Unsplash | Paola Chaaya

People Reveal Their Most Life-Ruining Secrets

Everyone has secrets — yes, even you! We all know that you secretly still listen to Reel Big Fish, and yes, you should be ashamed of that fact!

However, there are people who have slightly more extreme and dangerous secrets that could negatively impact their life if they were to get out. One Reddit user sought to find out some of these secrets by posing Reddit the simple question: "What secret could ruin your life?"

I have gathered for you here, the most unbelievable and disarming secrets that will make your secret Reel Big Fish addiction seem like small fry!

Infidelity And Tragedy

Instagram | alexandrahouse_spa

"I was cheating on my wife with a coworker. It went on for months, and I never really cared for the woman I was cheating with. She was super hot, though. After a while, my coworker started getting really crazy and threatening to tell my wife (whom I had a child with and a baby on the way) about everything.

"Obviously, I kept trying to cut things off because I realized I was making a mistake. She lost it one night and was freaking out and texting me telling me she was going to come to my house, and a drunk driver hit her. She died instantly. No one knows I was having an affair, and my family went to her funeral." —thathappenedthrowawa

The fact that you felt the need to add, "She was super hot, though," doesn't smack of remorse if I'm honest.

Strange Fetishes

Instagram | magnolia_creative_designs

"So, don't really know how to start this off, but... I'm attracted to beds [...] I modified my twin bed towards the end of high school, essentially tearing the fabric, shoving some pillows in the side, and make a little hole that I could insert myself into.

I've always known that the behavior is odd, but I can't help myself. Nowadays, I live with my girlfriend. I don't have that twin bed anymore, but anytime we have sex, it has to be on a bed. If it's not, I can't get hard. Needless to say, if this got out, it'd truly f*ck me over." — TABedLover

This might be a bit weird, but it's a fairly innocuous fetish to have considering. I think you could probably explain this to your girlfriend if you really love her, though that's much easier said than done.

Attempted Murder

Instagram | northeastnightmare

"When I was about five years old, my sister (2 years old) and I were in the backyard in a kiddie pool, when my mom went inside, I attempted to drown my sister. After I saw her lifeless, I realized that it was a big mistake, pulled her out of the pool and called for my mom. Luckily she knew CPR and she was life-flighted to the hospital.

My mom thanked me for saving her, pulling her out of the pool. Next week was my birthday, the police, firefighters, paramedics came to my house to give me gifts and celebrate my birthday." — throwaway4evernever4

They went on to say that they still think about this day 20 years later. Thank goodness they had that moment of realization.

Being Overpaid (World's smallest violin starts playing)

Instagram | doggo_pc_tech

"I get paid a six-figure salary for a standard 40 hour a week corporate job for a massive well-known company. In a given week I do maybe an hour of actual work, the rest of the time I am on Reddit or youtube slacking off. I thought when I got this job that eventually someone would figure out I don't do anything all day but here I am 14 years later still doing f**k all and getting paid a lot for it." — VR61661

Surely you could hire someone else to do that one hour of work for you!

Drug Use

Instagram | eurekavapor

"That until a week ago, I was a heroin user. I'd lose my kid, my family, my job. Everything. Finally just finished the worst of the detox, here's to keeping on keeping on. I don't think I'll ever tell them, even though I am currently clean and have no desire to go back.

"F**k is it hard to go through it completely alone." — GoneCountry87

Anyone can turn away from addiction with the right support network. Doing it alone is very difficult but not impossible.

Working In Gay Porn

Instagram | 100lame

"15 years ago — between jobs — I took a short term gig helping a large Gay Porn company — assisting them in resolving some performance issues on their website.

"It was supposed to be only 2 weeks. That was 15 years ago. No one in my extended family knows that I work in Gay Porn, let alone know that I'm in charge of everything except video production." — GayPornPerson

Well, I guess their name checks out in the most innocent way possible. Also, a job is a job at the end of the day!

Suicide Attempts

Unsplash | Jon Tyson

"This is gonna get buried but, I am depressed and suicidal. Last summer I tried to kill my self. I put a gun in my mouth. The only thing that stopped me was my cat happened to walk into the closet where I was. If anyone in real life saw this, they would treat me like I'm a landmine about to explode." — TheCakeAnarchy

Society is rife with cases of depression nowadays, and it is nothing to feel self-conscious about or nervous about disclosing.

There are support networks out there, and more often than not, if you trust a best friend with this sort of information, they will be able to help and simply sharing can help you as well.

Forging Transcripts

Instagram | thebeautifullymade1

"I forged my high school transcripts to get into university. I can't even think about the consequences of my actions if anyone were to ever find out. I'm 3 weeks shy of graduating with a degree in biology." — audioslacker

This person is a real-life inspiration to all Suits fans. If there are any Suits fans left at this point, that is?

