S1 E8: There is Much to Confess

[0] Wondry Plus subscribers can listen to something was wrong early and ad -free right now.

[1] Join Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts.

[2] I'm Dan Tversky.

[3] In 2011, something strange began to happen at a high school in upstate New York.

[4] A mystery illness, bizarre symptoms, and spreading fast.

[5] What's the answer?

[6] And what do you do if they tell you it's all in your head?

[7] Hysterical.

[8] A new podcast from Wondry and Pineapple Street Studios.

[9] Binge all episodes of hysterical early and ad -free on Wondery Plus.

[10] This podcast is intended for mature audiences and could be triggering to some.

[11] Please use discretion when listening.

[12] I'm Tiffany Reese, and this is Something Was Wrong.

[13] You think you know me, you don't know me with at home.

[14] Think you know me, you don't know me well.

[15] In my mind, I'm thinking, this is either.

[16] all them or all you they either are real or they're not at this point I just know it and he it became the large majority of the conversations I had with Kimmy and Brian were actually with him as soon as he felt that I was satisfied I acted like okay like I've got the truth we'll work forward from this he would be like okay good and act like you know he was contrite we're going to work through this yes I have problems you know I'm going to go to counseling and it became like while our wedding is postponed we're still going to be together but here's what it's going to look like he's going to go to celebrate recovery because he has you know problems to work through um he's going to sign up for one -on -one counseling we're going to go to couples counseling and he had the whole plan as to how we were going to fix this and come through this uh he he started these notes on his phone that he shared with me on like a you know our iPhones of a list of all the sermons he was listening to and his notes to follow as he listened to them for, you know, full disclosure because we're working through stuff together now.

[17] And all of the classes he had signed up for, the one -on -one counseling, the celebrate recovery, the couples counseling.

[18] It was such an overwhelming list that I was reading it going, I'm overwhelmed.

[19] This is too much.

[20] Thank you.

[21] But now he had to save the day and he had to show just how studious he was and how committed he was to making everything.

[22] right.

[23] And in my mind, I'm like, you still haven't told me the whole truth, but you think I think you did.

[24] And so now we're moving forward.

[25] Who are you?

[26] That's when my sister and my mom showed up to help me get some of my stuff out because as like my fiancee thought, we were going to separate as, you know, an engaged couple and just kind of revert back to dating.

[27] But they, my mom and my sister showed up.

[28] We didn't know my sister was coming because she had to work.

[29] So you've got imagine the scene my mom and me my I think my roommate are in my room and we're ready to go over there and I'm just an absolute mess and all of a sudden my door opens and we freak because we're like we're terrified right now we don't know what's going on hi yeah he could be anywhere like my of course my mom is absolutely petrified I'm just kind of more of that everything's going to be fine let's just get through this mom was very thrilled with the shirt I was wearing and my shirt said nope not today and I just got the shirt and I was happy that I was wearing it that day too but my mom was so happy to see that shirt and I felt that way I was like I was so angry and I was so like no people you don't people don't do this people don't act like this I was I was so ready to pop a ho that I was like nope definitely not today so I went up in there and mom was happy to see me and then Sarah came out of her bathroom and she saw me and she was really surprised and I was like hi and I went into hug her which I love my sister and I love my brother, but we're not very, like, we don't hug a lot, we don't show a lot of emotion towards each other.

[30] And so the hug was definitely like, I'm here for you.

[31] Come and hug me. So I went and gave her hug.

[32] And as I was hugging her, I said, are you okay?

[33] And she started crying while I was holding her.

[34] And she said, I will be.

[35] And in that moment, Sarah's not a crier.

[36] Sarah's not a super, like, she doesn't let her emotions get the best of her for the most part.

[37] She processes them and she talks about them and she doesn't like stuff them down or hide them.

[38] But she's also not like, she has a lot of control over them, so to speak.

[39] So when she does break down in a moment that she doesn't want to break down, that's when you know she's not okay.

[40] Like she's messed up.

[41] Inside, something is messed up and she needs, she needed people.

[42] So that hug and that slight little breakdown that she had, I was so happy I took the day off work and I was so happy that I was there.

[43] And it may me even more angry than I was before that, and I didn't think that was possible.

[44] She told us what the plan was, and the plan was that we were going to go over to his house, their house, to be very calm, be very kind, and then leave.

