Reddit Stories - BETRAYED_ UNVEILING My Mother's Secret Tryst in Our SANCTUARY_

Episode Date: June 15, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #familysecrets #betrayal #relationships #secretsrevealed #familydramaSummary: A shocking tale unfolds as a daughter uncovers her mother's secret affair in their sacred sanctuary. Betrayal, trust, and family dynamics collide in this gripping narrative of deception and revelation.Tags: redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, family, affair, betrayal, relationships, secrets, drama, trust, revelation, deception, mother, daughter, sanctuary, uncovering, shocking, narrativeBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

discovered my mother with a different gentleman in our family room, but she coerced me into maintaining her undisclosed information for an extended period of time, and currently my father, sibling, and spouse all have the impression that I helped her hide her affairs. My entire family is falling apart right now because of something that happened years ago, and I'm being blamed from all sides. I just need some outside perspective because I honestly don't know if I'm the bad guy here. For some background, I'm 25F, married to my husband Michael, 29M, for almost three years now. I have an older brother Alex, 36M, and until last week, I thought everything was okay, but I wouldn't be writing this if it was. So here's where it all went

wrong. When I was 12, I stayed home from school with a stomach bug. I had spent the whole night before throwing up, and by morning my fever was still pretty high. My dad was the one who noticed first, he always gets up at 5 a.m. for his job, and heard me in the bathroom. He called my school to let them know I wouldn't be coming in. My mom had been out late at a work event the night before and was still asleep when Dad left. He left a note on the kitchen counter about me staying homesick. Honestly, I'm not even sure if she read it. When she finally got up around 730, she seemed distracted, kept checking her phone, and then hurried out around 8 a.m. She didn't even know I was at home.

I fell asleep on the couch watching cartoons. When I woke up around 11 a.m., I needed to use the bathroom badly. I was in there for about 15 minutes with another round of stomach issues. I had just gotten back to the living room when I heard keys in the front door. I was about to call out, thinking maybe dad had come home early to check on me, but then I heard my mom's voice followed by a man's laugh that definitely wasn't my dad's. It sounded like they were already in the middle of a conversation about dinner plans later. I panicked instantly.

The way they were talking made it clear she didn't know that I was homesick. Without thinking, I slid behind the couch in the alcove of our living room. From there, they couldn't see me from the entryway, but I could see them through the gap between the couch and the wall. I know hiding sounds weird, but I was 12, scared, and just reacted instinctively. That's when I saw my mom come in with a man I didn't recognize. At first, I thought maybe it was someone from her office, but then they started kissing right there in our living room. I was completely frozen. They were touching each other and saying

things I didn't fully understand at that age, just feet away from where I was hiding. I wanted to make a noise or run away, but I was terrified and in shock. Eventually, they went upstairs to my parents' bedroom. I stayed hidden behind me. I stayed hidden behind the couch, crying silently, not sure what to do. After what felt like forever, I heard them coming back downstairs. The man left, and my mom went to the kitchen. I was still frozen behind the couch, but I must have made some noise because she came into the living room and found me there. When she saw me crying behind the couch, her face went completely white. She realized immediately that I'd seen everything. Instead of apologizing or explaining,

She grabbed my arms so hard at left marks that lasted for days and yanked me up from the floor. If you ever tell your father what you saw, I will make sure our family is destroyed, she hissed at me. She told me my dad would leave us, we'd lose our house, and it would be all my fault. She said I would be responsible for ruining everyone's lives. Then, in the strangest shift I've ever seen, she suddenly switched to being super nice. She sat me down, stroked my hair, and told me it was. was just a one-time mistake that would never happen again. She said every marriage had problems,

but that didn't mean the family should be torn apart. She told me I was being mature and protective by keeping the secret. She even made me my favorite lunch and bought me ice cream that afternoon. I was just a confused, scared 12-year-old. So I kept quiet for years. Throughout my teens, I tried a few times to talk to her about what happened. Each time went one of two ways. Either she'd burst into tears and make me feel like a monster for bringing it up, saying things like I thought we were past this and why do you want to hurt me? Or she'd get angry and remind me that telling Dad would ruin everything.

