People do messed-up stuff every day. But there are some moments that go way beyond that—those scorched earth, burn-all-the-bridges moments that can tear friends or family apart forever.
1. All In The Family
My sister created a GoFundMe to assist my mom with expenses during her chemotherapy treatment for multiple myeloma. It collected around $10k and everyone was overjoyed. Later, things took a turn for the worse.
The money went straight into my sister's bank account, after which she whisked away her daughter to Atlanta in an attempt to get her on The Voice. That didn't pan out, but my sister had a blast in the process.
Upon returning home, she suddenly "remembered" that the funding that she'd splurged came from mom's GoFundMe. My mom was crushed and furious. To avoid conflict, they made an agreement where my sister would refund the money in installments, putting it down in writing. But after just three months, she stopped making the payments.
My mom waited on her, even pleading for months, but to no avail. Eventually, she revealed this to the authorities and charges were pressed against my sister. Soon, family members called lambasting my mom for taking action against her own daughter. They even got my mom's grandchildren involved, urging her to withdraw the charges.
Reluctant to sever ties with her family during her remaining years, she waived the charges. Unfortunately, she never received any reimbursement from my sister. This ordeal led me to decide that I'll never acknowledge my sister ever again.
2. Great Expectations
My aunt and uncle, who are quite wealthy farmers, have spent many years growing their business, creating new branches for their children to manage and eventually take over. One major initiative was not just raising beef cattle, but also taking charge of butchering and selling the meat.
So, they invested in a spectacular million-dollar butcher shop and trained my cousin's husband to run it. The plan was for him to manage operations, while my cousin managed the finances. Despite not doing anything to earn it, they basically won the lottery. But it didn't go as planned.
A few years down the line, my aunt and uncle got wind that things weren't going well at the shop. They thought more money would motivate my cousin's husband to do better. They could already afford a million-dollar home, but when offered a raise, he snidely remarked about already making that much. This was a wake-up call.
They checked the finances and found some suspicious entries. When they visited the shop after hours and reviewed the financial records, my cousin's husband found out and lost his cool. His furious response was jolting. They discovered that over a million dollars had been embezzled by tampering with the books.
The family business showed them the door, yet they walked away with a big pay-off and minimal contact with the family. Attempts to patch things up have been made by my aunt and uncle in order to see their grandkids, but with no luck so far. The crazy part is they were given a golden opportunity and it wasn't enough.
They were destined to inherit a thriving business, but they blew their chance.
3. The Mole
My friend grew up with just his mom and his kid sister Bella, who was from a different father. Bella's dad used to date my friend's mom, but they broke up because he wasn't the best guy. There was also this other boy at our school whose dad happened to be friends with Bella's dad.
This boy started spending a lot of time with my friend, often visiting his house to play video games and such. Fast forward to about six months later, my friend's mom ended up in court because Bella's father wanted custody. They brought the other school kid as a character witness.
He basically told the court my friend's mom was awful and always neglecting the children. But I know her fairly well and she does everything for her kids. I really admire her, especially as a single mother. Later, we discovered the awful truth.
The school kid's dad had arranged for him to befriend my friend in the first place so he could be used to support the custody case against my friend's mom. I cannot decide who I was more upset with, the kid or his manipulative dad.
What's funny though, even after everything, the court still granted custody to my friend's mom because Bella's dad just couldn't keep it together in court. It's just odd thinking about how my friend's little sister, Bella, almost got ripped away from her family because of these liars.
4. Race To The Bottom
After my dad passed, my ex-stepmom emptied his bank account almost instantly. What little she returned was only after we confronted her about the missing funds, and that too were the leftovers from her Amazon shopping spree. Just when we thought she couldn't stoop any lower, we discovered more shocking proof of her intentions.
When we froze his account, we found evidence that she was aiming to overdraft it, intending to saddle my sister and me with his debt. We're in the midst of selling his house at the moment. She made a mess of the place just before we got her to leave. On top of that, we're struggling to cover his mortgage payments. But believe it or not, there's something even more bewildering.
She had the audacity to stake a claim on his estate by claiming she was miraculously expecting his child a week before his passing, even though they'd been together for over ten years. My sister was smart enough to get the ultrasound photo from her, which painstakingly revealed another scam.
Turns out, she'd spent $30 on a stock ultrasound image from a website and edited fraudulent details onto it. It's been about five months since we last heard from her.
5. The Devil Made Her Do It
Six months into life, my little nephew experienced a terrifying SIDS incident. Our dear little guy stopped breathing, and it was only my mother's constant vigilance during her babysitting shift that saved him. She, along with my brother, somehow revived him before rushing him to the hospital.
As anyone would expect, my mom was thoroughly shaken—her first grandchild's life was briefly in danger. In her distressed state, she dialed her sister for a comforting word. Shockingly, her sister responded with something rather hurtful. Her exact words were, "Well, you just need to get Satan out of your life".
Before this incident, I had been sharing with my mom that her family was awful and narcissistic for as long as I could remember. It was this incident that finally highlighted the truth to her. Fast forward 11 years, after my mother's own passage, and these same heartless individuals feign ignorance about the reason my mother discontinued communication with them.