[45] And I was like, nope, I'm not kidding, no, leave me here.

[46] Don't, do not bring me. I'm not trying to be funny.

[47] I'm not trying to be, like, super cool and protective and, like, fake, muslily, like, I will protect you don't bring me i might beat him up i'm not trying to i wasn't trying to sound like that i was like i'm serious i hate him i i don't want to see him be okay i don't want anything to do with him i don't want to be fake kind to him i don't even think i could be fake kind to him i don't want him touching me and he's a hugger like he squeezes really hard when he hugs i don't want him hugging me i don't want to smile on him i don't want to look him in the eyes i don't even want to smell him like i don't want to go, I'm serious.

[48] And Sarah was like, seriously, Emily, we need you to come and help.

[49] The more of us there, the less likely he is to do anything that we don't want him to do, and the more normal it will seem.

[50] And you have to treat him like everything is going to be okay, because that's how we need him to stay.

[51] Okay, fine, let's go.

[52] So we went, and the whole way there, I'm just like, blood is pumping.

[53] I'm so mad.

[54] I go into his work office because I see him come off of a phone call, and he turns and he looks out at the empty house and the look on his face was so dramatic.

[55] It was just like it fell and he started sobbing and I held him and I'm just like, I'm so sorry this is happening.

[56] I'm so sorry.

[57] This is where we are.

[58] And he is just like a broken little child leaned forward in his chair with his head like kind of in my stomach and I'm holding him while he's sobbing.

[59] And I'm like, I'm so sorry.

[60] I'm so sorry.

[61] This is just what we have to do and we knew it was going to be hard.

[62] We just didn't we didn't know that it was going to be this hard.

[63] you'll be okay and he's like I'm so alone I'm so alone I've never been so alone because he's out here he's now moved to Sacramento for me can't call Brian anymore right can't so long can't be walked off a ledge and he's got no family in California and he's got these terrible allergies because it's spring in Sacramento and I'm taking everything out of the house so now he lives in this empty dungeon broken up attending counseling no family around a failed engagement so of course he's the victim obviously sucks for him And I'm taking all the utensils out of the house.

[64] And so he walks out and he's just like shoulders hunched.

[65] Imagine like a six foot four guy just like hunching over and walking out, tears streaming down his face.

[66] Scammers are best known for living the high life until they're forced to trade it all in for handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit once they're finally caught.

[67] I'm Sachi Cole.

[68] And I'm Sarah Haggy.

[69] And we're the host of scam influencers, a weekly podcast from Wondery that takes you along the twists and turns.

[70] of some of the most infamous scams of all time, the impact on victims and what's left once the facade falls away.

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[74] Follow scam influencers on the Wendry app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[75] You can listen to Scamfluencers early and ad -free right now on Wondry Plus.

[76] She struck him with her motor vehicle.

[77] She had been under the influence and she left him there.

[78] In January 2022, local woman Karen Reed was implicated in the mysterious death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O 'Keefe.

[79] It was alleged that after an innocent night out for drinking, with friends, Karen and John got into a lover's quarrel en route to the next location.

[80] What happens next?

[81] Depends on who you ask.

[82] Was it a crime of passion?

[83] If you believe the prosecution, it's because the evidence was so compelling.

[84] This was clearly an intentional act.

[85] And his cause of death was blunt force trauma with hypothermia.

[86] Or a corrupt police cover -up.

[87] If you believe the defense theory, however, this was all a cover -up to prevent one of their own from going to.

[88] Everyone had an opinion.

[89] And after the 10 -week trial, the jury could not come to a unanimous decision.

[90] To end in a mistrial, it's just a confirmation of just how complicated this case is.

[91] Law and crime presents the most in -depth analysis to date of the sensational case in Karen.

[92] You can listen to Karen exclusively with Wondery Plus.

[93] Join Wondery Plus in the Wondry app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

[94] He comes out looking like he had just cried every tear he had, lost all of the snot that he had because he was just so heartbroken and crying so hard and so devastated.

[95] And I look at him and he's like, he makes his face like, you too?

[96] Like, look at us.

[97] And I was like, this is allergies.

[98] I'm not crying.

[99] This is allergies.

[100] And he's like, he comes in and he puts his arms out.

[101] And I'm like, oh, mother ever.

