This is the story of Sara and Mark Miller. They met when they were just teenagers and they're now have a beautiful family of their own. But Sara and Mark's love-filled household is also full of secrets.

Mark is very quiet about his past life and there's nothing Sara can do to make him open up... Until Sara finds a photo that changes everything.

Sara  is about to uncover the whole truth about her husband's mysterious past in the most painful possible way.

A Mysterious Boy

When Sara met Mark, he was a 16-year-old boy living in a squatter's house. While he was accepted and welcomed in there, the other squatters saw him as a mysterious, antisocial boy with nowhere else to go. But this didn't prevent Sara from getting interested. She decided to make a move and talk to Mark alone to see if he would open up.

To Sara's surprise, Mark was a rather sweet and talkative boy. He seemed very interested in her, even though he wasn't so keen on revealing much about himself. All he told Sara was that he had relocated from somewhere else in the county, with no intention of going back.

Sara's Parents Felt Something Is Wrong

Sara fell for Mark quite quickly, and she was so blinded by love that she didn't even care about his enigmatic past. The two became an item, engaging in a passionate relationship that was typical of their young age. When things started getting serious, Sara took Mark home to introduce him to her parents.

Although Sara's parents loved Mark's personality, they were turned off by his very precarious situation. Why was this sweet boy living in a squatter's house? And what could they do to help him? Motivated by their daughter's happiness, they took the brave decision of giving Mark a hand.

Mark Really Turned The Page

Quite surprisingly, Sara's parents decided to welcome Mark to their home. Not all parents would accept to live with their daughter's teenage boyfriend, but Sara's mom and dad wouldn't regret their decision. As it turned out, the mysterious Mark was a go-getter and a very hardworking young man!

Mark quickly found a job and managed to get into photography school. He started doing some freelance work and getting a name for himself in the field. Sooner than later, he and Sara had all they needed to make big decisions. They made a down payment on a small apartment and started their family life together.

Sara Wondered About Mark's Past

As Sara and Mark started their life together, things were going smoothly. After all, Mark went from being a homeless boy to becoming a successful homeowner in a matter of years! But as time went by, Sara grew increasingly worried about Mark's past. He was her life partner, but she still knew nothing about him.

As you can imagine, this can make for some sleepless nights. Mark was a good boyfriend, but he was incapable of opening up about his past. To Sara, this was an issue. How can you spend your entire life with someone you know almost nothing about?

Time To Get Hitched!

Seven years into the relationship, Sara got pregnant and Mark decided to ask her to marry him. It was a special occasion for the young couple, and Sara couldn't wait for their happy day! More than wanting to get married, she was curious about meeting Mark's family at the ceremony.

However, Sara realized soon that Mark didn't invite a single family member to the wedding. His side of the church was comprised only of friends that he met during the time he was with Sara. The young couple enjoyed their special day, but that little voice in Sara's head kept saying, "You have to learn the truth."

Distracted By Happiness

The mysterious plot of Mark's early life was getting thicker and thicker, but Sara got too distracted to pay attention. Motherhood was very time-consuming, and so was Mark's job. After becoming a father, he started working harder than ever and making big money as a photographer.

Things were looking great for the Millers, so Sara decided to stop worrying about Mark's enigmatic past. Still, a mother's mind can be restless. Even though Sara was deciding to let go of her previous worries, she started getting concerned about the nature of Mark's job.

A Growing Frustration

During most days, Mark was photographing sports events and doing regular photoshoots with models. But sometimes, he was hired for riskier jobs, which included working with raunchy (and often undressed) women. Quite naturally, Sara wasn't very happy about it.

To make it worse, Mark's work often caused him to travel and stay away for days or even weeks! This was taking a toll on Sara, who had just become a mother for the second time. With two children at home and a husband away taking steamy pictures of ladies, it's not hard to tell why Sara was becoming increasingly frustrated.

An Unpleasant Shopping Surprise

To add up to Mark's mysterious past, Sara was now worried about the time he spent away from home. But all of his hard work was surely helping the family, and Mark was proving to be a great provider. Sara didn't have all the answers, but she had a good husband who was putting food on the table. Or was he?

One day, while shopping for groceries, Sara was surprised to find out that her card was declined due to insufficient funds. She couldn't believe it. She thought she had a lot of money on her card, but her withdrawals kept being denied! What was going on?

Mark Had A (Bad) Explanation

Bewildered, Sara called the bank. They told her that all the money in her account had been withdrawn earlier in the morning. Sara then called Mark, who told her he had used the cash to invest in a new business opportunity that came out of nowhere.

Mark sent some money back to Sara's account to assure her everything was alright. But when Sara learned about Mark's so-called business opportunity, she found it very suspicious. He was investing in a small start-up that wasn't only completely unknown but that seemed to be virtually inexistent! And things were about to get even worse...