Sometimes after these conversations, she'd randomly buy me things I'd mentioned wanting or be extra nice to me for a few days. I started finding ways to be out of the house as much as possible. I joined every after-school club that would have me, spent weekends at friends' houses, took summer jobs that kept me busy. My dad noticed I was becoming distant and tried to talk to me about it several times, but I always brushed it off as normal teenage stuff. The guilt I felt every time he tried to connect with me was overwhelming. When I went to university, the distance was such a relief. I finally felt like I could breathe. That's where I

met Michael during my sophomore year. We dated for three years before getting married shortly after graduation. I never told him about my mom's affair. I honestly tried to push the whole thing out of my mind completely. I convinced myself it really had been a one-time thing like she claimed, and that bringing it up would only cause pain for everyone. Last weekend, my dad called a family meeting. He said it was important that everyone be there in person. Michael and I drove the two hours to my parents' house, and Alex was already there when we arrived. The atmosphere was to tense from the moment we walked in. Dad looked like he hadn't slept in days. His eyes were red-rimmed and he kept rubbing his face the way he does when he stressed. We all sat in the living room.

Dad cleared his throat several times before he could speak. He told us he was divorcing mom because he'd found out she'd been cheating on him with multiple men for years. He'd discovered it completely by accident. His phone had died while he was expecting an important call about a job, so he'd asked to use Mom's phone. While making the call, a message notification came through with an explicit photo and text that made it clear this wasn't a new relationship.

He confronted Mom, who initially denied everything. But when he threatened to go through her phone completely, she admitted to not just this affair, but several others over the years. Dad was devastated, and you could hear it in his voice as he told us all this.

Before I could process what was happening, my mom, who had been sitting silently in the corner, suddenly pointed at me and said, she's known all along. She caught me years ago and kept my secret. She supported my choices. Everyone turned to look at me. The shock and betrayal in my dad's eyes broke my heart. Alex looked disgusted. Michael just stared at me like he didn't know who I was anymore. I tried to explain that I was just a child who'd been threatened and manipulated into silence, but no one seemed to hear me. Mom kept talking over me, twisting everything to make it sound like we were co-conspirators

and deceiving Dad all these years. Your precious daughter has been helping me hide this for years. She didn't care about your feelings either, she said to my dad. Dad asked me to leave. He said he needed time to think. Alex wouldn't even look at me, he just stared at the floor, his jaw clenched. Michael was silent the entire drive home, and he's barely spoken to me since. When I tried to explain everything to him last night, he just said, I need some space to process

this and went to sleep in the guest room. I feel like I'm drowning. My mother manipulated me as a child, and now she's destroyed my relationship with everyone I love. But would telling my dad when I was 12 really have been better? I'd for not telling my dad about mom's affair all those years ago? Update, first, I want to thank everyone who commented on my original post. I didn't expect so many responses, and I'm sorry I couldn't reply to everyone individually. A lot of you pointed out that I was a victim of my mother's manipulation, which helped me feel

less crazy about the whole situation. Several others said I should have found a way to tell my dad once I became an adult, and honestly, you're probably right. I wish I had. To those asking why I didn't tell Michael about this before we got married, I genuinely tried to bury this memory. It's not that I was actively hiding it, it's more that I convinced myself it wasn't relevant anymore. That was clearly a mistake, and a lot of you called me out on that.

So, a lot has happened in the few days since my post. I was planning to reach out to my dad first based on many of your suggestions, but before I could, Michael decided it was time for a confrontation. The night after I posted here, Michael finally broke his silence. I was washing dishes, just going through the motions really, since neither of us had eaten much of the dinner I'd made. He stood in the kitchen doorway staring at me for what felt like forever. When I asked what was wrong, he said something that knocked the wind out of me. I'm completely reconsidering our marriage. I dropped the plate I was washing. It shattered

on the kitchen floor, but Michael didn't even flinch at the sound. He told me that he couldn't understand how I could hide something like my mother's affair for years, not just from my dad but from him too. He asked what other secrets I was keeping from him, and if he could ever really trust me again. The worst part was when he said, if you could protect your mother's disgusting behavior, how do I know you don't have the same tendency to cheat? I couldn't believe he was comparing me to my mother or suggesting I might cheat on him. We've never had trust issues before this. I tried explaining again that I was just a child when it happened, that my mother had threatened me, that I was scared. I told him how she'd manipulated me for years afterward,