Drug Debts

Instagram | howdypartner79

"I am in serious debt because of a drug addiction I used to have of which my family didn't know I had, I'm almost 2 years clean now but I can hardly pay any bills I have and I'm afraid to ask any family member for money because I know I can't pay them back in the near future" — jar0dinges

It is amazing that this person has managed to leave their addiction behind. Hopefully, they can find a way to break free of their past which doesn't destroy the new life they've managed to create.

Taking Down Child Pornographers

Instagram | fidalgodev

"I own accounts on multiple sites dedicated to taking down child pornographers.

If anyone knew who I was, I imagine there would be a lot of perverts wanting revenge, and I don't want to put anyone at risk." — burnafterreading7890

It's good to know that this person is dedicating their life to making the world a safer place for children.

Potentially Dangerous Student

Unsplash | Shubham Sharan

"There is an autistic kid at school, he keeps telling me he is going to shoot up the school, constantly asks if I want it, I always get scared and say no, he says he will not shoot me and shoot girls so I can have them. He says he wants to join Isis and become a terrorist.

The thing is, is that he is either making really dark jokes, or he is just very mentally handicapped, I would feel like garbage if I told on him because I don't want the autistic kid to get in trouble, he might not know what he is talking about, but at the same time if he does something I don't think I would be able to live with myself..." — Adewotta

The person who wrote this posted an update saying that she told the dean, and now the child is no longer attending school.

Don't Care About Work

Unsplash | Tonny Tran

"Possibly the most relatable. I don't care about the company or my work beyond a professional level, I don't buy into 'the mission' at all and the only reason I don't want the place to go belly up is so I don't lose my job.

If corporate heard this, it could ruin your life because a lot have bought into/force-feed the delusion that work=life. Hell, I know people who have been clearly shoved out of companies because of this (tech is really bad about it) [...] I don't care about the company or 'changing the world' so I won't do it for free."

It is surprising how many answers in this vein popped up. For a lot of people, work is simply a means to an end, which is why it is important to get a job you care about if you can!

Religious Disillusionment

Instagram | dieceux

"Ok, so my family are super religious, especially my mother. She wants me to be religious too, but I've become a bit disillusioned with religion. I know this would kill her, simply for the fact that she's a refugee and her reliance on a higher power has gotten her through all of her struggles and strife without even a lick of PTSD. She's a single mother also and I just admire her so much getting to where she has without any help. I just don't think I'd ever tell her that I haven't been praying five times a day or even thinking about God in any way." — throwawaylalalalajne

Religion can be useful for some people to cope with the strains of life, but it should never be something someone is forced into.

Childhood Sexual Assault

Unsplash | Paola Chaaya

"When I was ten, my cousin sexually molested me during a sleepover at my aunt's house. My aunt walked in on her molesting me and took me away from her. However, since that day it was never talked about within my family and everyone acts like that day never existed." — throwthehellaway6

There are a variety of anonymous helplines online to help people struggling with traumas such as those that occur as children.

Secretly Taking Off Her Hijab

Instagram | pnsmudacantik

"On social media, I wear the hijab. In front of all my parents, other family, most of my friends, I wear a hijab. Here's my story: When I graduated two years ago I decided to look for a job, and I wasn't able to land anything. I came up with the idea to start interviewing without wearing one, and once I get an offer I'd start wearing it again.

"I ended up getting two great job offers (which made me really sad that my theory of taking it off and easily finding a job was true). I took one and haven't worn it to work at all. I don't know what happened in the mix of things. I guess I started to like the attention men gave me and I actually felt like I belonged/normal with my peers. It was a feeling I've never felt. Everyone started treating me different as if I was worth speaking to. I don't get weird looks anymore, I don't get asked weird questions." — throwaway_918274

The idea that someone would offer her a job while she isn't wearing the hijab but wouldn't when she was is very unsettling. This person went on to say that she is scared of what her family will think if they find out.

Cold Feet

Instagram | .wickedfeet.

"I'm roughly 5 years into a relationship and still have no idea if I want to marry the girl." — down_the-drain

Marriage is not something that you want to rush into, and nor should that commitment be taken lightly. It can take a long time to feel ready to make that decision.

Police Looking The Other Way

Instagram | tustinpolice

"As a Police Officer, I rarely if ever arrest people for possession of marijuana. Something that if found out would probably get me ostracized and possibly fired since I work in a conservative department." — throwawayalldown

This person went on to say that there are actually a lot of police officers who share in this ideal, but it is not widely accepted behavior.

Sleeping With A Teacher

Unsplash | kyo azuma

"Edit to a previous post: I had a relationship with a teacher from my school, I think it wouldn't ruin my life but take a lot of people from my life who would judge me (because they knew him) and there was such an age difference. I also think it could ruin his career because I have some messages of him admitting to checking me out and things of that sort while I was still a student. I'm holding on to those."

Altar Boy

Instagram | @lastcenturyestsy

"When I was a kid, I was an altar boy," this person shares, "I stole money from the collection plate."