Time To Investigate!

Sara trusted her husband when he decided to keep quiet about his past. She trusted him when he traveled away to work with raunchy female models. And she trusted him when he decided to make business investments without consulting her. But now she was realizing that Mark was spending a lot of money on non-family matters, and she wasn't taking it anymore!

It was time to investigate and finally uncover the truth about what was going on. Sara's first tip? Mark's flying history. While he seldom traveled to the same place twice, Sara noticed that there was one city he kept visiting over and over.

Sara's Friends Fear the Worst

When Sara decided to share her concerns with some of her friends, she got even more worried. Either Mark had a mysterious customer that was requesting his services frequently, or he was doing something weird. To make it worse, Sara was noticing that Mark had less and less interest in being romantic with her.

To some of Sara's best friends, this was more than enough to state the obvious. Hurtful as it sounded, Mark was having an affair. Sara couldn't believe it. But she also couldn't deny that it was the most plausible explanation for everything that was going on.

A Daunting Late-Night Call

Sara was getting more and more worried, but she didn't want to assume the worst. She couldn't cope with the idea her beloved husband was fooling around with another woman. He was the father of her children, not to mention her life partner since she was just a 15-year-old girl!

But Sara's worst fears were partially confirmed late one night when Mark was on one of his trips. The phone rang, and Sara answered. But as soon as she stated her name, the caller disconnected. Determined to get to the bottom of it, she wrote the unknown number on a piece of paper.

Connecting the Dots

The next morning, Sara decided to search the mysterious phone number on Google to learn a little bit more about it. And when she did, she felt the weight of the world falling upon her shoulders. To her disbelief, the number was from the town that Mark visited way too often during his work trips.

Now, that either was a remarkable coincidence or the final piece to a broken-family puzzle. Sara wanted to believe there was a different explanation, but she was also forced to grasp the facts. Her husband, who she knew almost nothing about, was having an affair with another woman!

Going All-In

Privacy is important to every relationship, and a marriage is no exception. But considering the facts, Sara was more than entitled to dig deeper and find the truth about what was going on. She put her metaphorical Sherlock Holmes hat on and tried to get into Mark's home computer.

The computer was password-protected, but Sara was an ingenious woman. A while back, she had stumbled upon a piece of paper wherein the password was written, and she didn't think twice before using it to access Mark's private information. It was then that she stumbled upon an extensive folder of pictures.

Navigating Mark's Pictures

Most of the pictures Sara found on Mark's computer were work-related. There were so many of them that she needed to come up with a sorting system. She decided to check Mark's flying history once again and try to make sense of the enormous picture folder by searching specific dates. Yet, she was unable to find anything out of the ordinary.

But then, out of sheer happenstance, she saw it: a folder named after the town Mark visited way too often. Immediately, Sara felt a shiver down her spine. This was the moment she was about to find out who her husband really was.

A Shocking Discovery

Fearing the worst, Sara opened the picture folder. In her most terrible nightmare, it contained pictures of Mark getting friendly with another woman. But what she discovered inside was even more atrocious. In the pictures, Mark wasn't just hanging out with a secret lover. He was hanging out with another family!

It was like looking at an alternative dimension. To her horror, Sara had just stumbled upon pictures upon pictures of Mark with a second family! He was just standing there, smiling alongside another woman and two children. Sara knew something was going down, but this was way worse than she could've ever predicted.

Betrayal At Its Worst

There are many levels of spousal betrayal. Yet, keeping a second family secret from your wife and children is as bad as it gets. By the looks of it, Mark had been a cheater for years. Sara felt heartbroken and found it hard to keep a clear mind. She had many questions, but she also felt like she'd found a convincing explanation for all of her previous doubts.

The "start-up" money probably went to pay for some sort of family-related emergency, and Mark's lack of romantic interest was more than explained now. But against all logic, Sara couldn't help but feel she was still missing something...

There's Only One Way Forward

Even though Sara felt like screaming at Mark, she still needed to wait for him to come home before confronting him. That night, while in bed, she knew she wouldn’t get a minute of sleep from contemplating about what's next for her and her two children. She thought about it a lot but saw only one way forward.

Even though it would hurt her, Sara knew she had to file for divorce. Her entire life was turned upside down in a sheer moment of brutal betrayal, and there's no way she's going to trust Mark ever again!

Mark Gets Home From Work

On the day of Mark's return, Sara was still able to be reasonable and take her two young children to stay with a friend. She doesn't want them to hear what she has to say to her disgraced husband. Later, as soon as Mark enters through the door, Sara unburdens all of her rages. Mark is stunned.

Without a second to speak his case, Mark tries to make sense of Sara's screams while trying to tell her that he can explain everything. Sara's so mad she doesn't listen to a word, and it takes her a while to come back to her senses.