[102] He puts his arms out and I just am like, so I give him the mother truck and hug and he's like, he's holding me and I'm like, oh my gosh.

[103] And he goes, how are you?

[104] And in the moment when he says, how are you, he squeezes really freaking hard.

[105] And I said, I will be better when you're not squeezing me so hard.

[106] And he was like, oh, I didn't laugh.

[107] I wasn't funny.

[108] I wasn't trying to be funny.

[109] I was like, serious.

[110] Get off me. He hugged Mom, and he hugged her really tight, too, and I can't remember what she said.

[111] But Mom is way nicer than me and way more mature than me in those moments.

[112] So all I can think is, I really want to punch you in the balls.

[113] And Mom is thinking, we just want you to stay sane.

[114] We're going to pretend we love you, and we're going to have compassion on you.

[115] I had zero compassion.

[116] I did not care about him.

[117] So we went home after Mom and I did our thing with Sarah.

[118] We went home.

[119] And then we were all sitting around our little fireplace in the backyard.

[120] me, mom and dad, and we were so, there was so much wine had over this weekend, Sarah called to say, I think I would like to break up with him tonight.

[121] And mom and dad put her on speakerphone and they kind of like processed it together.

[122] Like, okay, what, you know, what are you thinking?

[123] What are the next steps?

[124] What needs to happen?

[125] And Sarah's talking about like money from people from like the honeymoon fund.

[126] Like, we want to get that back.

[127] So I don't know if I should really break up with him until we give people's money back because I don't want him to do anything crazy and keep it.

[128] And I also, there's like, I want to separate my credit cards from him and my phone.

[129] And, like, she wanted to make sure we're completely separate before she told him the news of we're done for good, goodbye.

[130] Just because we obviously don't know this guy and we don't know how he's going to respond, he's not normal and he's definitely missing a few screws.

[131] She's talking about the different options of, like, break up with him tonight, break up with him in a couple days, wait until this is done and dad finally was like military mode just takes over the conversation he goes nope I want you to break up with him tonight I want to be there and keep in mind I think it's already like 830 right now not that that's late for me but my parents normally go to bed around 9 930 maybe 10 so for him to be like we're coming there is what it's like whoa dad it's almost bedtime like so he's like I we are going to come I want us to come there tonight I want don't want you to break up him until we are with you.

[132] You are not going over to his house and she's like, I need to break up with him in person.

[133] If I'm going to break up with him, it needs to be in person.

[134] And she, and dad just straight up, no. I realize Sarah is a grown woman and we all know if there's a grown woman and does what she wants.

[135] But when dad says, no, you just freaking listen.

[136] And he was like, no, I don't want you breaking up with him in person and I don't want you doing it until we're there.

[137] So we will come up there.

[138] We will go over there together, get the remainder of your stuff.

[139] And then you'll be done, completely done with him.

[140] He'll have nothing left of yours.

[141] And I'm like, then, okay, okay, I will, I will.

[142] I get off my back, everybody, let me handle this.

[143] But my dad goes into military mode, and he's like, no, you're not safe.

[144] We don't care about someone else's feelings now.

[145] We're going to come in guns blazing and we're going to get you out of Sacramento.

[146] And we're not going to treat this like a breakup.

[147] We're treating this like a rescue.

[148] Because here she is trying to figure this thing out so that she's safe thinking heck the decision's been made what are we messing around for why are we still tiptoeing around this freak and my parents are driving to my apartment while i am in my room privately on face time with him as he's telling me everything we're going to do to make this work my sister was already there she got there early and my roommates and my sister are behind my bedroom door peeked open and watching and it what proceeded to happen was the most trippy conversation I've had in my whole life where I don't know the face of who I was talking to.

[149] None of the reactions made sense.

[150] None of it was consistent.

[151] He started spewing a line of there are things that need to happen.

[152] There are procedures that need to be in place.

[153] You and I need to go to couples counseling for our sin as a couple.

[154] There needs to be parental counseling for the sin on the part of your parents.

[155] He said sin so many times.

[156] And by the last when I stopped him, I put a hand up and I went, I'm sorry.

[157] You want to talk about sin?

[158] And that's, and I even remember in my mind thinking, he used to call me aggressive.

[159] Wait till he sees this.