The nerve of some humans boggles my mind.
6. Save It For Biology Class Next Time
The scene was alarming. A rotting cat was lodged between a fence and a wall next to our school gym. Often we were forced to hang around the front of the gym while someone was sent to retrieve the keys, especially on days when we had PE first thing in the morning.
On one specific occasion, my buddy Jason was the unlucky one tasked with key retrieval, leaving his bag behind—a move he'd soon regret. That's when our terribly unpleasant classmate, Toby, saw the perfect opportunity for a morbid prank.
Toby, seemingly immune to the grotesque nature of his actions, used a pair of sticks to delicately maneuver the deceased cat. Seeing Jason's forgotten bag wide open, Toby took this chance to place the cat inside. However, the worst was yet to come.
Jason, oblivious to what had taken place, opened his bag only to discover the numb-inducing sight within once we had reached the locker room. The shock forced his hands to release the bag and in doing so, the cat's remains spilled out. The sight of decay and teeming larvae spread across the floor.
It was a moment, hands down, one of the most hideous and unthinkable acts I've seen a person commit.
7. Can’t Unlearn That
In the pre-smartphone era, I was employed with a company where our primary role was to answer questions people texted or called in. We, the "guides," would seek answers from online resources or by directly calling businesses on behalf of our clients. We were the go-tos for inquiries like contact details, locations, business hours, and so forth.
There were instances when we would receive absurd queries, some obviously aimed to startle the guides. But one individual truly stood out...He'd often inquire about the trash disposal routines of specific daycares within a certain city. More peculiarly, he wanted to know if they disposed of diapers separately from general waste.
The story eventually unraveled to reveal that this man was scavenging through daycare dumpsters to craft what he termed as "squish dolls”. Apparently, he used soiled diapers, packed them into infant clothes and...I'm not sure, but perhaps he found comfort in holding them or something along those lines.
He even maintained a blog where he posted images of these "dolls," including detailed descriptions of their texture and odor.
8. This Goes Way Beyond Mother-In-Law Jokes
My mother-in-law, who's 69, has been testing our patience heavily. While her husband, my wife's stepfather, was in the hospital battling a brain tumor, she was busy establishing relationships with several men.
Shockingly, she wouldn't go visit her ailing husband unless my wife convinced her to. And then, if we did take her, she'd spend the entire visit worrying about how she'd manage the bills after he passed, while he laid there fading in and out of consciousness.
She's always been quite harsh, but her actions during his hospitalization were downright distasteful. Following his passing, she outright refused to participate in any of the funeral plans, pushing the entire responsibility onto my wife.
My wife was already dealing with her grief, looking for some comfort from her mother, but received none. Yet, ironically, at the funeral and wake, she cried and reaped all the sympathy. Nowadays, she's busy spreading tales about how her late husband treated her poorly and left her with no resources.
Despite never having worked or contributed financially herself, she's managed to gain sympathy from people. Personally, I have lost all patience with her. I used to tolerate her, but these recent events have been the last straw.
9. Like Apples?
My former wife went behind my back with another man just after our honeymoon, even though we had spent eight years living together prior to this. I dedicated two years of my life during that time, tirelessly working double shifts to fund an extravagant wedding, as it was her ultimate dream. However, it appears fate has its own plans.
Nowadays, she's married to an underachieving guy with two disobedient kids. In comparison, I'm blessed with an incredible wife and two amazingly wonderful children. I can't help but speculate about her thoughts on the current situation.
10. True Colors Exposed
So my mom's close friend, who we can call Maureen, was secretly seeing a married man named Patrick. Patrick's wife, Caroline, was unstable and really struggling with depression, mostly because Patrick was terrible to her and a chronic cheater, which was really sad to see.
Maureen, despite knowing Patrick's history, was head over heels for him, convinced they were soulmates and that they both were going to leave their partners and start a new life together. Patrick wasn't exactly in a hurry to do this, but their relationship thrived for a very unsettling reason. They both seemed to enjoy causing Caroline pain.
Patrick would manipulate Caroline's memories, known as gaslighting, and Maureen would be around just enough to cause suspicion without any concrete proof. Considering Caroline's mental health history, nobody took her accusations seriously, thinking that she was just incredibly paranoid because of Patrick’s past infidelity.
Patrick managed to persuade everyone around him that he was a changed man, and this unfortunate combination made Caroline look totally unhinged. For more than a year, Patrick and Maureen kept up this cruel game, tormenting Caroline in the process. Then, one evening, my mom got a disturbing call from Maureen.
She was disoriented and asked my mom to come over because Caroline had ended her own life. My mom, expecting Maureen to be ridden with guilt, rushed to be by her side. But what greeted her was far more chilling. Maureen was laughing about the whole incident, even expecting Patrick to join her soon.
My mom had her faults—after all, she knew about the whole affair and stayed silent—but this was the final straw. She gave Maureen a piece of her mind and left. Over the next few days, the shocking details emerged. Caroline’s teen daughter discovered her mother.
Heartbreakingly, Caroline had planned to spare her children the gruesome find, but her daughter came home early and went looking for her mother. In the ensuing months, Maureen broke things off with her husband and started divorce proceedings. She and Patrick then bought a disgustingly flashy house in the suburbs.
