History Main / DarkSecret

* ''ComicBook/TheRedTen'' has the Alliance which is an expy of the ''Franchise/JusticeLeague''. Each member of the Alliance has a dark secret and it all falls apart with the death of Red the World's Greatest Detective and here it is:

** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'': The Seekers' initiation is outright horrifying: [[spoiler:first they are lobotomized with a magical process called Tranquility. Then they have an emotional substitute injected into them by a spirit of emotion in the fade]]. That's right, they [[spoiler:''had the cure to Tranquility all along''. It did have major side-effects in mages, but that's kind of expected]].

Supertrope to ComingOutStory, a whole plot trope where the Dark Secret is being LGBT+. May overlap with BeneathTheMask if they care about hiding their true personality from everyone else. HideYourOtherness may overlap with this if [[FreakinessShame the reasons for it are personal]]. If the secret is something you can lock up, it will lead to a WhatsInsidePlot.

* In ''Fanfic/WalkAMileinAnothersShoes'', a ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' fanfic, Izuku must hide that he's been blackmailed into spying for All for One.
* ''Manga/{{Evangelion 303}}'': [[OriginalCharacter Jessika]] [[spoiler:lusted after [[FieryRedhead Asuka]] in a very creepy way. She memorized every tiny detail of her body and she fantasized about all naughty, perverted things that she wanted to do with and TO Asuka]]. However she never wanted that her friend found out about it.
* ''Fanfic/{{HERZ}}'': Twelve years before the beginning of the story [[spoiler:Misato was ordered executing Kaji.]] His death was covered up and nobody other than her knows what happened to him.
* ''Fanfic/{{Intercom}}'': The emotions, when they first introduce themselves to Riley, don’t mention any of the events that happened during the film (though Fear almost let it slip when he said that Riley might become "apathetic again" in chapter 5). So this secret of how Joy and Sadness got lost hangs over the emotions while still trying to have Riley like them. It finally comes to light in Chapter 15, thanks to Forgetters Bobby and Paula SayingTooMuch.
* In the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''/''Series/{{Angel}}'' fic "[[http://www.geocities.ws/debnockels/newadditions/homebeforedark01.html Home Before Dark]]", when Buffy assists Angel in stopping the raid on Caritas in "[[Recap/AngelS03E03ThatOldGangOfMine That Old Gang of Mine]]", Lorne takes the opportunity to reveal what made Gio leave Miami; he and his younger cousin Lietta were attacked by vampires, and when Lietta fell, Gio deliberately chose to leave her behind to distract the vampires when he had time to help her get up and get to safety.
* There are more than a few dark secrets in ''Fanfic/TheLionKingAdventures'':

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fan story "Fanfic/FluttershyIsFree", Fluttershy is [[spoiler:half-Changeling, and has the Changeling powers of [[EmotionEater emotivory]] and [[TheEmpath empathy]].]] She tries to tell Rainbow Dash, but RD doesn't believe her.
* In Creator/AAPessimal's take on the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', Assassin Miss Alice Band has a terrible dark secret known to only a very few. No, it's not [[HideYourLesbians that she's a lesbian]]. Everybody knows this and only a few think it's an issue. In her childhood, a horrific act of abuse happened to her at school. Against her will, she was forced ''to learn the tuba'' in her school orchestra. She carries the scars - and the tuba - as an adult.
* ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'': Subverted when [[spoiler:the Keeper of Secrets -a daemon of the ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' universe- reveals that Shinji finds his guardian Misato attractive]] and Shinji thinks that information is neither secret nor important.
-->“That is the best you can throw at me? Those are the terrible Secrets you Keep? That I’m a horny fourteen year old living with a sexually aggressive and experienced woman and I wouldn’t mind getting in her pants? By the Warp, this shocking revelation changes everything. Quick, call up the Gods; we have to get this critical piece of information to them in time!”
* ''Fanfic/DarkSecrets'' [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin unsurprisingly]] has one: that [[RonTheDeathEater Ron is a Death Eater]].
* ''Fanfic/GuardiansWizardsAndKungFuFighters'':
** The early part of the story has the truth of what happened at the village of Carhaiz years before the start of the story, on the mission where Caleb's father went missing. According to the Rebellion's propaganda, the village was the site of a new weapon Phobos' forces were creating, and they valiantly destroyed it. It's eventually revealed, however, that in truth, [[spoiler: Carhaiz was the nobility's attempt to create a society for the smallfolk free of being controlled by either Phobos or the rebels, who viewed such a hope as a detriment to their goals, so they slaughtered the village.]]
** The first epilogue chapter reveals that a thousand years ago, something was done on Meridian to secure peace that was so terrible, only the council of Kandrakar and the Escanor Queens have been allowed to know about it, all of whom have treated it in a IDidWhatIHadToDo sort of way. [[spoiler: Jonathan Ludmoore learned of this and was banished to Earth, under a curse that kept him from speaking of it to anyone, in order to keep him quiet. This is the origin of his family's grudge against Kandrakar.]]
* In ''Fanfic/OldWest'', the serpentine lovers [[DeterminedHomesteader Grace Glossy]] and [[{{Outlaw}} Rattlesnake Jake]] both have a certain secret they want to take to their graves yet are at different points forced to confess to each other.

