12 Family Secrets That Could Outdo a Hitchcock Thriller / Bright Side

Every family has its secrets—those hidden stories that rarely see the light of day. Some are harmless quirks, while others could rival the plot twists of a Hitchcock thriller. In this compilation, we’ve gathered shocking, heartbreaking, and jaw-dropping family secrets that prove truth can be stranger than fiction. From unexpected betrayals to revelations that turned lives upside down, these stories will leave you wondering just how much you really know about the people closest to you.

• In 2012, my husband took my 14-year-old son on a 3-day fishing trip. They sent me postcards from there. Recently, I found those cards and mentioned to my son how proud his dad had been of that trip. My son looked at me and said, “Mom, we didn’t go fishing. Take a closer look at the postcards. Dad was actually looking for a place to move out. The fishing trip was just an excuse.”
  I looked closely and was horrified to notice a small brand stamp indicating they were from a state far away—nowhere near where I thought they had gone. Suddenly, everything clicked. It explained why, not long after that trip, my husband decided to separate and move out.
  At the time, the news of our separation was shocking, but discovering this now cuts even deeper. For years, I had cherished the memory of that “fishing trip,” believing it was one of their final father-and-son bonding moments before our marriage ended. But now I know the truth—my husband was already searching for apartments, and my son knew about it and even helped him. That revelation has made the memory feel like a betrayal, and the pain feels fresh all over again.

• My maternal grandmother was married to a widower who had four children from his previous marriage. She made him give up his kids before she married him. I guess she didn’t want to take care of his children.
  She became pregnant with my mother, and when my mother was about five years old, her parents (my grandparents) got divorced. He just couldn’t live with my cold-hearted grandmother any longer. My mother didn’t tell me that—I found out by coincidence that I had four uncles. © Competitive_Juice627 / Reddit

• One night, my grandmother told me about my grandfather’s (her husband’s) family. Essentially, they were poor, living on the streets and trying to earn money during Australia’s gold rush. Anyway, the family had too many kids and not enough money, so they sold one of their children to a Chinese businessman. He would have been my grandfather’s great-uncle, I suppose. © aperture81 / Reddit

• I grew up thinking my father abandoned me and my mom. But years later, far into adulthood, I learned from my grandma that my mom left my dad and didn’t allow him to see me so she could extort money from him. To this day, I still don’t have a relationship with him. © 12Fatcat / Reddit

• About 10 years ago, my father stole my identity. He took out loans and racked up credit cards in my name. Why? He wanted to expand the house he owned, adding an in-law apartment (huge, about 1,500 square feet). He then proceeded to give the house and apartment to my sister.
  I confronted him about it, and he said, “Too bad.” I’ve never forgiven him (and never will), and only the two of us know what happened. I did manage to clean up my credit because I was able to prove I didn’t take out the loans or credit cards (we live on opposite sides of the country). But the fact that he not only did this to me but did it to give the house to my sister, whom he has always favored, has really angered me. © CylonGlitch / Reddit

• After my mother had me, she became pregnant with my brother. She went to the doctor to get an abortion. Afterwards, she went home, and they called her to say they hadn’t done it correctly and that she had to come back, or she could get very sick or even die. She chose not to go back.
  Several months later, she had my brother, who is perfectly healthy. I think I am the only person she has ever told. If my brother found out, I don’t know how he would take the news, so I decided never to tell him either. © katedid / Reddit

• My grandmother had my mother institutionalized against her will for years in the 1960s for depression. It took her a long time to get out, and no one outside the immediate family is supposed to know because she’s still humiliated by the experience. © jadepalmtree / Reddit

• When I was a kid, my dad cheated on my mother and had a kid with the new woman who would become my stepmom.
  I went over occasionally and never paid it much mind, but my “sister” had blond hair her entire life. My dad said it was because he had blond hair as a kid. Fast-forward 10 years, and surprise—she more than likely wasn’t carrying his child. Big surprise that the woman you cheated on your wife with wasn’t faithful either, huh? © Boomerwell / Reddit

• My aunt had a child when she was very young and still lived in another country. After she moved to the U.S. and left her child in the other country, she got married. Her current husband does not know that she has a child. © senzafine1 / Reddit

• After my dad died, his best friend stepped up and helped out my mom. He’s been a great family friend since I was young. It’s been about 12 years since my dad passed, and I just found out a month ago that for about 8 years, my mom and my dad’s best friend have been dating.
  I always suspected it but assumed, since no one told me anything, nothing was happening. Turns out, no. My mom still has no idea I have a clue that they’re together. © Mooooofasa / Reddit

• My dad had a kid with his first wife’s best friend, and it took 20 years for it to surface. My mom was the babysitter for my dad’s first two kids while he was married to his first wife; she was 15, and he was 23.
  I have a half-sister who is 2 weeks younger than me, and I found out about her by discovering child support papers when I was 16. Her sister’s dad is our uncle, so she is also our cousin. Remember, my parents are still together. © Slade645 / Reddit

• My “stepbrother” is actually my half-brother from an affair 8 years before my parents split up.
  Dad didn’t know she had his kid but reached out to my stepmom after the divorce, and we were raised as step-siblings until one night when it all came out. Nobody else in the family knows. © Mediocre_Village8607 / Reddit

Some workplaces can feel like the setting of a suspenseful thriller or a never-ending Hollywood drama. In this collection, people share true stories from their jobs filled with twists and turns so unbelievable, they could be straight out of a movie.