No matter how certain we are about a tale or how well we think we can predict its outcome, there is always an unforeseen twist that will catch us off guard, testing all we think we know about life or our loved ones. Each story in this book includes a big surprise that reshapes the narrative, turning it completely on its head.

Story 1: 

I was with my 5 y.o. son waiting for our flight when he got lost. Panicked, I called his dad, and he rushed over to help search for him. 2 hours later, a woman in her 30s found him at the airport. 20 years later, as I was telling a friend about this kind stranger, my son turned and said, “She wasn’t a stranger. Dad knew her!” I froze as he added, “I wasn’t lost that day. Dad took me, and she was there at the airport waiting for him with two suitcases—one for her and one for him. She and Dad were planning to run away and take me with them.”

I was sh0cked. At the time, my husband and I were struggling in our relationship, but I never imagined it had gone this far. I asked my son why he hadn’t told me, and he said he didn’t want to ruin our marriage, especially since we eventually worked things out. But as he got older, he put the pieces together and was certain the woman was Dad’s lover, especially since he remembered seeing them kiss.

I confronted my husband, and he broke down in tears. He admitted he had planned to leave with her and take our son, but at the last moment, the woman panicked and decided to return my son to me. Now, my whole world feels shattered, and I can’t shake the feeling that my entire marriage was a li:e.

Story 2: 

Story 3: 

My mom shows up at my grandmother’s house randomly. They’ve been estranged for a few years. My mom is 57, and my grandmother is 75. My grandmother says she doesn’t want to speak, that she’s getting ready for work, and to call if she needs to talk. My mother proceeds to scream at my grandmother, then puts something on my grandmother’s car and leaves.

It’s a paternity test, saying her father is not her father. © JEC2eec / Reddit

Story 4: 

I had a little crush on this girl. After a couple of months, we started texting each other. After a few weeks, things started to get more serious, and she asked me to send a picture, so I did. We have a mutual friend who has a phone number similar to mine.

She thought she was talking to the other friend, who was a girl. So, not only did she not know it was me, but I also found out she was not interested in men. © BeeHammer / Reddit

Story 5:

I got a concussion at wrestling practice. I drove home (really bad idea, I was seeing like three roads but wasn’t coherent enough to realize that was a bad idea if that makes sense), called my parents, and went to the hospital. Turns out, I not only had a really bad concussion, but I also had spinal meningitis. The doctor said that if I hadn’t gotten there when I did, and had I continued to wrestle, I could have gotten seriously ill. © DGD11 / Reddit

Story 6: 

We were together for 8 years, married for 3. She cheated on me while draining our bank account and met the girl on Tinder. I just found all this out. It happened while I was sitting at home with our dog, doing his laundry, and planning our anniversary trip. © cucumberbun / Reddit

Story 7: 

Story 8:

My high school friend started texting with a girl named Cheska who said she got his number off of a common friend. The girl became super flirty, and he immediately fell for her, without even meeting her. This was a time before social media, so he didn’t even know what she looked like.

They texted for a month, and come October, she came clean. Apparently, Cheska was a guy named Rudolph, and he was just trying to mess with my friend. He got tired of the game and just wanted to stop. I can’t forget the scene of my friend crying on our school bench, listening to “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” while I tried to balance consoling him and not laughing.
© slitchz / Reddit

Story 9: 

My friend was seeing a guy she had been crazy about for years. They traveled together, spent most nights together, and were talking about starting a family. One day, he texted to say he and his other girlfriend were engaged, so he couldn’t see her anymore. He pretended that my friend knew about her all along and told her she was unreasonable for being upset.
© SaltedCaramel2 / Reddit

Story 10: 

After my dad passed away, my brother did our Ancestry line for fun. We found out we had a half-brother that my father didn’t acknowledge. He was married before my mom, which we also didn’t know. We started a relationship with him and his family, and all was well for a while… but now we realize he’s a complete tool who constantly borrows money, annoys everyone when things don’t go his way, and just makes our lives miserable in general. I truly wish I had never met him.
© NTXhomebaker / Reddit

Story 11:

Story 12: 

My dad came from a very dysfunctional family. He was younger than his siblings by quite a few years. His sister is 14 years older than he is, and he’s always been very close to her. She has always been a good sister to him, the best she can after her childhood trauma.

A few months ago, I was talking to a friend of mine who had known my dad for 50 years. He very casually dropped his theory that my aunt is my dad’s mother, that she had gotten pregnant very young and been sent away, then returned with a baby that they raised as her little brother.

It was one of those things that are so simple I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.