making me feel responsible for keeping the family together. He just shook his head and said he needed some space. He packed a bag and went to stay with his brother. He hasn't come back yet, just send a few brief texts to let me know he's safe and thinking things through. I don't know what that means for us. Meanwhile, my dad texted me asking to meet. We're supposed to talk tomorrow at a diner near his work. I'm terrified, but at least he's willing to hear me out. I have no idea what to expect from that conversation. My brother Alex still won't answer my calls or texts. I've tried reaching out several times, but it's like I've been completely cut off. I don't know if he'll ever speak to me again. I've been sleeping badly. I've been sleeping badly.

barely eating, and had to call in sick to work for the first time in years because I just couldn't function. I feel like I'm watching my entire life crumble around me, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. All because of a secret I was forced to keep as a child, and then was too scared or too stupid to reveal as an adult. I'll update again after I talk to my dad, if anyone's interested. Thank you all again for your support and for helping me see that I'm not completely to blame here, even if I did make mistakes along the way. Update 2, I met with my dad yesterday at the diner near his office. He'd taken the day off work, which isn't something he does lightly, in 30 years at his company.

I think he's called in sick maybe five times total. When I arrived, he looked exhausted with dark circles under his eyes and his usual meat appearance was disheveled. But he gave me a small smile when I walked in that gave me a tiny bit of hope. I started talking before I even sat down, desperate to explain. But Dad held up his hand and told me to breathe first. We ordered coffee, and then he asked me to tell him exactly what happened when I was 12. So I did.

I told him everything. I told him about mom grabbing my arm and threatening me afterward, and how she manipulated me for years with either guilt or fear whenever I brought it up. I showed him the text messages from over the years where she would randomly bring up our special secret if she thought I might tell someone. What happened next shocked me. Dad reached across the table, took my hand, and said, I believe you. Just like that. No questions, no accusations. He said I was just a child doing what seemed right at the time, trying to protect our family the only way I knew how. He apologized to me, can you believe that? He apologized to me for not noticing what was happening and for not creating an environment where I felt safe telling him the

truth. Then he told me something I never knew. This wasn't Mom's first affair. When Alex was 14, it would have been just three, he witnessed something similar and told Dad about it immediately. Dad confronted Mom, who denied everything and convinced him Alex was making it up for attention because he was jealous of the new baby, me. She was so convincing that Dad believed her over Alex. For weeks afterward, mom treated Alex horribly, criticizing him constantly, ignoring him when he needed something, making him feel like an outsider in our home. Dad said he noticed it happening but thought it was just Alex being difficult because of teenage hormones. Eventually, Alex recanted his story just to make the punishment stop. Dad said he realized years

later that Alex had probably been telling the truth, but by then the moment had passed, and he'd convinced himself it was better to move forward than to reopen old wounds. That's why Alex reacted so strongly at the family meeting. It wasn't just about me keeping Mom's secret, it was also his trauma being triggered. He tried to do the right thing and got punished for it, while from his perspective, I stayed quiet and became Mom's favorite. After our coffee, Dad called Alex and asked him to join us. When he arrived about 20 minutes later, he looked guarded and angry, barely acknowledging me. But Dad quickly explained what we talked about, including the part about me being physically threatened as a child.

Alex's expression changed completely. Alex broke down and apologized to me for not standing up for me at the confrontation. He said he should have known Mom would have used the same tactics on me that she used on him. He admitted that for years he'd resented me for being Mom's favorite when in reality, she was just manipulating both of us differently. We both cried, and for the first one, time in our adult lives, we really talked about our experiences with mom's manipulation. We realized that mom had been playing us against each other our entire lives.