[160] Pointed at him and I said, you used scripture to manipulate me for eight months and you have God to answer to for that.

[161] And you want to point at my sin.

[162] And he went blank and looked me flat, just flat affect and went, I understand.

[163] If someone did that to me, can you imagine the, like, I would either be absolutely broken going, babe, I'm so sorry, or I'd be like, no, I didn't, you know, flat.

[164] Nothing.

[165] No emotion, no remorse, no nothing.

[166] And I just remember thinking, okay, I'm dealing with a stranger, here's how it's going to roll out, kind of thing.

[167] So then he said, okay, so what, like, what are we doing here?

[168] What is this?

[169] Because I got business to attend to if this isn't.

[170] Is he still claiming that Kimmy and Brian are real?

[171] Yep, yep.

[172] And he is, and they haven't said anything.

[173] I have not heard from them.

[174] interesting.

[175] No peace and selfie.

[176] Nope.

[177] No selfie, no phone call.

[178] Yeah, right?

[179] No, like, I mean, if they were as torn and broken and waking up in the middle of nights they were being for, imagine now that I'm about to break up with him.

[180] The Holy Spirit should have been moving in their lives.

[181] Meanwhile, they're praying for your cellulate.

[182] Nothing.

[183] That's when he said, so what?

[184] Are we just like, is this it?

[185] Are we done?

[186] Because I have a lot of phone calls to make if that's what's happening.

[187] Because I'm not staying in this Godforsaken state because he hated California.

[188] Yeah.

[189] So he said, I've got, you know, phone calls to make and I just said, yeah, like, that's what's happening.

[190] And he pitched it like, okay, this is, you're choosing, you're choosing this pretty much.

[191] The way it was from here on out and the way that his fan, I know this is what his family thinks because they mention this to me and so his brother.

[192] I chose after finding out that, you know, there was some mistrust there.

[193] There was trust broken and he lied.

[194] I chose to not move forward that I could not recover from it and not get married, which they understood.

[195] but I chose to not let God redeem this for the sake of the gospel.

[196] Those words are, I have in text from his brother and from him, that it's a shame that you are not allowing God to redeem this, this marriage, because God holds marriage in the highest esteem and I have chosen to walk away from it.

[197] And I just had to kind of eat it and be like, cool, whatever you need to tell yourself, sure, this is not what I want.

[198] You know, I don't want to marry a liar.

[199] Woe is me. So he said, okay, so, you know, what are we going to have?

[200] what's this going to look like?

[201] Are we going to like, you know, follow each other on social media still?

[202] And he's going to that point.

[203] Yeah.

[204] And so I'm just like, I love that he's instantly like, okay, exit business plan.

[205] Like, how am I going to save face?

[206] That's what I kept telling people afterwards when they would ask me and I would describe it.

[207] I would say it was like he went into business mode.

[208] Yeah.

[209] It was strategy.

[210] And so he's like, are we going to like follow each other on social media?

[211] And so I go into kind of compliant, like let's just not rock any boats right now because I knew that we were going to show up at our house.

[212] Like, I don't want him to be set off in anyway.

[213] So I just was like, you know what?

[214] At first I thought maybe, and I was like, no, I don't think that'd be a good idea.

[215] And he just goes, okay, yeah, I figured.

[216] And then he paused for a moment, and he grinned.

[217] He actually smiled.

[218] And he goes, oh, come on, you don't want your ex -fiance watching you on dates with your new boyfriend on your stories.

[219] Kind of joked.

[220] And I went, yeah, no, no thanks.

[221] And he paused for a minute.

[222] And then he laughs.

[223] And he goes, oh, man, that's pretty fucked up.

[224] And he looks at me like, come on.

[225] I looked at him.

[226] I just said, yeah, well, the last eight.

[227] months of my life are what's been pretty fucked up and he laughs he goes good point and that's imagine at this point i'm just like we gone we go there we get to sarah's house and she is already in her bedroom breaking up with him over face time and that's when i go in there and i'm like dang it like why didn't she wait i wanted to record the whole thing so i went in there and i threw my phone on the bed and i was recording it.

[228] I don't know if Sarah ever told you that.

[229] Or if she sent you the audio?

[230] She sent me the audio.

[231] Okay.

[232] There's not much.

[233] Sadly, I can't use it because we didn't have.

