She flew overseas to help her boyfriend move, only to find photos of his ‘crush’ hidden in an earphone case. Then she noticed the tiny holes
She actually recognized the woman in the photos, which made things even more suspicious
People can go to great lengths to hide the truth, but the lies will come out one way or another. A 20-year-old woman (u/loveyouwonyoung) had traveled to the UK to help her boyfriend pack and move. While cleaning out his things, she found a paper bag inside a headphone case. Curious, she asked what was in it. He got all suspicious and defensive, and mumbled, "Nothing." When she looked inside, there were photos of his old classmate/crush, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. The post was shared on August 20, 2026, and it had 1,600 upvotes and 2,100 comments.
Found hidden, printed photos of my boyfriend’s crush with pin holes in them. I’m totally disgusted.
by u/loveyouwonyoung in Advice
'Small needle holes' in the photos
When the author opened the paper bag, never in her wildest dreams did she expect to see photos of another woman. Her boyfriend had printed and kept photos of his previous crush during his first year of university (2023). But that was not the worst part. "When I looked closer, I noticed small needle holes in them. This means he didn't just print them. He actually had them pinned up on his wall," she noted.
Her heart dropped when she recognized the girl. She had brought her up in their previous conversations, and he assured her that she was just an old classmate. She even mentioned how beautiful the girl was, not knowing it was her, in another photo, and her boyfriend admitted to having a crush on her during their school days. The author was disgusted by the revelation and felt betrayed. She wrote, "He hid the photos, hid the truth from me, and he is still following her on TikTok. If some guy from my class printed out my IG photos and pinned them to his wall, I would find it so creepy and violating."
Comforting face
A few days later, the author updated that they had gone on a walk and talked things out. As per her boyfriend's explanation, "The reason he originally had the printed photos was because he wanted to give the physical copies to her when he went back to his home country." He also clarified that their relationship was one-sided because she friend-zoned him. He added that when he first moved to the UK, he felt lonely and scared, which was why he pinned up her photos "as some kind of comfort/familiarity."
He had the photos up for two months, but after the girl told him she was not interested, he took them down. She wrote, "He had put them there around three years ago and apparently completely forgot about them." Lastly, he admitted to feeling "ashamed and embarrassed" for what he did, and understood why she found it weird.
Secrets before moving in
Secrets are never healthy for a relationship. A study by Christopher G. Davis backs up the statement. He surveyed 609 adults and found that people who keep secrets from their partners were not happy in their relationships. They tended to trust their partners less, felt emotionally detached, and were more preoccupied with their secrets. 32.7% said they kept a secret specifically to protect the relationship from being ruined.
Another survey by Lemonade conducted by One Poll found that 22% of people kept secrets from their partners while moving in together. While 26% specifically did not share details about their previous relationship with their current partner while moving in. The author knew that her boyfriend had a crush on his ex-classmate, but did not know the full extent of his one-sided crush.
Stalker behavior
People had mixed opinions in the comment section. Some believed the boyfriend's behavior raised serious red flags, while others believed it was normal. u/katiekatieweakweak commented, "Keep in mind that you violated his space by going through his personal belongings. I would treat going through that bag of photos like you snooping through his phone. You both now have zero trust in each other." u/deadlight___01 added, "I have a box full of photos of people I dated and stuff like that. My girlfriend wouldn't think that's weird because we're both adults with a history."
More on Scoop Upworthy
Share on Facebook