Interestingly enough, the house was entirely in Maureen's name, as suggested by Patrick. But karma soon caught up. Their relationship lasted a few more months until Patrick began ignoring Maureen, cheated on her, and eventually left. Maureen's ex-husband and their sons were estranged from her.
At first, her sons tried to maintain a relationship, but when Patrick began revealing his dislike for the younger son, both sons decided to live with their father. Maureen was left in a significant amount of debt due to the suburban house being in her name. While she was a victim of a likely sociopath, I can't muster any sympathy towards her.
She toyed with a woman's life and rejoiced when that woman was no longer "in the way," and I think Patrick simply revealed her as she truly was because well-adjusted people do not behave in such a manner.
11. Scorched To Unscorched
Once upon a time, when my girlfriend decided to visit me for a four-day stay at my grandma's crowded house, something really unexpected happened. It was in our college summer when she casually dropped a shocker right after she arrived. We were just having a calm walk, and she suddenly dumped me.
I was like, "Hold on! You just landed here. Now, how am I supposed to spend these four days with you around my folks?” Desperately, I tried persuading her to reconsider or at least explain the sudden decision. It was so unexpected. As the story unfolded, it turned out that a strange interaction on her journey over led to this.
She sat next to a woman on a train who, after a hearty conversation, somehow persuaded her to pull the break-up trigger on me. The sad part is, she couldn't give me a solid reason behind it. It seemed like she had shared her minor reservations (we all have those, right?), and this stranger simply advised her to trust her instincts. And there, she had it.
While I was sure it was over by then, the story took another drastic turn. She changed her mind, and we had an incredible weekend. We even stayed together for six months more. After that, we had another break-up, and this time, her decision didn't surprise me. I was like, "Okay, whatever".
I've a hunch she wanted me to change her mind again. For a few months post break-up, she seemed a bit possessive of me, maybe because I was so accepting of the break-up. However, by then, I was already over it.
12. When You Assume…
This story involves a kid I used to know who had a thing for Xanax and sneaky behavior. Now, our neighborhood was pretty laid-back, with folks often leaving their keys in their vehicles. So, I was walking back from his place to another friend's house feeling quite fuzzy myself. Suddenly, he pulls up alongside me in an SUV, offering to give me a lift. I didn’t find it odd.
Since his family had numerous cars, I naturally assumed it was theirs. But, once inside the car, curiosity got the best of me. I asked him whose car we were in and his answer shocked me. It wasn't his. Unable to believe it, I tried my best to avoid touching anything and hopped out once we reached my destination. The story doesn't end there.
Roughly half an hour later, sirens echoed off the houses in the neighborhood. Concerned, we began reaching out to our friend and his mother, but no one knew his whereabouts. It wasn’t until the following day that we reconnected. He had fled and spent the night concealed in the forest. Why, you ask?
Well, after dropping me off, he went joyriding off-road and ended up ditching the SUV on the train tracks. Things went from bad to worse when a train collided with the SUV causing chaos and flames to ensue. The accident left us wondering how his neighbors would explain the fiery spectacle to their insurance company.
13. Don’t Mix Business And Family
For more than ten years, my dad successfully managed a small business. However, when my older brother joined the business, he caused some serious problems, nearly causing us to lose our home. After he bailed and left us in a tough spot, my dad spent around three to four years attempting to fix the issues but eventually had to sell the business for less than half its value.
Up till now, my elder brother has never expressed remorse or taken ownership of his actions. I just can't find any respect for him.
14. The Cycle Continues
My uncle isn't an easy person to deal with. In fact, I consider him one of the worst people I'll ever know. He has a disturbing pattern that he repeats far too frequently: starting a family, only to abandon it. He convinces women that he's a changed man, or that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, gets them pregnant, and then takes off once the baby arrives.
Then, after leaving, he's always in need of cash and resorts to low means to procure it. Among the things he's done to family members are taking my father's identity, opening new credit cards, and even trying to shift the bank card to his name to clean it out.
He's also taken a business loan in his first son's name, ran off with the money, and sometimes manipulates the women he left to get back with him after the baby is born. He's been behind bars more times than I can count, and honestly, I wish he would just stay there. Every few years, relatives of his many children reach out.
They say they're part of Aaron's family, wanting to know their extended family, and they're surprised when we're equally as displeased with Aaron. Each new introduction is like a bitter family reunion, as I meet yet another Aaron Jr from a different mother.
To my understanding, he's fathered five families, with three of them having two children. None of these children had him as a constant parental figure. He's currently "missing," but if the pattern continues, he'll probably show up again soon—with a pregnant woman or a newborn—claiming he's turned his life around and hoping to be welcomed back.
His next move will likely be some crafty scheme to get more money from someone.
15. Catfishing With Fire
Two pals from my high school years had formed a misleading account on Facebook, using someone else's pictures, to trick our classmates. They'd send messages to people from school with glee, and they took pride in seeing guys from class dash off to the mall under the impression that a girl was eagerly waiting for them.
One day they told me they'd been messaging non-stop with a good friend of ours for a couple of weeks which bothered me deeply. Because he'd shared with us that he'd gotten in touch with a girl he was quite fond of. I called them out on their mean trick, but they insisted on keeping their "date" with him a secret.