[234] Because California's dual consent or whatever.

[235] Yeah.

[236] But I listened to it.

[237] He was super cold.

[238] Like, super cold.

[239] Like, emotions turned off and no longer cared about winning the situation.

[240] Now he was just like, he wanted to save face and he didn't want to look like he was affected at all.

[241] That's kind of what it like, but when she broke up with him, I know he said something like, this could have been redeemed.

[242] I freaking hate that word redeemed.

[243] And now he used it so many times.

[244] Oh, I do remember hearing her saying, we're just going to come over and get my stuff.

[245] I've got my parents and my sister with me. We're just going to go in and get out.

[246] Like, this is what's going to happen.

[247] And he said, I don't want to see your parents.

[248] Please don't bring your parents.

[249] I just don't want to face them right now or something like that.

[250] And she goes, they're already here.

[251] They're already coming.

[252] Kind of like deal with it.

[253] We're not going to talk about this.

[254] By the way, My ear was definitely on the door for that conversation.

[255] I'm Dan Tibergki.

[256] In 2011, something strange began to happen at the high school in Leroy, New York.

[257] I was like at my locker and she came up to me and she was like stuttering super bad.

[258] I'm like, stop fucking around.

[259] She's like, I can't.

[260] A mystery illness, bizarre symptoms and spreading fast.

[261] Like doubling and tripling and it's all these girls.

[262] With a diagnosis, the state tried to keep on the down low.

[263] Everybody thought I was holding something back.

[264] Well, you were holding something back intentionally.

[265] Yeah, yeah.

[266] Well, yeah.

[267] No, it's hysteria.

[268] It's all in your head.

[269] It's not physical.

[270] Oh, my gosh, you're exaggerating.

[271] Is this the largest mass hysteria since the witches of Salem?

[272] Or is it something else entirely?

[273] Something's wrong here.

[274] Something's not right.

[275] Leroy was the new date line and everyone was trying to solve the murder.

[276] A new limited series from Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios, Hysterical.

[277] Follow Hysterical on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[278] You can binge all episodes of Hysterical early and ad -free right now by joining Wondery Plus.

[279] Most of my stuff is in the floor on my room and in my mom's car, but there's still some stuff left in the house.

[280] My dad had called my cousins, who were hilarious and amazing, you don't mess with them.

[281] My dad calls my cousins and says, hey, like, I need you tonight, basically.

[282] My cousin, all he says is what time and where.

[283] He thinks to ask, does he have guns?

[284] And so my dad says, yes, because my fiance did own guns.

[285] And so he goes, okay, I'm calling, and he names my cousin, who's a cop.

[286] So, of course they come, you know, packing.

[287] My cousin calls my dad back and says, hey, I am at his house.

[288] He's drinking a glass of milk, sitting at the table, I'm looking in his house right now.

[289] So they just kind of kept watch from across the street while we went in and out and in and out and got all my stuff out, and then it's done.

[290] And my fiance, ex -fiance, is still inside, just inside the door.

[291] And my dad and sister are outside just off the porch on the driveway and they can see in the door.

[292] My mom is off out at, you know, the carpet and stuff away.

[293] So I'm like, I've got to, I've got to say a goodbye.

[294] I'm like, oh, I don't know what to do here.

[295] So I walk up the steps and I go on the door just to kind of say a final goodbye.

[296] And I don't know what to do.

[297] And I can, I know my dad and sister are behind me looking like I'm watching.

[298] And I didn't know what else to say.

[299] I just looked at him and I just said, I'm sorry.

[300] I'm like devastated.

[301] This is a nightmare.

[302] And he looks at me with this little side grin and he tilt his head and he goes, you're not sorry and just looks at me like, oh, child.

[303] And I just looked at him confused.

[304] I didn't even know what to say.

[305] What do you say to that?

[306] What do you mean?

[307] Like, what are you implying?

[308] Did I want this the whole time?

[309] Is this my dream?

[310] Is this my, what do you mean?

[311] I'm not sorry.

[312] Mom comes up.

[313] Where's Sarah?

[314] And we're like, she's right there talking to dick.

[315] Nope.

[316] And she like stomps her little body with her two inch legs up the stairs into the doorway.

[317] And I'm like, Mom, leave them, Mom.

[318] Nope.

[319] I see Greg and Emily standing outside, letting them say goodbye.

