Woman Hides Child from Family Her Whole Life – Daughter-In-Law Finds Out the Truth in Her Old Diary

There is often a hidden secret under the pretenses of every “perfect” family. When one woman sorted her late mother-in-law’s old stuff, she made a shocking discovery and had no idea how to proceed.

Long forgotten and buried pasts have a way of resurfacing when one least expects it. Whether you or a relative harbored memories you’d much rather leave alone, the truth finds a way to be told.

Have you ever stumbled upon startling news that left you speechless? One woman did. She asked netizens for advice about what to do next and eventually revealed the whole story—it was more unbelievable than anyone imagined.

A woman sorting things into boxes. | Source: flickr.com

SORTING THROUGH HER THINGS

A startled woman turned to strangers on the internet when she needed advice. After her mother-in-law passed away, she was asked to go through her things. While the woman wasn’t close with her husband’s mom, she was happy to help.

The woman thought the first revelation was shocking enough, but there was another chapter to her mother-in-law’s story that left her utterly speechless.

Her spouse of eight years, sister-in-law, and father-in-law were grieving, and it was an emotional time for the family. The woman made her way through her late mom in laws possessions and didn’t have any issues at first.

A woman sorting things into boxes. | Source: flickr.com

SHE FOUND MORE THAN EXPECTED

Things took a shocking turn when the woman stumbled upon an odd-looking book. She shared:

“I know it’s my fault for being nosy, but I didn’t know what it was and it looked different from anything else she would’ve owned.”

The woman soon realized it was her mother-in-law’s diary from the 1980s. Curious about the book’s love stories and long-forgotten memories, the woman read a few pages. Quickly she learned information she wished she never found.

A woman reading a book. | Source: flickr.com

THE INFORMATION SHOCKED HER

Turning to Reddit, the woman wrote: “This is quite a mess I’ve gotten myself into, so I need advice.” In the diary, her mother-in-law spoke about issues she faced with her “eldest daughter.”

The information surprised the woman because she had never heard of this sibling before. The timelines also didn’t make sense, so the woman continued reading. She said:

“It turns out that [my mother-in-law] not only had another child, but she was married to an entirely different person other than [my father-in-law].”

An old diary. | Source: flickr.com

THE DARKEST SECRET

The woman couldn’t believe her eyes because her late mom-in-law was always so proud of only having been married once. She also learned that her husband’s mom sent her secret daughter to a reform camp.

However, it didn’t fix her behavior, and the daughter eventually ran away. Her mother-in-law was furious and blamed her ex-husband, which led to their divorce. The diary also included evidence of the long-lost child.

A birth certificate and picture confirmed that her husband had another sibling he was unaware of. The woman couldn’t imagine breaking the news to her spouse and his family, who were still grieving. She added:

“I’m now stuck with [my mother-in-law’s] darkest secret and I have no idea what to do [with it] or even if I should tell anyone.”

An old book. | Source: flickr.com

DECIDING WHAT TO DO NEXT

The woman posted an update about her discovery in 2022. She revealed her anxiety about what to do but thanked netizens for their advice. She came clean and told her husband and sister-in-law about the findings.

To avoid confusion, she gave her mother-in-law’s secret child the alias, Jenny. After explaining the story and providing her spouse and his sister with the evidence, she waited for their response.

The woman thought the first revelation was shocking enough, but there was another chapter to her mother-in-law’s story that left her utterly speechless.

Old woman paging through a book. | Source: flickr.com

THE LIES KEPT COMING

The sister-in-law admitted she was aware of her mom’s secrets. She stated that was the reason for their strained relationship. The news left the woman’s husband speechless, and there were countless other lies to come. The woman said:

“[My mother-in-law] lied about her age. She is not 85. She’s 73.”

The mother-in-law’s family was complicit to her lying because they protected her secrets. The sister-in-law also noted that she had reached out to her long-lost sibling Jenny, but it did not go well.

Upset and confused man. | Source: unsplash.com

THE LONG-LOST SIBLING

Jenny had purportedly tried to contact her birth mom, but things went south when she arrived at their house. The woman stated that her father-in-law didn’t believe Jenny when she claimed to be his wife’s daughter.

Instead of supporting her eldest child, the mother-in-law acted like she didn’t know Jenny and slammed the door in her face. The woman added:

“Jenny has no desire to be contacted again and wants nothing to do with any of them.”

Woman covering her face. | Source: unsplash.com

THE ONLINE REACTION

The woman’s father-in-law had no idea about the secrets harbored by the woman he loved. The woman said they wouldn’t share the truth with him because he was too old.

Netizens were shocked by the story, and many shared their opinions. One user wrote: “I’m glad you told hubby, and I agree to let [your father-in-law] live out his life without knowing.” Someone else said:

“Wow. The level of generational trauma this woman inflicted on the entirety of your family is just astronomical. To think, she kept this facade for their entire lives, is just shattering.”

The woman noted that her husband was sad and disappointed in his sister. He was working through the shock and trying to move forward. His wife added: “The family is now healing.”

What would you do if you discovered a secret about a relative? Would you let sleeping dogs lie or do some digging? Click here for another story about a woman that learned a shocking truth about her birth mom.

Anomama