People aren’t always who they appear to be. They may grin, energize, or remain silent in the background—all the while secretly pursuing another goal. We’ll compile a few true accounts of people who kept their true intentions a secret until the very end in this post. These brief encounters show how subtly astute, cunning, or remarkable someone can be when they withhold certain details.

Story 1:
I was really depressed after divorcing my 12-year husband. I was taken in by my friend Ava. She kept me alive.

I saw my ex eight years later. “Are you still friends with Ava?” was the first question he asked. I gave a nod. He grinned.

“So you still don’t realize that she’s the one who destroyed our marriage?” he asked. When he disclosed that Ava was the woman he had a brief affair with and that resulted in our divorce, I froze.

As it turns out, Ava tried to make amends because she felt terrible about ruining my marriage. She checked on me and invited me to move into her home because she wanted to do something positive.

My entire world fell apart. I never in a million years would have guessed that she was with my husband behind my back, posing as the ideal friend. I no longer have faith in anyone.

I discovered that my ex-wife had given away two children when she was younger after we got divorced. Additionally, I found out that she had had her tubes tied for the duration of our marriage. She insisted that she was “messed up on the inside,” so we even went to see a fertility specialist. © Reddit/civ187

Story 2:
I considered two individuals to be close friends. She was putting on her makeup one day when I was hanging out with one of them and we were going out. She asked me to text our other friend about our plans because she was too busy to do it herself.

I unintentionally scrolled up into their earlier texts while we were texting, and I saw them disparaging me. They were sharing my photos and making fun of them, making fun of things I had said, and generally being mean-spirited. I didn’t mention it.

Fortunately, we had a falling out later, and I no longer associate with them. © Reddit/Margaret0619

Story 3:
I visited his home during the first four months of our relationship. I checked his laptop after he left it open in the restroom and discovered that he had messages with a woman every day. She was the girlfriend of his best friend. © Reddit/Unknown author

For the sole purpose of illustration, I confided in a close friend about everything, including relationships, work, and family. He never passed judgment and always listened. Then, however, people I hardly knew began to recite specifics about my life.

As it happens, he was telling my stories to make friends. He appeared intelligent and considerate as a result. The stories were obviously mine, but he never gave names.
He pretended it wasn’t a huge deal when I confronted him. He seemed to be using my life as publicity for himself. I stopped sharing any personal information with him after that.

Story 4:
My now ex-wife knew her mother couldn’t afford her health insurance anymore and didn’t want to work, so she deliberately tried to conceive our daughter before we were married. She was aware, though, that becoming a mother might make her eligible for the state’s healthcare program. © Reddit/Schikadance

Story 5:
For the sole purpose of illustration, I had a coworker who was always willing to assist me with projects. She would bring me coffee, offer to help out with extra work, and even tell our manager how good my work was. She was simply very supportive and kind, in my opinion. Then, after a year of hard work, I was passed over for a promotion.
Later on, I discovered that she had been secretly claiming credit for tasks we completed together and recording my errors. As it happens, all of that assistance was only a component of a plan. She played the long game flawlessly and wanted the promotion. I learned to pay more attention after she was hired.

Story 6:
In addition to checking our mail and mowing a portion of our lawn, our neighbor always brought cookies. We assumed he was simply a kind elderly man with spare time. However, he then began making recommendations about parking, trash management, and even when to turn off lights. We gradually began to feel like we were being controlled.

We later learned that he was a candidate for the HOA board. He acknowledged that he wished to “improve the neighborhood’s appearance.” That generosity was merely preparatory. Not eerie, just strategic.

We discovered that it had always been the plan when he was elected.