[320] And I thought, oh, oh, heck, no. No, no. Because he's going to get one last word or one last dig or one last hurt.

[321] And so I basically stormed in.

[322] And she looked at me and she said, Mom, we're saying goodbye.

[323] Something like that.

[324] And I said, that's okay.

[325] Go ahead.

[326] You don't tell Mom what to do in that moment.

[327] She's got tunnel vision.

[328] and all she's probably thinking is he's slitting her throat.

[329] I don't know.

[330] Steps her way over the door jam, squeezes herself between me and like the door and him.

[331] So now there's this awkward triangle, and she looks up at him and looks up at me and looks down at the floor.

[332] She's like five, five, five, I'm, you know, five seven.

[333] And she goes, everything okay.

[334] And I'm like, yeah, Mom.

[335] It's almost like this sickeningly comedic moment.

[336] Or I look over at her and I'm kind of like, mom I'm trying to say goodbye like you can step out of the situation kind of thing and she just goes okay good and doesn't move she's like positioned herself between him and me and we just all stand there in this awkward like face off the silence and I'm like well I guess I'll hug you goodbye now and then as I give him a hug he whispers in my ear you're making a huge mistake and I just I didn't know what else to say other than I'm really sorry I just repeated it again and he just shook his head like heard that one.

[337] I had not one ounce of apprehension or fear.

[338] It's like, get her out.

[339] Just get her out.

[340] I heard the tail end of him saying that, of him saying, you're making a mistake.

[341] And I said, okay, time to go.

[342] And then he makes my mom, like, give him a goodbye hug.

[343] And then he puts his hand out to my dad and says his name to go shake his hand, and my dad just steps back and starts walking towards the car and he turns and he just says, no. And my ex goes, at least let me, I think something he started to say, like, thank you, or something like that.

[344] And my dad just turns and he points his hand at him and he says, no, get help.

[345] Get help.

[346] You need it.

[347] And he just, like, waves his hands in the air like I washed myself of this.

[348] Yeah, he wanted to come out and hug me to shake my hand.

[349] And I said, no, no, no, come on, come on.

[350] Like a typical narcissist would, right?

[351] Going to have his way.

[352] Oh, no, no. We happened.

[353] I said, no. You're sick.

[354] You need help.

[355] So he said, he said, go get help.

[356] And Sarah and I were like, oh, shit.

[357] I don't know that we breathed.

[358] We just kind of were like, oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh.

[359] And he's like, oh, okay.

[360] Dick was like, okay, okay.

[361] And he turns around and he goes to walk away.

[362] So when that was done and the handshake got refused, I get in the car with Sarah, Mom and Dad get in their truck.

[363] Sarah and I get in and close the doors and we sat there without her starting the car yet in silence.

[364] I swear we didn't breathe the whole time and we finally let out our breath and yelled out so many cuss words.

[365] Our chests and our hearts and like our stomachs all in a knot just thought we were going to throw them all up like it was just so intense and so thick.

[366] On the way home I called my nephew and I said thank you so much and he said oh tell Sarah that she He doesn't have to feel embarrassed or worried, any of that, that we're just glad to help.

[367] We're glad she's out and tell her there's two things that I want her to, I want to pass on to her.

[368] And one of them is, it's never too late.

[369] And the other one is, always listen to your family in times like this.

[370] The next couple of days were just 24 -7 canceling cards, like blocking things, changing things, disentangling.

[371] I mean, my Verizon account, you know, had him on it, and we had all, you know, a lot of things intertwined.

[372] Thank goodness.

[373] We did have a joint bank account, but we were able to move things and, you know, get things back where they needed to go.

[374] There was still open communication because we had had people donate money toward our newlywed fund.

[375] And so we had a joint account that those funds were going into, but he largely had control over it.

[376] So I needed some kind of lifeliner connection with him up until I was guaranteed that these people got their refunds.

[377] And then once I didn't need him for that anymore, I was never going to contact him again.

[378] The day that I got a notification from the bank saying the final check was, you know, he had been BSing me for weeks.

[379] I'd said, hey, can you please send these out?

[380] Week goes by, two weeks goes by.

[381] There are these excuses.

[382] People weren't getting, like, there was some kind of confusion with the bank.

