47 Shocking Family Secrets People Discovered That They Really, Really Weren’t Supposed To Know

11.

“I’ve learned that my family is full of secrets, some really dark. I’ll share this one; I learned when I was a teenager that my Nan and my great-aunt (they’re twins) married their biological brothers and had children with them. They each had multiple miscarriages, and the babies that made it to term and were born died shortly after — all but one. My Nan’s first daughter (my eldest aunt) is a product of incest and is still living today. My Nan is especially close with her and sort of obsessed with her. She holds her in higher regard than anyone else, including her other kin. They have a very twisted, codependent relationship.”

“The only reason my Nan and great-aunt ended up with different men (my Nan with my granddad) is because a distant relative found out about the incestuous affairs and contacted the brothers’ higher-ups to report their marriages (they were in the military). They were dishonorably discharged, and the news of why spread. It became a public shame, which led to divorce. My Nan’s brother/ex-husband hung around even after she remarried to my grandfather, who knew everything. Sadly, it’s come out since his passing that she never really loved my granddad, and she was never happy with him. She was severely abusive to my mom and her siblings, save for the eldest. Super toxic.

How this truth came to light in our family is because my aunt (not the incestuous one) was looking through an old trunk she found in the attic, and she discovered a bunch of paperwork, photos, certificates — you name it. The most damning evidence was birth certificates of deceased children belonging to my Nan and her brother, including the surviving child, their eldest sister. What’s interesting is that her birth certificate has a different name on it. Anyway, my aunt spilled the beans to my mom and their brother, and it’s since made its way down the line.”

—u/between-pages