I called it quits on our friendship right away and immediately spilt the beans to our friend about their tricks.
16. Short Con, Long Sentence
My brother turned into a scam artist, tricking people out of millions of dollars, including vulnerable seniors and even our own parents. He was eventually brought to justice. He was busted while attempting to orchestrate a sham charity event, featuring a renowned celebrity, using a lawyer's identity to confirm the phony contract.
He was sentenced to 11 years behind bars. The damage he inflicted on hundreds of victims has irreparably changed my family.
17. He Steals From The Poor And Gives To Himself
I used to be part of a small, non-profit organization that focused on helping disadvantaged children. Astoundingly, one of my colleagues started pilfering a substantial amount from the company's limited funds. Remember, our non-profit was always tight on money.
To ensure the kids had what they needed, many employees regularly dipped into their own pockets, a testament to our dedication. This individual also engaged in plenty of dubious activities, yet it was the theft from our humble organization that was truly unforgivable for me.
He later moved on to other non-profits and volunteer roles, where I heard he continued his pattern of misconduct. We share a lot of mutual acquaintances, and I'm aware that he tends to use his "I work with underprivileged children" line as a tactic to impress and win people's favor.
18. Bad Grandpa
When I turned 18, I was living independently, wrestling with intense depression and anxiety. Simultaneously juggling a job and finishing high school made life really stressful. Still, I made the difficult decision to try and reconnect with my dad, and we hadn't spoken for four years at this point.
I figured maybe I could understand things better now, considering I was older and had some distance from my parents' split. Things were decent between us for a few months. We even shared a Thanksgiving meal. But then everything just collapsed. After finally getting medical help, I told my dad I needed financial assistance for my medication.
It cost fifty dollars monthly. Since I was still on his health insurance, he would be reimbursed 90 percent of the cost. Unfortunately, I couldn't manage it then due to financial stress. Sadly, his response was that he couldn't afford it. Moreover, he suggested I persuade my mom to forgo her alimony, and only then could he help.
I refused and decided to bear my problem or find another way to pay for it. Suddenly, my stepsister showed up and threw a curveball. She needed money for a new tattoo. Without a thought, my dad forked over $300 for her. I left his apartment that day and we haven't spoken willingly since.
Fast forward 15 years, my son and one of my stepsibling's children ended up at the same school. My dad had the audacity to approach my son and introduce himself as his grandpa. I had to explain to a bewildered six-year-old who this stranger was. It was such a thoughtless move.
The last interaction I had with my dad was a clear warning—if he ever approached my son, I would contact the authorities. My son didn't even know this man existed, which made the whole situation pretty messed up.
19. The Bad Dad Club
I belong to the 'Bad Dad Club'. My father was unfaithful to my mother and she discovered the truth just a day before they were scheduled to get married. He swore it wouldn't happen again. However, as years passed, several women reached out to her, revealing that they were involved with him... some even reported they were expecting his children.
Eventually, he decided to pack his bags and live with these women, leaving my mother to raise a new baby alone, all while she was recovering from childbirth. Despite all this, he still hopes to be a part of my life and lead a normal existence. He can't seem to grasp why I find his previous actions unforgivable.
20. Stranger Danger
One of my partner's distant relatives had an alarming incident at a Canadian mall back in the 90s. She was caught attempting to abduct a young girl, barely four years old. In her plot, she took this little girl into a restroom, chopped off her hair, and disguised her in boy's clothing.
Thank goodness, the mother realized that her child was not within sight soon after she was snatched. The mall security swiftly responded, locking down all the exits as they conducted their search of the premises. Eventually, they located the young girl alongside the attempted abductor, both poised to exit the store.
21. Nearer The Church, The Father From God
I'm not sure if there's a common term for people like my brother. But here's what he does—he targets vulnerable women with low self-esteem at churches. He moves to a new place, gets involved with the local church, and identifies women struggling with loneliness.
Through sweet words, he fools them into thinking that he's a wonderful man who's in love and eager to start a family. But, once he has a child with them, usually within a couple of years, his true self emerges.That's typically when he decides to leave them and jumps to his next innocent victim.
As far as I'm aware, he's done this to at least six women across five states. From what I can figure out, he's fathered seven children at the very least, having not provided for or taken responsibility for any of them. What's more, he's also remarried on two occasions, neglecting to divorce his current wives.
I've collaborated with two of the women he's scarred, attempting to press charges against him. But we keep getting turned away as the District Attorney insists it's a civil issue. Despite the fact that not paying child support is NOT allowed, they refuse to prosecute.
Every time, we're told the same thing: it's too complex and "simply not worth it" once he's fled the state.
22. You’ve Gotta Have A Lot Of Nerves
An old pal of mine once lied about having testicular cancer. Locals rallied around him, raising funds for his supposed "treatment". However, he selfishly used this money for personal expenses. To add salt to the wound, he used his illness as bait to woo women, even snatching a gal I was seeing.
His deception hit a nerve with a famous biker gang and even upset an entire fire department. Not long after, he and his spouse left town mysteriously and haven't been heard from since.