Cam Girl

Unsplash | Émile Perron

"I sometimes go on Chaturbate and sell myself," this woman writes, "I am a plus size girl and very comfortable with my sexuality. I have made lots of money on the site. Sometimes I wish I could tell my friends but I think they wouldn't look at me the same way."

Hacker

Unsplash | Petter Lagson

"I'm using a proxy to access websites that are blocked," this person writes, "I live in an Islamic country so if the police find out about it, I could get arrested."

Sister Sister

Instagram | @preschooliscool

"I want my sister to die," this woman reveals, "Physically I couldn't kill her, I'm not homicidal. But I wouldn't be upset if she were wiped off the earth under any circumstance. She was horrible to me as kids but then she changed when we got older and we became very close. I noticed though that she always had some kind of 'victim around.' A couple of years ago I found out her daughter had been repeatedly raped by her step-dad, my sister's husband. My sister knew about the abuse and did nothing until my niece found help on her own."

In Sickness And In Health

Instagram | @lifeaccordingtomaggie

"The plain truth is that I can't deal with the pain of the disease," this person writes, "My daughters can't accept that I am so sick. My husband can't conceive of losing me...but I'm sick and I am going to die. And I'd be at peace if they could be okay without me."

Craigslist

Unsplash | Kelly Sikkema

"I had a baby with sperm donated from a man who advertised on craigslist," this woman shares, "If my very religious family found out it wasn't an "accident" I would be completely shunned and disowned."

Theft

Instagram | @kittendoll

"I stole a bunch of money from my in-laws," this man shares, "In my mind, I feel justified and have tenuous plans to make it right one day when I can. However, if it was found out my wife would probably kill me and I'd never be able to face my in-laws again."

Cousins

Instagram | @rosiesblings

"I've been in a strictly sexual relationship with a first cousin for the last five years," this person reveals, "We only ever saw each other once or twice a year growing up before she moved to the other side of the country and then never really saw or interacted with each other again until 5 years ago when she moved back. What started as us meeting up once in a while has become a regular thing in the last few months. It's escalated to the point where we're now sexting each other.I'm scared to death of what might happen if anyone in our family finds out but I don't want to stop what's happening either."

Sexual Activity

"I've slept with ALOT of guys ranging from 20-75. My parents would trip because they're really conservative. Also, I'm 18 years old and a dude." -Bluemacaroons

Disability

"Finding out that I have a mental disability and my whole life people have hidden it from me (treated me the same as if I was normal). -[deleted]

Sugar Baby

Flickr | yourdiningcenter

"2 years ago for 4 months, I was an escort/sugar baby (money given to a mistress in my country is considered a gift and tax-free on her part)

I needed the money badly, I hadn't eaten a proper 3 meals for a while and couldn't get work at all. My first week I made $2000 for a weekend's work. I didn't hate it either." -Marie-Antoinette

Dark Fantasies

"I can only get aroused if I pretend I'm a child being abused. I'm female and definitely not a child abuser. I don't know if I was abused as a child, I have hazy memories. Real children have nothing to do with my fantasies, but my lustful fantasies sicken me. I would never dare tell anyone this, not even a therapist." -[deleted]

Homophobic

Unsplash | Steve Johnson

"I'm gay and a lot of my family/"friends" are pretty homophobic. I know it's far too late for this to be noticed in the thread but It just feels good to say it." -monsterbashhh

Secret Child

Instagram | @veronicambaxter

"There is a super high possibility that I have a child," this man admits, "A girl I was with, who turned out to be crazy, lied about being on birth control. The times line up almost too good and it looks kind of like me. Since then she has been married and she and her husband seem happy together so I've never worried about it."

Blackmailed With Photos

Instagram | polaroidarte

"Some guy convinced naive 15-year-old me to send nudes and then used it against me for 6 months [...] He would make me get online whenever he asked and have me masturbate for him. He even tried to get me to meet up with him in person. I got really lucky when his profiles just disappeared one day and I took that opportunity to delete every social media account I had. I haven't gone back since and I never will. It really f**ked me up for a while but I don't really have anyone to blame but myself. It's been 6 years since and I still haven't told anyone I know this story." — justcasuallydying

You are not to blame here, the disgusting person who abused and blackmailed a 15-year-old is the one to blame.

Causing The Death Of Family Members

Instagram | steve_parkes83

"When I was 8 years old, I couldn't sleep at night so I was just walking around the house, looking for something to do. It was winter, so there was a fire in the fireplace. I started playing with it, throwing stuff into it, watching how it burns. At one point, a big log rolled out of the fireplace. As a kid, I started to panic. I tried to cover it with a blanket, then ran out to the kitchen to get some water.

When I came back, the whole living room was on fire, it was a wooden house. I was terrified, ran out of the house. Literally within a minute, it was burning like crazy. My older sister, younger brother, and mom who was pregnant at the time, all died instantly. Dad was working a night shift [...] and a few weeks later shot himself, I found his body. I've been living with my grandparents ever since." — dtsalkthrowaway