She'd tell me that Alex was saying negative things about me behind my back, and presumably did the same to him about me. All those times I thought my brother just didn't like me. It was her creating divisions so we wouldn't compare notes about her behavior. Both Dad and Alex have decided to cut Mom out of their lives completely. Dad's divorce lawyer has advised him not to have any contact with her outside of necessary legal communications. Alex showed us the message he'd sent to Mom that morning, where he called her the most

manipulative woman who never deserved to have children and told her he was blocking her number, which he did right there at the table. As for Michael, that's still unresolved. I came home to an empty house after meeting with Dad and Alex. Michael texted to say he's still processing everything and needs more time. His brother called me to say that Michael is really torn up but wouldn't give me any more details. I don't know what that means for our marriage. I haven't heard anything directly from my mother since the confrontation, though she's

been trying to call constantly. I've been letting it go to voicemail. She's left messages alternating between crying and saying she's sorry, to angrily telling me that I'm ungrateful and that she'll never forgive me for turning everyone against her. I'll update again when I know more about where things stand with Michael. Right now, I'm just relieved that at least my dad and brother understand what happened. Update 3, this will probably be my last update on this situation, as things have mostly resolved now, though it's going to take time to heal completely.

After my meeting with Dad and Alex, I was preparing myself for a difficult conversation with Michael. I was honestly expecting the worst that he'd want a separation or divorce. I spent the whole time rehearsing what I would say to him, trying to explain again that I was a victim in all this, not an accomplice. I barely slept, just staring at the ceiling and occasionally checking my phone to see if he'd messaged. He hadn't. But before I could talk to Michael, Alex stepped in. Without telling me, he contacted Michael and asked to meet him for a beer. I only found out about this later, but apparently they met at a bar near Michael's brother's place. During that meeting, Alex told Michael about his own experience with our mother when he was 14, and how she had manipulated and threatened him just like she did to me. He showed Michael old

text messages from Mom that had the same manipulation tactics she used with me. Apparently, hearing the same story from Alex made something click for Michael. He came home late that night around 1 a.m., and I was still awake, sitting on the couch staring at nothing, surrounded by used tissues. When he saw me, his face just crumpled. He sat down next to me and started apologizing. I was a terrible, accusatory idiot who only made everything worse instead of supporting you, he said. He explained that he'd been in shock when my mother made her accusation at the family meeting, and instead of thinking clearly, he'd let his imagination run wild with worst-case scenarios. He admitted that he'd been feeling insecure in our relationship lately, completely

unrelated to anything I'd done, just work stressed that he'd been internalizing, and that insecurity had made him vulnerable to doubting me. Michael also confessed that his parents had separated briefly when he was a teenager because of his father's infidelity, which I knew about, but what I didn't know was that his mother had asked him to lie to family members about why his dad wasn't living at home. He said that experience had left him with a deep fear of being lied to in relationships, and when he heard about me keeping the secret of my mother's affair, it triggered all those old feelings. We talked until sunrise. Michael has promised to go to couples counseling with me. Not because our relationship is broken, but because he wants to make sure he never fails to support me

like that again. He's also suggested I might benefit from individual therapy to help process the years of manipulation from my mother. I'm considering it. As for my mother, she's been trying to contact me constantly. Calls, texts, even showing up at our house once when I was at work, Michael told her to leave or he'd call the police. The messages range from apologetic to threatening, often in the same voicemail. In one particularly disturbing message she left yesterday, she said, you're just as pathetic as your father, thinking you're better than me when you're nothing without me. I've blocked her number now, and we're looking into whether we need some kind of restraining order since she won't respect our boundaries.

She's even tried contacting some of my friends to get them to talk to me, telling them I'm having a mental breakdown and need intervention. My dad's divorce is proceeding pretty slowly. His lawyer says mom won't get much given the circumstances of the marriage ending and the documented history of affairs. Dad seems lighter already, despite the stress of the legal proceedings. He's staying with a friend for now, but is looking for an apartment. He told me he feels like he can finally breathe again.

Alex and I have been talking more in the past week than we have in years. We've been comparing stories about growing up with mom and realizing how much of our childhood was shaped by her manipulation. He told me he always felt like mom favored me, which created a distance between us growing up. So that's where things stand. My marriage is healing slowly, my relationship with my dad and brother is stronger than ever,

and my mother is out of my life. It's not a perfect ending, there's still a lot of pain and trust to rebuild, but it's a start. Thank you to everyone who offered support and advice. This community helped me realize I wasn't crazy or wrong for what happened when I was 12, and gave me the courage to stand up for myself now.