23. My Best Friend’s Girl
Here's a story about a guy I know. He once fell in love with a woman and together, they became parents. However, things didn't work out between them, and they parted ways, agreeing to co-parent their young child.
When their kid was around five or six, something unexpected happened—the mother started dating the father's best and most trusted friend. After a few months of dating, the woman and this new partner decided to leave town abruptly.
Not only did they disappear, but the mother also stopped contributing towards childcare expenses—and even stopped taking their child for crucial speech therapy classes. This went on for nearly a year.
The father, the guy we're discussing, decided to sue for full custody—a battle he won not just due to the mother's absence, but also because her own parents testified in favor of him. Then the drama escalated.
This faithful friend, who'd now become kind of an enemy, started grumbling about how no one wanted to be around him or include him in social events. Not long after, the missing woman reappeared in town with him.
They had shocking news—they were expecting a baby. But, they made no comment about the child left behind. To this day, this "best friend" can't comprehend why his actions and this relationship have upset everyone.
Looking back, it seems the mother's actions were quite terrible too, although the focus was initially on the friend. In essence, it's an unfortunate and messy situation. Quite disheartening, I must say.
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24. His Casa Is Her Casa
My stepdad's former spouse is truly a piece of work and oh boy, do I have some tales about her. But there's one tale that really stands out as quite awful. Post separation with my stepdad, she moved in with another man, and they had a son together. She had also adopted three kids while with my stepdad, who were now living with her and her new son.
Their marriage lasted a few years, let's ballpark it around five, before they called it quits. Here's where it gets really messed up. She pushed him out of the house and ended up winning the home over him in a court battle. The poor guy was left with no choice but to look for a new place to live.
Mind you, this house was originally his; a familial legacy that he had requested her to share. He entered a relationship with her, and unfortunately, due to the way things ended, came out of it having lost pretty much everything.
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25. The Cultural Divide
There's a story my family likes to recount about that time my grandparents and mom's siblings decided to start a bar. My parents had just tied the knot, and my dad chose to contribute a lot of his savings to kickstart this new venture—he was trying to leave a good impression. His Chinese heritage taught him that supporting family was paramount.
However, whenever he attempted to voice his concern or provide advice, he was quickly dismissed with scoffs of "This is America,” dismissing his foreign perspective. Today, he quite literally helps to consolidate and launch companies. But at that time, his suggestions were ignored, and that wasn't even the greatest blunder.
None of mom's family had any business acumen to speak of. Their lack of knowledge showed as they made large upfront investments, and unwisely hired a manager who stole from them. Eventually, their business tanked and they ended up in serious debt. The lesson they took away from this debacle?
It was the misplaced belief that Chinese people were untrustworthy and that my father's generous monetary gift had exerted undue pressure on them. They unjustly blamed him for everything, even hurling prejudiced comments his way.
Adding insult to injury, I discovered a few years back that they had been feeding our cousins a tall tale about my dad's wealth—claiming he was entangled with the mafia. No kidding—during a family gathering, my cousins asked my brother if our dad was a mafia member.
He replied with perplexed disbelief, asking why on earth they would think such a thing. Their response was shockingly ignorant: "How else does a Chinese man make money?"
26. Double Crossed
About a dozen years ago, when I was in my early 20s, I used to hang out with a certain group. They were more acquaintances than friends, and they were an eclectic mix—some extraordinarily wealthy, some just quite well-off but understandably troubled.
One guy from this mix stuck out. He was absurdly good-looking. Seriously, he was a solid 10. Anytime a woman met him, she'd instantly be charmed. He grew up in a pretty comfortable family, not supremely rich but comfortably middle class. The thing was, this guy was all about easy living. His master plan?
Marry a super wealthy woman and live off her money. One of the girls in the group happened to be extremely wealthy. I'm talking mega-rich—her parents owned a company that's a household name. So they hatched a plan to get married. This way, she could access her family's substantial fortune in the form of a sizeable wedding gift and a house.
And they did, but he had a secret scheme brewing. One day, she comes home to find him MIA, and every single penny from their joint account was missing. He'd vanished, disappeared from the grid with all the money.
27. Weaponized Incompetence
The mother of my first girlfriend held a secretarial position in a department of a hospital, where she had been employed for many years. However, she was unable to adapt to a new medical system designed for inputting patient data. So, she took a really unsettling path.
Any new patient files she received were thrown away, rather than placed in the system. Patients began to raise alarms when they sought out care, but were told by her that they did not need it. Thankfully, some of these individuals reported this odd response to management.
A significant number of people were unwittingly affected and, unfortunately, most likely never received the necessary care. This occurred within a physiotherapy department of the hospital, with many patients being immigrants.
These patients were often uncertain about the quality of care they should expect, came from countries with poor healthcare, or had serious health issues that needed immediate attention. The woman involved managed to employ a convoluted network of hospital red tape, regulations, and her strong relationship with the head of the department to delay her dismissal for nearly two years.
During this period, she continued to work in that department, continued to earn her salary, and instigated an environment of fear among her colleagues. She coerced them into aligning with her and discouraged them from testifying against her. But that's not the end of it.
