There’s nothing people appreciate more than honesty. At the end of the day, trust is one of the primary things that make the relationship. Nonetheless, everyone has secrets. No matter how big or small, dark or lighthearted. And in some cases, some things are better left untold.

There are many reasons why people keep secrets. We either don’t want to hurt the person with the truth, and other times, there is a vulnerable beauty in something that’s left unvoiced and unshared. By that, I mean certain things we do, big or small, that bring joy to our loved one’s faces, the sacrifices we make for our special someone.

People on Reddit opened up about some of the secrets they keep from their partners. Starting from the most wholesome to things that are best left in the dark. Take a look at the secrets Redditors anonymously shared in this online thread. Let us know whether you agree that some secrets are better left untold and why?

More info: Reddit

#1

Image source: NecromanticGarden

Whenever we get fast food to go, she enjoys eating the extra fries which have fallen out of their carriage and into the bag. I’m not really sure why she enjoys them so much but whenever there aren’t any, I drop a few down when grabbing my fries secretly and then give her the bag. It’s been 8 years haha. I always grab my fries last and she’s never noticed.

#2

Image source: xxzaif

That I don’t need to read aloud. My girlfriend struggles with insomnia but for some reason when I talk to her late at night she passes out almost immediately. So whenever I read a book I read out loud softly under the guise that it helps me focus. It works every time 🙂

#3

Image source: dontworryimstupid

When we were dating she tickled my feet and I acted as if I wasn’t ticklish. 13 years later she will tickle them and be amazed I am not ticklish, everytime it tickles.

I have to hide this forever.

#4

Image source: _________Ello

I always make sure he has the best softest towel for him to dry himself after a shower.

I make sure he gets the big cup so he doesn’t have to get up to refill.

I lie to him how much his medicine costs because I don’t want him to stress. It takes me a month to pay it off (we buy a three month supply).

I buy the best meat and chicken so his stomach doesn’t have problems and don’t tell him about the price. So he just eats happily and with no stress.

I pat-pat every one of his shirts (when folding laundry) with my hand so my loving energy goes in it to protect him and for him to hopefully not have stomach ache that day.

#5

Image source: silviazb*tch

My wife is prone to nightmares and often whimpers or screams in her sleep when she has one. I can reassure her without waking her and get her to feel safe enough that she makes happy little cooing noises while she’s still sound asleep. I’ve been doing this for her for over thirty years.

#6

Image source: Laylelo

I bought the flowers his workplace sent him when his mother died. Everyone else in his family were sent flowers by their work except him and I was utterly furious. He’s a teacher and both of us have made a lot of personal sacrifices for his job but when I contacted them I was told they couldn’t send him anything because it would “set a precedent” or some bollocks. So I told them I’d pay and I bought a huge bouquet and sent it to him. It really meant a lot which makes me even sadder.

#7

Image source: zyzzogeton

That I’m over 4 years sober. You think they would have noticed, but when I started going to AA at lunch at work after a hard year of trying and failing, sobriety finally stuck. I had been sober a month and she accused me of being drunk again and that I was obviously sneaking alcohol and clearly I was hungover and that I was a loser who would never get his sh*t together. I thought, “well I won’t say anything and work on myself until even she will notice.’ So I did, I stayed sober, I got fit, I ran a marathon, I got therapy, I got treatment for what turned out to be adult adhd that had gone undiagnosed for 51 years, I started anti-depressants and generally turned my life around.

She never noticed, and I’m regularly accused of being a lousy drunk by her. About every other week or so. I’d say it hurts, but I’m in such a better place now that I truly don’t give a sh*t what a toxic person like that thinks, which makes her even more negative. I’ve stayed married to her for 26 years, but I don’t think I’ll make it much farther.

#8

Image source: JBroski91

My wife is the biggest softie for animals, and we have birds that nest right in a column on our porch. One day a baby bird fell out and she saw. Well it ended up dying, but I buried it and told her that I saw the momma bird come down and get it. It made her day so much better that I haven’t had the heart to tell her it died and probably never will.

I also distract her whenever I see roadkill coming up, or tell her it was just a plastic bag or something.

#9

Image source: phillythompson

I try to give her the “better half of life”.

If there are two pieces of pizza left and one piece is burnt, I’ll take the burnt one. She gets the good piece.

If I’m going to shower and there’s one normal towel left, I will use a hand rag or something to dry off — she gets the towel.

If there’s that unwanted end of the bread loaf, I’ll make myself a sandwich using that sad end piece . I’ll then make her sandwich with the good pieces .

I do this all the time for the smallest things. She never knows.

I try to make her life better in those small ways.

#10

Image source: deckpumps_n_deldos

I put “no salt” salt into his salt shaker he keeps on his table near his video games. He is notorious for over-salting his food and has high blood pressure. I’ve been doing this for almost 4 years now. He can’t tell the difference.

#11

Image source: candinos

That most of the times I ask my wife for a hug are when she’s feeling down or upset, because she doesn’t like to be “clingy or needy” so she internalises and goes quiet.

I tell her I need a hug because of one thing or another so I can comfort her without making her feel like she’s inconveniencing me.

#12

Image source: _k0ella_

Boyfriend has financial struggles, not because of anything he’s ever done. His mother is mentally unwell and his father can’t work for various reasons. He’s been the sole provider for his family since he was a teen and has to balance his job on top of being the top 5% in his university cohort to maintain two scholarships.

