Can you imagine spending 15 years building a life with someone, only for it to amount to nothing? That’s what happened to TikToker Josh (@joshnaumann). His girlfriend of 15 years was married and living a double life.
He met her in high school. For 15 years, she helped raise his little sisters, nieces, and nephews. They spent holidays together, went on vacations, and he got along well with her family.
She was in two of his sisters’ weddings and in his best friend’s wedding. As you can see, she was deeply intertwined in his and his family’s lives.
“It was not the best relationship,” Josh admitted. “It probably went on 10 years too long, but love makes you do stupid things. Don’t act like you’ve never done anything dumb for love.”
Eventually, she and her family moved away. Josh also moved away for work. Still, they stuck together in a long-distance relationship.
But somewhere along the line, she became friends with a lot of people from work, and one of those friends became her current husband.
Josh had never met the guy, since there was no mutual connection between him and Josh’s family and friends. His girlfriend also made up excuses for them not to meet. The timing wasn’t right, or their schedules didn’t line up, so it never happened.
When Josh found out the truth about his girlfriend being married, he tried to reach out to her husband, but his girlfriend had blocked his phone number from her husband’s phone. He was unable to call or leave a voicemail.
So, he decided to call her parents. They had the audacity to tell Josh not to say anything to the husband, minimize the situation, and try to make him feel irrational for wanting to expose her behavior.
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To Josh, his girlfriend’s parents were just as guilty because they were helping her bury the truth.
Several people shared similar stories of betrayal. There was a running theme: when you love someone, you tend to ignore the red flags because facing the alternative is too painful.
“I was with my ex for 18 years, from 14 to 32. We got married at 25. He was living a double life for the last four years. I can second the fact that you’re suspicious, but you want to see the best in that person,” commented one person.
“The last three years I lived thinking my marriage was fine. My husband was living two lives. Definitely can relate,” stated another.
“I was in a similar situation with my ex-fiancé, who never came home. I should have not stayed, but I loved him, and I can see that you truly loved your ex. I am glad you found out, but sorry it had to happen that way,” shared someone else.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