She also threatened an acquaintance of mine who worked in that department. Starting with a bizarre conversation about people using antifreeze-laced hotdogs to harm dogs, she then said, "I have access to office records, I know where you reside, and I'm aware of your affection for your dogs".
Connect these comments and you've got a horrifying threat.
28. The Imitation Game
My estranged aunt, with who I no longer have a relationship, organized a candlelight vigil for my sister, the lone survivor in a tragic car crash that claimed everyone else's lives. Notably, my aunt managed to draw attendees to her house, with news outlets even turning up for coverage.
She falsely portrayed herself as my sister's mother during her interactions with the media, and accepted gifts meant for my sister, as well as for her own benefit and the limelight. She pocketed monetary donations and various gifts, which she never passed on to either my parents or my sister.
Instead, she selfishly kept everything for herself. All of this played out while my uncle was serving a sentence for fraudulent activities. Even now, she refutes all these allegations of cheating and lying. Interestingly, my uncle staunchly supported her side of the story—that is, until he found out about her infidelities during his time behind bars.
29. Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire
I'm not sure if this makes me a disaster, but when I was eight, my buddy who lived a stone's throw away had this treehouse in his backyard that I’d pitched in building, to the best of my ability as a kid. It was like a mini-castle, with a room on top accessible only through a ladder and had windows for a great view.
One day, he sneaked a hairspray bottle from his mom along with some matches; setting leaves ablaze for fun. I wasn’t into that, so I sat up in the top room reading comic books. After a while, I noticed him going back in his house from the window.
At first, I thought nothing of it until I saw smoke seeping in through the floorboards and felt the heat. Looking down the ladder, I saw hay in the room below on fire. There was no way out for me except jumping out the window to call his mom for help.
In defense, he pretended to have innocently gone in for a drink and had no idea about the fire, tearfully convincing his mom and the firefighters that it was all my idea—me urging him to play with matches, hairspray, and fire. After attending mandatory fire safety classes, I stopped hanging out with him.
Instead, I started spending time with another kid who lived across the street. Sadly, that somehow caused my ex-pal to chase after us with a metal baseball bat. It was only after that terrifying event that everyone started believing I wasn’t the one behind the treehouse fire.
Consequently, my old friend got admitted to a counselor’s and I didn’t see him around after that.
30. He Was Pumping Something Other Than Iron
Back in the early 80s, my dad used to brag about being a gym rat, claiming he was there at least five days a week. But the truth of the matter was that he was beefing up with hazardous steroids, not consistent gym visits. Instead of pumping iron, he was really having flings with multiple women while the gym served as his alibi. This whole setup unraveled all at once.
Indeed, the steroids proved too much for his body. He was on the brink of multiple organ failure. There was a doctor who was providing him with these steroids. Just so happened that this doctor was under scrutiny already. When my dad wound up in the hospital, he was flagged and subsequently swept into a federal investigation that nearly landed him behind bars.
Still, what utterly perplexes me is the level of deviousness associated with the entire scenario. He was using steroids, not primarily to bulk up, but as a smokescreen for his indiscretions and the gym served as the perfect deceit. Here he was, embodying the pinnacle of manhood through bodybuilding while simultaneously behaving like a child.
He cleverly used this platform to hide his extramarital affairs from prying eyes while attempting to maintain a low profile. Even after four decades, I can't help but chuckle when I reflect on this.
31. Desperate Times
Here's a story about a guy and his business partner who bought a property for $600,000. Four years on, the property's value has doubled. Trouble arises when the business partner unexpectedly faces a personal tragedy—his son doesn't survive a terrible car accident. He urgently needs cash, so they agree to sell the building they bought together.
Everything seemed straightforward, but things were about to take a turn for the worse. On the day of the sale, the partner in need shows up to finalize the deal. But the other guy is conspicuously absent. He eventually calls his partner, backing out of the sale, claiming he's changed his mind about selling.
A meeting is convened the next day. The cash-strapped partner, desperately needing money, gives in and settles for just $300,000 to give up his share of the property. Sadly, he ends up losing out on $300,000 in equity he would have otherwise gained. The twist in the tale? They were not just business partners but first cousins too.
32. Taking It Out On The Wrong Person
Back when my girls were small, they went to see their "dad". Right off the bat, I use the term "dad" lightly. Technically, he was their biological father, but to be frank, his actions were far from father-like. My family and I had plans to head out of town when he rang me. He claimed our one-year-old had somehow ingested my pills and was also vomiting blood.
On the phone, he was hurling insults at me and stubbornly refusing to take our ill child to the hospital. Something just didn't add up. Seeking help, my father, who's a retired cop, dialed 9-1-1. The authorities spoke to him, instructing him to rush our child to the ER, where we would meet him.
However, upon our arrival, we found our little girl, unchanged from the clothes I'd dropped her off in, with no signs of blood. Now in a hospital gown, they proceeded to drain her stomach. My family continued with our out-of-town plan, while I stayed behind at the hospital. In a strange twist, he alleged that I'd threatened him, which was completely untrue.
That day was nothing short of a nightmare. I felt terrible for my little one who underwent an unnecessary medical procedure, all because he wanted to extract some sort of revenge on me. It astonishes me how he managed to escape punishment for his actions.