Five Magic Words

As soon as she finishes unloading all of her frustration, Sara grabs her bags (which were already packed) and goes to the door, announcing she's going to divorce Mark. She's not prepared to hear her husband, as she feels there's nothing he can say or do to justify his actions.

In her mind, Sara's ready to embrace a new life away from the man who toyed so viciously with her heart. But as she's starting to close the door, she hears something that makes her stop and start listening. Mark's five magic words? "I have a twin brother."

A Dumb Excuse? Or Something Else?

Mark's desperate revelation surely got Sara's attention, but she didn't believe it at first. In fact, she only went back inside to scream even louder at her husband, who had the nerve of using the most ridiculous excuse she'd ever heard! Deep inside, though, she's hoping with all of her heart that Mark's speaking the truth.

Naturally, Sara doesn't see Mark's words as true. But then, he shows Sara one of the pictures she'd found on his home computer and points at the hand of his so-called twin brother. Dumbfounded, Sara cannot believe what she's seeing.

A "Missing" Detail

People say "the devil is in the details," and often, there's good to be found in those details. Sara will certainly agree with us, as her marriage was saved by a small detail that ended up proving her husband right. When she looked at the picture Mark had shown her, she noticed something she hadn't seen before: the man in the photo, who looked exactly like her husband, was missing a finger!

Now everything was starting to make sense. As it turns out, Mark really had a secret twin brother! Sara no longer felt like divorcing her "cheating" hubby, but, as you can imagine, she was still very confused.

Two Very Different Twin Brothers

Sara and Mark finally sat down. Now, it's time the two of them have this long-delayed talk about the past. Mark starts by explaining that his twin brother is named Eric and that he lost his finger at a young age while mowing the lawn. Then, he decides to dig deeper and finally open up about his mysterious family.

As it turns out, Mark isn't very proud of the household he grew up in. He and his brother are very different, especially when it comes to following the law. In fact, Mark admits with embarrassment that his whole family seems to have a knack for crime.

A Very Brave Decision

This helps to explain why Mark has decided to leave home at the young age of 16. Just like his brother Eric, Mark's parents were involved in some pretty shady business, and Mark didn't want to turn out like them. He left his family home to live in a squatter's house not because he was a rebellious teenager, but because he was a responsible one!

Sara feels emotional as Mark finally shares the truth about his past. She cannot believe how brave her husband was, leaving home at 16 with nothing but a few items to make a better life for himself.

Still Brothers

Taking his time, Mark told Sara that Eric was put in jail for being a repeat offender and sentenced to spend five years behind bars. This happened not long after Mark decided to run away. As time went by, Eric's mentality started to change and he reached out to his estranged twin brother for help.

Mark didn't want anything to do with crime, but this time around it was different. Eric was still his twin brother (a powerful and lasting bond) and he still loved him. So he decided to help Eric find his way out.

So That's What The Money Was For!

When Mark realized that Eric was being sincere about wanting to change, he decided to step up and pay for his release. The "start-up investment" money that gave Sara such a headache was actually used to pay for Eric's bail and to help him to find a new path for his life.

Naturally, this didn't happen out of thin air. It's hard to ignore a twin brother, and Mark had been visiting Eric for a while. His mission was to mentor, educate, and show support for his brother so he could change his habits and become a better man. But was it worth it?

Eric Was The One Who Called Late At Night

Fortunately, Mark's efforts proved to be worthwhile. Eric got out of jail with a new mentality and found a job as a garbage man. Living a responsible and crime-free life, Eric quickly found love in the arms of a divorced mother of two. Their influence on Eric was extremely positive.

Now a family man, Eric has been doing great and adapting just fine to civil life. But he still enjoys the occasional drink: that's why he forgot he wasn't supposed to call Mark's house and hung up on Sara without saying a word!

A Big Sigh of Relief

Eric called Mark because he wanted to ask him for a picture. Mark visited his twin brother and his beautiful new family to set a photoshoot for the bunch. That photoshoot resulted in the picture folder that Sara saw, which ended up causing the entire misunderstanding.

Much calmer, Sara blamed herself for ever doubting her husband, but also asked him to never hide the truth from her again. Realizing how dangerous secrets can be, Mark agreed. After all, he's a man who knows what's like to almost get divorced just because he wasn't open about his past.

Secrets? Not in a Marriage, Please!

The story of the Millers is just an illustration, but it helps to explain why secrets can be so dangerous to any meaningful relationship and marriage in particular. For years, Mark's unwillingness to open up about his past caused Sara to struggle through many sleepless nights, casting serious doubt on the love Mark never stopped feeling for his wife.

We all have a past, and that past is sometimes embarrassing, shocking, or even unbearable. But moving forward is all about embracing that past in a new light, and doing whatever it takes to become a better person.