[383] And finally, I woke up and realized, why wouldn't he lie about this too?

[384] I'm dealing with a liar.

[385] I contact the bank and within 24 hours, it's done.

[386] It's all finished.

[387] And I just thought, I was still shocked.

[388] Oh my gosh, he's still lying to me. Why?

[389] In my mind, I'm like, he's got the money.

[390] Like, he's not hurting for money.

[391] He just want control.

[392] Like, why is he lying about this?

[393] And he just, you know, wanted the lifeline.

[394] Once all the notifications came in that these people got their refund checks, I got a text from him.

[395] The same moment I wake up, I get these notifications and then ding, a text come in from him and I'm like, oh my gosh, here we are.

[396] And he said, I'm really, really sorry.

[397] And that's when I just went.

[398] Okay, I've lost it.

[399] I said, for what exactly?

[400] And I texted him and said, is it for this?

[401] Is it for this?

[402] And I had had some time to realize all the shit he pulled.

[403] So I gave him a nice little bullet point.

[404] And I said, but no, please you clarify and tell me what you did.

[405] Well, and he always has to have the upper hand.

[406] So he, you know, says my first, my middle and my last name, like dearest, so -and -so.

[407] There is much to confess.

[408] He said, Brian and Kimmy Powers are not real people.

[409] It's way bigger than we expected, though.

[410] We didn't expect anything that crazy.

[411] No. We expected, okay, maybe the guy's cheated.

[412] Maybe the guy's married.

[413] Maybe, you know, there's a child somewhere, like something devastating, but not this sick.

[414] Thank God.

[415] I mean, I honestly said, thank God.

[416] Because, like I said, when we made the decision, we didn't know about Kimmy and Brian.

[417] All we wanted was more time.

[418] I mean, the whole Kimmy and Brian wasn't even a fact.

[419] in my doubt.

[420] My doubt was around all kinds of other things.

[421] And mom was sitting at the kitchen table and she goes there is no Kimmy.

[422] I swear to you in that moment I felt like spiders were crawling up my back.

[423] I like chills everywhere from that point on I thought who the hell is dick.

[424] Freaking psychopath my mom called me while I was at home.

[425] Here's Sarah's brother, Gregory, and told me about Kimmy and Brian.

[426] I was speechless.

[427] I just, I thought, how, like, doesn't, it's crazy.

[428] I couldn't even comprehend it because it's something you don't.

[429] I mean, you hear about stuff like that happening, you know, on TV and movies.

[430] You read about it in the news, but to have had it happen to, you know, not only someone nearby, but someone in your family, that was, like, it was nuts.

[431] And I didn't, I didn't really know what to say is kind of mind -blowing honestly i didn't really know how to respond i didn't know what to think took me a while to process it for sure are you fucking kidding me is this fucking real this happened to my friend kind of fucked up individual do you have to be next time i just said so give me an idea of how much he was talking to you she goes well girl let me put it this way it was my birthday and things were going as usual I found out that the Kimmy lie with me, cancer with her.

[432] Something Was Wrong is written, recorded, edited, and produced by me, Tiffany Reese.

[433] All the music this season is by the band Gladrags.

[434] A special thank you to Sarah, her family, and friends for participating in this series.

[435] Check out Sarah's personal blog, Space and Purpose, linked in the show notes.

[436] Thank you to Alyssa Doyle for her hype, Zen, support and story editing assistance.

[437] A special shout out to my husband Michael and our three amazing kids, Jude, Ruby, and Ozzy for cheering me on every step of the way.

[438] Thank you to Ryan Doyle, who's always encouraging me and just surprised me with a something was wrong website, coming soon.

[439] Follow the hashtag Something Was Wrong pod on Instagram to stay up to date on this series.

[440] There is also now a Something Was Wrong Facebook group that was started by a listener, Jen.

[441] Jen, you're awesome.

[442] I'm not in the group because anxiety.

[443] However, you can join the group by going to Facebook and entering something was wrong into the search bar.

[444] Today's episode is sponsored by PicturePlay.

[445] Use offer code SWW to get $3 off.

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[448] Thank you so much.

[449] Every share truly helps us spread the word on this important topic, and we are so incredibly thankful for all of the support.

[450] If you would like to share your story with us, ask us a question, or share what has stood out to you so far this season, you can now call us and leave voicemail.

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