The memory still stings. He's completely out of their lives now. Completely. My girls, now 15 and 17, are doing wonderfully. I'm beyond relieved that we managed to escape from that dangerous relationship.
33. Fake Friend Exposed
My friend, who's been struggling financially, needed a job and I was glad to help out. We've had each other's backs since the fourth grade. He was even destined to be the best man at my wedding. But then, he took $2,500 from me without asking, like I wouldn't notice. His defense?
"How is it fair that you have money while I'm penniless?" He threw at me. He's been avoiding me for the past two weeks after this incident. But this isn't about the money. It's the principle of the matter that upsets me.
34. Bad Decisions
Let me tell you a story about a guy named Stefan. At one point, he was married and he has a daughter from that marriage. After he and his wife parted ways amicably, they both remained involved in their daughter’s life. Then, Stefan had a new woman come into his life, Hannah.
Hannah had never been married and, honestly, was somewhat bitter about Stefan's previous relationships. She was particularly bothered by the close bond between Stefan and his daughter, feeling somewhat left out. She gave Stefan an ultimatum that shocked everyone.
She told Stefan that they could have a future together only if he cut off his relationship with his daughter. And surprisingly, he did. Not long after this, Stefan and Hannah sealed their bonds in matrimony. And they now have a high-school-age son together.
Hannah often brags about what a great father Stefan is, seemingly forgetting he has another child he no longer talks to. Ironically, they’re both involved in education—Hannah works with special needs children and Stefan is an administrator. Yep, you heard it right.
35. A Special Kind Of Evil
When I was young, my folks had a business in a space leased from an individual who held numerous business properties. Tragically, in my early twenties, both my mom and dad were diagnosed with cancer in a span of few months. To aid my family, I left college to manage their business.
One day, I went to pay the rent to the landlord who knew my father was gravely ill. He refused to take the cheque from me, demanding only my father could make the payment. In response, I left the cheque on his desk and departed. Then an unexpected delivery arrived at our home for my father.
The courier insisted on giving the flowers directly to him. Unfortunately, it wasn't flowers but a process server. This landlord, who had received rent faithfully for 26 years, had the audacity to serve papers to my father on his deathbed. Furious, I confronted the landlord, labelling him as insensitive, and vowed to move our business elsewhere.
Before the end of the month, the landlord extended an apology, offering me more time to move our company equipment out. Yet, I didn't trust him and quickly transported everything. As the next month began, I discovered changing locks and a bailiff notice on the building door. That's when it hit me.
He was trying to trick me into lingering longer, putting our office equipment at risk of seizure. What appalled me was that my father had always been decent towards this landlord. Whether this was born out of greed, a twisted sense of jealousy, or something else, the intentional decision to send a process server to a dying man reveals a unique level of inhumanity.
36. A+ Work, Team
I'm employed at a retirement home. One evening, I was the most experienced staffer on duty and I overheard a heated discussion in the television lounge. I went to investigate the commotion and was shocked to hear a loud smack. To my disbelief, one staff member had struck one of our residents who has dementia.
Once she noticed me, she immediately became defensive and claimed that the resident had hit her first. However, I've been working at the facility much longer than her and I know our residents well. Although this resident has dementia, they have never shown any signs of aggression.
I immediately phoned the manager to report the incident. Eventually, the culprit was dismissed from her job. Her husband was irate about the situation and threatened to sue us. Some colleagues criticized me for apparently lacking solidarity, while others went as far as calling me a snitch.
37. Fishy Behavior
I was enjoying a day of fishing on a buddy's boat when he reeled in a little kelp bass. Unusually, he began to gut and clean it right there and then—a bit odd, I thought. But hey, he's the experienced angler between us, so I didn't question his process. Then he threw a peculiar challenge my way.
He asked me if I dared him to eat the fish's heart. Thinking he was just bluffing, I gave him the green light. To my surprise, he scooped out the still-pulsating heart of the fish and gobbled it down right before my eyes. He attempted to pass it off as a common tradition. I wasn't familiar with such a practice...and it just seemed a bit off the wall to me.
38. Cut Out The Cancer
A close female friend of mine ended up with a mutual male friend, who happened to be a father of three. This affair led to the collapse of his family, leaving his wife alone to raise their children. The situation was chaotic and she chose to use me as her venting mechanism.
For several months, I endured this. Eventually, though, I reached my limit. I realized this drama was pulling me down too, filling my life with negativity. So, I sent her an email and promptly blocked her from all my social media accounts and contact list. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
39. Every Feud Begins With Kay
My brother secured a credit card from Kay Jewelers and splurged on a lot of items. He put my information down as his contact details, so it's me who is facing the calls and letters from the bank when they couldn't reach him. We aren't in touch, so I don't have his current address to inform the collection agency.
He even resorted to using our late grandfather's name to register for additional services, dodging their payments too. I'm perplexed how he's escaped the authorities for this long.
40. The Scam Is Coming From Inside The House
I was just finishing up my service in the army and had managed to save roughly $70,000 to buy a house for my family. However, my mother somehow got hold of my bank details and unfortunately, used all of my savings on illicit substances. When I decided to take action against her for this, the rest of my family turned their backs on me.
