyer. I was up to about $12,000. My husband was always drunk, and it was destroying our family. He retired from the toxic corporate job and stopped self medicating with alcohol, so with therapy and time, we are in a good place now. He was pretty gobsmacked when I told him about it. We used some of the cash to pay for house maintenance, but there’s still about $10k locked up in the house for an emergency fund.

Image source: LibraryGoddess

#14

Image source: darkseacreature, Meruyert Gonullu

He never took his meds and was always a d**k. So I crushed his leftover bipolar meds into his food every night so he would go to sleep and leave me alone. It was paradise while it lasted.

#15

That I had initiated an escape plan to break up with my ex gf of a year. I found out she was stalking a former ex she had psychologically and physically abused and went around painting him as the abuser when really it was her.

After the PTSD settled in, a therapist confirmed I dated a vulnerable narcissist with sociopathic tendencies.

After I blocked her everywhere for my own safety she would go on to harass and stalk my friends and family to get information on my whereabouts.

It still affects me a whole year later. I’ve never met such an evil person in my entire life, but she will still cry the victim.

Image source: Zombietarts

#16

Image source: ZelaAmaryills, Valeriia Miller

I’m diagnosed with O.C.D. and one of the lesser known symptoms is dark/violent intrusive thoughts. I’ve mentioned I have them to my husband and only him but I’ve never told anyone exactly how awful they are.

You might think of the normal “call of the abyss” thoughts like jumping into traffic but it’s turned up to 15/10.

#17

Image source: tylerdurden801, Tahir osman

I love my wife about 5% less than before her affair. We’ve done a bunch of therapy, together and individually, and have reconciled and are doing well, but it’s been years and at this point I don’t think that 5% is ever coming back. I kinda miss it.

#18

Image source: SteveRalph, SteveRalph

I didn’t like his enchilada style burritos. They were mushy.

And while that is true, the more serious answer is that I was sexually abused by my father. It took me 20 years to find the courage to tell him.

#19

That my depression and the resulting procrastination get worse and worse, despite being in therapy and taking meds. I keep a charade of enjoying my birthday gifts and liking our family trips, but every flicker of enjoyment I pay with thoughts of being undeserving. Each morning I wish I wouldn‘t have woken up, but keep slogging because I know that my s****de would k*ll my mother and traumatise our kid. .

Image source: Much-Jackfruit2599

#20

Image source: usmcrailroading, Giorgio Trovato

My (28m) stay at home wife(28f) thinks I make 80k a year….

I made 170k this year, just at work. I have $2000 from every paycheck, so 4k a month, going to a hidden high yields saving account at 4.5% apy. So she thinks I make about $2700 a pay check.

I also have an additional 4900 in military disability that is untaxed that goes to the same account. So 8900 untouched every month for the past 5 years… I have over 500k in this secret account.

We still rent a 2 bedroom apartment… and have a 4 year plan to buy a house. Our budget is 400k in those 4 years… what she doesn’t know is a bought 30 acres 3 years ago in cash. And in 5 years I’m going to have her build her dream house with custom plans to build on the land with a budget of 1.5 million budget and pay cash for it.

#21

Image source: WildMaineBlueberry87, Getty Images

My husband kept a 10 year affair secret from me. My only secret is that I have a Reddit account.

#22

Image source: -singing-blackbird-, Curated Lifestyle

Okay maybe a little darker then some but I have no one I can really tell this too…
Several years ago my husband’s ex best friend sexually assaulted me. We were separated at the time and he tried to take advantage of my vulnerable state. We got back together shortly afterwards.

Same guy who assaulted me, is now in jail for being a p*do. That plus the other thing, I know my husband would k*ll him or beat him within an inch of his life at the very least. When the news broke about him being in jail he often talked about how much he wanted to kick his a*s. welp, I’m mostly over it but I’ll probably take that one to my grave.

#23

My ex doesn’t know that i missed my big career opportunity with better pay,location, and most importantly better mental health. I did that because i wanted to give her attention and support all the time. She was not doing good at that time. Well, she ended up cheating on me.

Image source: hosuk815

#24

Image source: Eshlau, Dương Nhân

I hate to be the “not me but a friend” person, but it’s appropriate. I had a friend who dated someone long-term whose father died in a freak accident when they were young. When things got more serious and they planned on getting married, my friend’s future MIL confided to them that their partner’s father had actually died by s****de. She asked that my friend never tell her partner, as she feared for her child’s mental health if they knew. We kind of drifted apart so I have no idea how it is now, but my friend felt incredibly conflicted about this and wish she had never been told. .

#25

Image source: Micahisaac, Netflix

I (40s M) started with watching Emily In Paris without waiting for my wife (40s F).