We've all kept secrets from others, even from our nearest and dearest.
In most cases, we keep hidden information that we know might hurt them, believing that they are better off not knowing.
Other times, it's keeping a truth about ourselves that we hope will never become public knowledge.
Things about ourselves that we might be ashamed or embarrassed about, but haven't yet found the courage or willpower to speak to anyone about.
No matter how painful keeping it to ourselves is.
Redditor ooMEAToo was curious to hear the secrets people have kept to themselves which they still have yet to tell a single soul, leading them to ask:
What dark secret are you hiding from everyone?
The Truth About Family
"Last Christmas I learned my Sister and I don’t have the same father and are technically half-sisters."
"My sister's biological father tried to start a relationship with my mom that resulted in a pregnancy and ultimately didn’t work out."
"That biological father is dead now but I didn’t probe any further about his identity or how he died in case it was something traumatic for my mom to remember."
"So she raised my sister as a single mother at my grandma's house in the 80s, then she met my father, and they started dating, and it worked out because they got married in the 90s, moved into a new house, and a short time after that I was born."
"She told me never call my sister my half-sister and just pretend all of this doesn’t matter because she’s my sister and I’m keeping it that way, and if anyone asks about the 10-year age gap I just tell them 'it’s a long story'."- queenofspoons
Adoption Papers
"I found my adoption papers a few years ago when I was looking for a copy of my birth certificate."
"I know my birth mom, I just never had a relationship with her."
"My maternal grandmother took me in in 2002, I never knew she adopted me I just knew that one day I ended up living with her after telling her one day I don’t want to go back home lol."
"I also found the letter that my mom wrote as to why she was giving me up."
"That one really hurt."
"My grandma is really the sweetest person ever i’m forever grateful for her."
"But I just wanted to say now that I’m older I understand why my mom did what she did and believe it or not we actually have a cordial relationship now lol."- kcolxx93
Framed
"When I was a teenager, I worked at a novelty tourist shop near me."
"Being the idiot that I was, I stole a wad of cash from the store. It was $100 in ones."
"I told nobody, but they knew it was missing."
"Right about the same time, a coworker who was always trying to get me fired was telling someone she got about $100 in tips from her other job."
"They ended up firing her because they didn’t trust that it wasn’t her."- sdr79
Two Secrets Of Shame
"When I was young, probably around age 9 or 10, I was walking home with my dog from a house around the block when he cut the corner and walked diagonally through the yard of this super mean old lady who live at the end of your street."
"She was in her yard at the time tending to these really fancy-looking rose bushes she had growing in beds along the border with her neighbor."
"My Dog was a very friendly golden retriever who didn't even really come near her and certainly didn't do anything threatening, but she sprayed the f*ck out of him with some kind of insecticide or other chemical she was using on her roses."
"I ran back home with the dog and hosed him off."
"He coughed a bunch, but seemed otherwise fine."
"I didn't tell my parents because somehow I thought I was going to get into trouble for letting the dog walk in her yard."
"I'm glad I didn't tell them, though, because I decided that night to sneak downstairs, out the half-bath window, and down the street to her yard where I cut down every g*ddamn rose bush I could get my hands on."- squeamish
At Least It Wasn't Intentional
"I had an IBS attack once and had to violently sh*t in a church grounds behind someone’s car."
"Used underwear to wipe too and left that there."
"Not proud."- gotanycrisps
Eating Disorders
"I've struggled with disordered eating for at least a decade."
"It ebbs and flows."
"I know it's unhealthy, but the toxic part of me loves the feeling of being empty."
"Several years ago it was really bad."
"I was at my lowest weight ever, I had brain fog, difficulty breathing."
"When I started eating again my stomach would get really bloated even if I only ate a small amount."
"I gained weight in the last year or so and my depression and anxiety got really bad for a while."
"My family thinks I don't want to spend time with them."
"However, it was easier on me mentally to just stay home."
"I can feel myself slipping back into my old disordered eating habits unfortunately."- Miss_Skywalker_
If These Walls Could Talk...
"My wife, her mom and I bought a house about two years ago, just from talking to the neighbors I’d gathered that the family who lived here before had a daughter that was mixed up with the wrong people."
"We had some random person knock on our door at night saying he needed gas, we are down a long driveway, no way you’d randomly walk up to OUR house to ask for help."
"I think he was looking for the people who used to live here."
"And then another time Sunday morning making pancakes for the family I get a knock on the door, and it’s 4 sheriffs officers saying they received a 911 call that hung up and it was from the house."
"We don’t have a landline and I assured them my wife and 2-year-old did not make any call."
"They mentioned a name of the previous occupants, and I let them know we moved in earlier this year and they seemed ok with that and left."
"Anyways I was doing some yard work and struck up conversation with the neighbor."
"He saw the police cars and asked what was up."
"I told him the situation and he just goes 'oh yah that family was messed up, the cops were probably being cautious considering the shooting'."
"'What shooting', I ask."
"He kinda looks at me with a sad worried face 'the shooting in your house'."
"'Wait, what?' I say truly baffled."
"He then proceeds to tell me that about two years before the father in the house confronted his daughter and boyfriend he didn’t like and shot and killed the boyfriend in the house."
"Our state doesn’t have a disclosure law so we never knew."
"I was blown away, all the strange happenings kinda made sense now."
"He said the friends of the victim had kinda terrorized them for a while cause the police were taking so long to press charges, slashed tiers, midnight fireworks odd shit that the neighbors hated."
"I was shocked but just said 'that’s crazy, but hey do me a favor and never tell my wife or MIL about that, they are a little spooked by things like that'.”
"So the TRDL is that we live in a murder house and I’m the only one of my family that knows."- dirtbagmagee
Family They Have Never Met
"My brother and I did a 23 and me."
"We discovered we have a half-sibling, same father, who is older than us."
"I messaged them but no reply."
"Since the half sibling is older, it was during my father’s military career."
"Which was short lived because he got a dishonorable discharge that he hides from his family still."- Successful-Remove738
"My grandpa was stationed in Okinawa, Japan during the Korean war, while in the Marines."
"He hooked up with a woman there, and she got pregnant."
"So, I have a Japanese aunt and a few cousins, in Japan, whom I’ve never met before."- Cardinal270
Grief Upon Grief
"Not a huge secret in comparison to some of these answers, but I feel the guilt of it often."
"After my fiancé passed, I napped all the time for over a year."
"My aunt was calling me one day and I just denied her call, went back to napping."
"It was my aunt calling because my grandma, who was very sick with cancer, wanted to say happy birthday a day before my birthday."
"Grandma died the next day."
"I should have picked up the damn phone."- JulietAlfa
For What, Though?
"I owe the bank 100k."- markoshenov
It's Ok to Be Busy
"I never have 'other plans' that I just can't cancel."-_GGfighter_·
Not everyone needs to know every single detail of your life.
With this in mind, though, always know that there is always someone who is willing to lend an ear and a helping hand.
Even a shoulder to cry on should you need it.