41. Actions, Meet Consequences
Imagine this: My former husband secretly placed a camera in our bathroom and filmed my friend getting undressed. Needless to say, we ended up getting divorced right away.
42. Revenge Isn’t Always Served Cold
A fellow I was acquainted with in university discovered his girlfriend was being unfaithful. So, during her shift at work, he left a nasty surprise on her car's windshield...a fresh bowel movement.
43. Who Do You Complain To When HR Is The Problem?
My initial supervisor was having an affair with the woman from Human Resources. Interestingly, his spouse was also an employee at the same workplace. She discovered them during their work break, right in the heart of the act, inside their car.
Shocked and upset, the wife immediately turned around and stormed into the building, managing to get both of them dismissed right then and there. I felt genuinely sorry for her, yet I respected her for this strong and decisive action. I hope she's in a good place now.
44. Privilege Rears Its Ugly Head
One evening, a group of old classmates (both guys and gals) had a wild party. They drank non-stop for hours and decided it would be fun to have a race. During this chaotic race, one car lost control, crashed into a pole and basically broke in half. The scene for the girl in the front seat was not pleasant.
Adding to this, a fellow back-seat passenger suffered a terrible broken leg, which now houses a piece of metal. When it was all said and done, the driver's affluent father managed to pull some strings to get his "prized" son's name wiped off the accident reports. And the kicker? Those goons still haven't given up drinking.
45. Tell Me How You Really Feel
When I broke the news to my mom about my wife's serious surgical risk coming up the next day, she simply responded, "Good, marrying her was a mistake in the first place".
46. The Devil’s Love Triangle
I used to work with a guy who somehow managed to completely estrange his entire family. You won't believe the reason though, it's pretty shocking. He had an affair with his son's long-time girlfriend, who happened to be his son's first love. To top it all off, he casually confessed this to his son as if it was a minor incident, no biggie.
At the workplace, he even boldly disclosed this to us, describing his son's reaction as though he was being overly sensitive about it. We could only watch as his relationship with his kids tumbled down, as they both decided to exclude him from their lives.
The situation got so dire that he only discovered he became a grandpa when his older daughter informed him via email—and let's be clear, it contained no precious baby pictures. Undeniably, committing such an act with his son's girlfriend has to be the worst thing he's done that I have knowledge of, but believe me when I say, his character left much to be desired overall.
47. There’s A Special Place For People Like This
So, I happen to work with this gardening business where personnel changes happen pretty often. There was this chap, let's call him Mike, who took a job with us for some time and got pretty familiar with a client of ours, a fellow named Wilfred (we've changed his name, just to respect his privacy). Now, Wilfred was about 90, a WWII vet and completely blind.
There was this dusty old BMW tucked away in Wilfred's junk-filled garage, looking as if it hadn't seen the outside world in years. This car was like a treasure to Wilfred. Whenever he had the chance, he would recollect the old days of driving his beloved wife to the nearby town for some dancing.
So, Mike made a deal with Wilfred to take the car back to his place to give it a facelift and bring it back as good as new. The agreement was that if Mike managed to bring the run-down vehicle back to life, he'd earn himself a handsome sum from Wilfred. But things didn't go as planned.
Instead of keeping his word, Mike drove the car straight to a junkyard, sold it for whatever he could get, and constantly lied to Wilfred each time he asked about his dear BMW. And the most shocking part? He still wasn't sacked. If you ask me, I'd say that's about the lowest someone could stoop, swindling a blind and elderly gentleman.
48. Blood Isn’t Always Thicker Than Water
My friend was going through her last year in college. Her grades were excellent, and she secured a fantastic internship, a stepping stone to the dream job she had in mind. However, all that almost came crashing down when her parents decided to pull a sick stunt on the day of her triple-header exams—they pretended her younger brother had passed.
Their motive was unbelievably twisted. They apparently wanted to challenge her devotion to her family against her career. So, in shock and sadness, she rushed to book a flight back home, juggling calls to reschedule her final exams.
However, one of her professors, who was in charge of two out of the three papers, insisted on a death certificate, which was impossible to provide, keeping in mind her brother was healthy and fine. As a result, she couldn't finish her studies that term and missed her highly coveted internship.
She was fortunate to land a decent job once she graduated six months later, but it wasn't quite the opportunity she had originally. Since that incident, she has decided to keep her parents mostly out of her life.
49. Cheaters Never Prosper
My father was unfaithful to my mother for a year, keeping it hidden. His infidelity was with a colleague, which led to his job loss, although he misled us into believing he was let go. We all rallied around him for a year, full of pity and trying to support him. All the while, he covertly used his severance funds to whisk his mistress away on discreet outing.
It's the most dreadful action I've ever witnessed, especially since it was committed by the person I should admire.
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50. Put Her On A Watchlist
I used to hang out with this girl who absolutely adored babies. You know how some girls are crazy about ponies? Well, for her, it's all about babies and little toddlers. It turns out, the only reason we really connected was because I spent a decent amount of time babysitting. Down the line, I discovered something pretty unusual about her.
She had this habit: She would collect used diapers from the women's restroom trash cans.
Sources: Reddit,