He had to put his mom in a psychiatric hospital by himself when he was 19. He had no support from relatives except his grandma, who doesn’t have an income herself but tries her best. He currently is raising his younger brother and paying rent for the both of them. He acts strong about it but he gets “financial panics” very very often.

In comparison, my family isn’t rich but we’re definitely lucky enough to be comfortable. My parents pay my tuition, but I still work part time (teaching) because I don’t get any pocket money and I also enjoy it. I’m a very frugal person though so a lot of it just gets saved up.

So, sometimes I secretly transfer some money into his account. I pretend to “borrow” his phone and delete the SMS notification off of it. He’s never noticed. It’s not a lot of money but I like to think it helps him get a little bit of extra something.

#13

Image source: GoGoNJDevil

That her mom called for her the moment before she died. When her mom was dying she was in the room with her for almost 24 hours straight and left for 30 seconds and I was there and in those 30 seconds her mother died but not before calling for my wife. I don’t know if it will haunt her or not, but I just don’t think it’s something she needs to know.

#14

Image source: Randomizer73

That I know our daughter’s reddit account, and that I check in on her regularly.

I feel deep, profound guilt about following her, because while I respect her privacy I know that she has significant physical and emotional issues. She’s at college out of state, and battles with clinical depression and an unusual and incurable chronic illness, and she really, really tries not to let on to the world when she’s going through a rough patch. She’ll make a comment or post something that lets me know that she’s feeling crushed or broken, and I’ll co-incidentally reach out to her the next day and give her an opening to talk about anything that’s bothering her. Most of the time it works and she’ll vent for awhile and feel a little better. Some of the time we just trade pictures of cats. Either way, she knows that she’s loved and that someone is thinking of her.

If I told my wife about this? She’d blow the whole thing up and like a bull in a china shop she’d make it pretty clear that she knew our daughter’s account and immediately interject herself into our daughter’s life so she could fix everything. I understand that, because my wife is brilliant and protective and only sees the world in black and white. But I also understand that my daughter has to fix her own life – and that she’s doing it every day, but that it doesn’t hurt to have someone text her out of the blue and tell her a dad joke and try and make her laugh while she’s doing it.

I wrestle with the idea that I’m simultaneously a bad parent and a bad husband because of this. I’ve been married for almost thirty years, and this is the only thing I’ve ever kept from my wife. I hate it, but it’s a hole I dug for myself, so I have to sit in it alone.

#15

Image source: dream_weaver35

My husband’s birthday is Christmas Eve. Unfortunately his birthday gets forgotten a lot. The first year we were married almost no one remembered, and although he claimed it didn’t bother him, I could see that it really did. So now I send out a text first thing on the morning on Christmas Eve, and all everyone to take a moment to wish him a happy birthday, and explicitly stated that no one is to let him know that I’ve sent out the text. Almost 12 years in, and he hasn’t found out.

#16

Image source: xbone42

When we watch movies together we always snack. One of our favorites to munch on during the movie are the Sour Punch Bites. She takes all the blue ones because I don’t like them and they are her favorite – always says how lucky she is that worked out like that.

The blue ones are also my favorite, but she can have them.

#17

Image source: megpal426

My husband borrows my concealer sometimes to cover up acne. Problem is, he has this beautiful olive skin and I have very fair skin…it didn’t match but he was too embarrassed to buy his own concealer so he insisted on just using whatever I was using. So I bought him his own and put it in the spot where he knows to look for mine. It took me a few tries but I eventually got the right color match.

#18

Image source: TheVampireSantiago

I rub her back when she’s asleep because she makes happy noises and I like to think it makes her have better dreams… I do also do this to the dog though.

#19

Image source: throwawaythewayside

I pretend to be asleep when he wakes up because I love how sweetly he wakes me up 🙂

#20

Image source: Shakezula69iiinne

One time, when I was making his favorite dinner (baked chicken tenders) I didn’t have any eggs so I dredged the chicken in mayo before breading it (he hates mayo). He said it was the best batch I’ve ever made and had seconds. I will take this to my grave.

#21

Image source: shutterpunts

She suffers from depression, and when she hits a slump she feels like laying in bed and doing nothing, even though 99.9% of the time just getting out of bed and doing something, ANYTHING will make a dramatic difference in her day. So usually when she hits a slump I’ll manufacture some fake emergency that only she can help me solve, like “hey babe I think one of the cats has a scratch on his face but he won’t hold still for me to look.” Of course, the cat is fine, but I just tricked her into getting out of bed and doing something, and that’s always the hardest part.

#22

Image source: Syntania

That I knew he was planning to propose to me but I still acted surprised.

Married 14 years now, still haven’t told him. He is so proud of the idea that he managed to surprise me.

#23

Image source: Ezzy17

That when I tell her I don’t want her to make cookies cause we are being healthy, that I really want her to make cookies.

#24

Image source: AndrogynousRain

My wife thinks I always fall asleep next to her when we cuddle at night (we go to bed at different times but I jump in for a few minutes to snuggle before she zonks out). I don’t, I just fake it. But it makes her super happy so every time, I pretend to drift off and she has to wake me and it makes her laugh every time. This has been going on for 9 years.

She’ll never know.

#25

Image source: Mai128

He does not know that he was my teenage crush since I was 12 and I wrote so many beautiful poems on him. We have been married for 6 years and have a child together. I don’t know if I will ever have the courage to tell him that I have always loved him.