* ''Fanfic/ThePiecesLieWhereTheyFell'':
** Page Turner has been keeping one from the griffon who raised her for her entire life, and from Night Blade for fourteen years, at the time the story starts. The spirit of Balance indicates that the longer she keeps it, the worse off things will be. [[spoiler:He's right, as after it's revealed she's a Changeling/unicorn hybrid, Night Blade sees her in her true form and freaks out, mistaking her for an impostor and nearly beating her to death before he comes to his senses.]]
** Chapter 29 of the sequel ''Picking Up the Pieces'' reveals, via Discord, that Rex's apprentice Secured Connection is hiding one that, if it came out, would see her lynched within the hour. The Guard Captains, on hearing this, decide they need to take her into protective custody for her own safety, but then find that she's somehow managed to escape the guards who were already watching her for her own protection (as an associate of Rex).
* ''Fanfic/ForgedDestiny'': [[RPGMechanicsverse In a world where one's class is always displayed above their head,]] Jaune was born a Blacksmith, a member of the Labour Caste, but desired to be a Hero, something that became possible once he obtained a [[MacGuffin magical amulet]] that changed the words above his head to "Knight". What would happen if his secret were ever revealed is unknown, as such an act may have never been done before. [[spoiler:[[TheReveal Once his secret is exposed,]] the rest of the guild no longer trust him as he neglected to inform them of his true Class and he is expelled from [[HeroAcademy Beacon.]] It is stated that if the king of Vale ever heard that Jaune not only disguised himself as a Hero but was actually ''succeeding'' as one, he would be made an example of so as to deter the rest of the lower Caste from ever staging a revolt.]]
* In ''Fanfic/FromMuddyWaters'', Izuku is desperate to keep his parentage under wraps, lest he be thrown out on the streets for his father, All For One, to grab. He also limits his usage of his Quirk to strength and enhancement Quirks, lest he catch All Might's attention and expose himself to the world.
* In ''Fanfic/FracturedFates'', towards the end of the second trial, Monokuma reveals one the victim had: that [[spoiler:Kaneki was [[ILetGwenStacyDie indirectly responsible for the death of her little sister]] when the two were young.]]
* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'' has [[spoiler:the Night of the Hunt and The Good Hunter's [[EldritchAbomination true nature as a great one]]. The reason why he keeps his mouth shut is not because he fears that everyone would think ill of him, but rather he is sparing them from [[GoMadFromTheRevelation a more horrifying fate]]. While a select few (Celestine, Olga, and Kyril's four apprentices) eventually have the privilege of getting closer to his secrets than anyone else, and hence realizing what he had to endure to become the hardened killer he is today, they still don't understand the full picture. In particular, they only have an idea that he is [[HumanoidAbomination far from human]], but not exactly what he is. It is implied that the only person who has full knowledge about him is [[TheConfidant Evetta]], who's been with him throughout the whole night.]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13887970/1/The-Brother-s-Grimm The Brother's Grimm]]'', upon learning about Seymour Murphy and how his hatred of engines lead him to team up with Sailor John to terrorize Sodor, Bernard (Emily's brother) reveals that [[spoiler: HE was the engine who accidentally killed Murphy's father, which lead to Murphy's hatred and future actions.]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/DearJournalImCrazy'', Doug treats his schozophrenia as one, as he is afraid to tell Patti or Skeeter about it for fear that he might accidentally hurt them. Luckily, he finally gets the courage to tell them, and they end up completely understanding of his situation.
* In ''Fanfic/ThreeStrikes'', Trigger was completely unaware of her family’s secret past until Full Band’s snooping revealed it to her, particularly that her father is the infamous [[spoiler:'Solo Wing Pixy.']]
* In''Fanfic/ShadowsOverHell'', Blitzo, Stolas, Loona and Rufus need to get into the Archive, and old and ancient library filled with secrets and information untold to normal hellborn, but are stopped by it's dutiful and powerful librarian Pendergast. The librarian makes them a deal, if they reveal to him four personal secrets and they weigh as much as what they seek, he will allow them entry. So each take a turn to reveal a painful truth:

** [[spoiler:Stolas admits to almost letting Octavia die when she was a toddler. She was playing around, while he was too tired and distracted to pay attention, and almost fell into a large pit. Stolas managed to pull her to safety just in time, though dislodged her shoulder, causing the little child to fear him for a weak. He blamed the incident on a servant, who was shortly killed by Stella once she found out.]]
** [[spoiler:Loona attempted to find her mother, seeking closure for having been abandoned, using much of I.M.P.'s early resources to track her down, causing the company great hardship. When she finally found her mother, she was so shellshocked to discover she had made a new life, now happily raising a pair of twins, that she couldn't face her own mother. She spied on them until she was discovered, becoming devastated by how afraid her mother seemed of her, after which she finally left in a broken mess.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': [[spoiler:Marcy knew all along what the Calamity Box would do and stranded herself, Anne, and Sasha in Amphibia on purpose. She did it because she'd learned that she was going to move due to her father getting a new job out of state, and she wanted to run away to a place where she could have fun with her friends forever. The secret is outed by King Andrias in the season 2 finale, causing Anne to tear up and Sasha to pull away in disgust]].

* ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' At first glance, Zero acts like a typical AntiHero who still does what is needed to set things right [[spoiler: However... As ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'' reveals as the story progresses, '''especially''' if you use Zero himself throughout the story, you'll discover that, not only was he the [[PatientZero original source of the Maverick Virus]], he also was, unbeknownst to Zero himself, [[MagnumOpus created by Dr. Wily himself]] to be the next-generation rival to Mega Man X originally. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the Maverick Virus got passed to [[FaceHeelTurn Sigma]] after Zero nearly brutally took down Sigma, only stopped after an intense stimulus renders Zero temporarily stunned so that Sigma cracks Zero's forehead jewel, knocking out the [[AxCrazy then-rampant Zero]] and thus begins the events that lead to the Mega Man X stories and beyond.]]

** [spoiler:Blitzo may or may not have killed his parents, and caused the accident that destroyed his circus and ruined most of Fizzarolli's body. Growing up in a circus with a sick mother and a strict, alcoholic, abusive and bitter father, who would regularly beat his own children, Blitzo hated his father and eventually grew up wanting to kill him. Shortly after that, the rope holding his father mid-performance snapped and he fell to his death, which also resulted in a fire that took the circus, his mother and most of Fizzarolli's body along with it. It's left ambiguous if Blitzo did try to kill his father, or if it was all just convenient timing.]]

* ''Literature/TheSunneInSplendour'': In the novel, [[UsefulNotes/EdwardIV KingEdwardIV]] married Eleanor Butler before he married his queen, Elizabeth Woodville. He's haunted by this, and the usually genial Edward does not react well to anyone bringing up Butler. Elizabeth, understandably, is enraged when she learns the truth, as it means their marriage is invalid and their children illegitimate. When Edward discovers that his brother George, Duke of Clarence, knows about Butler he has the half-mad George executed to keep the secret. But neither Edward or Elizabeth have the heart to kill the elderly priest who married Eleanor and Edward, and so [[UsefulNotes/RichardIII Edward's youngest brother eventually finds out.]]

* ''Literature/ChainLetter'': The plotline is similar to ''Literature/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer'' in that a group of friends killed a man with their car, and agree to never tell anyone about it. Then, they start getting blackmailed.

* ''WebAnimation/MurderDrones'': It's immediately made obvious that [[TokenEvilTeammate V]] not only doesn't have the same memory issues that [[NiceGuy N]] does about their pre-disassembly drone lives, but also has a far clearer picture about the current events that are connected to something called the Absolute Solver. The fifth episode ultimately has [[spoiler:Uzi cut out the middleman and directly hack her brain (alongside N's) to figure out some of this information]], by which point it's been all but stated that V refused to explain things due the associated memories being traumatic.

* ''WebAnimation/MurderDrones'': It's immediately made obvious that [[TokenEvilTeammate V]] not only doesn't have the same memory issues that [[NiceGuy N]] does about their pre-disassembly drone lives, but also has a far clearer picture about the current events that are connected to something called the Absolute Solver. The fifth episode ultimately has [[spoiler:Uzi cut out the middleman and directly hack her brain (alongside N's) to figure out some of this information]], by which point it's been implied that V refused to explain things due to associated trauma.

* In ''Gourmet Detective: Roux the Day'', the investigating detectives are looking into the disappearance of the chef's book of a prestigious restaurant that closed over a decade ago, containing the secret recipes used by the family who owned that restaurant. In the course of the investigation, it's revealed that the family kept using absinthe in many of their ingredients even after absinthe was officially listed as dangerous and banned from use in food, as they didn't want to risk losing customers by switching to a subtitute.

-->“I am Seeker,” the angel declares, her voice thundering. “I search for truth. I am drawn to it. Do you think your small mortal soul can conceal itself from me? Do you think I cannot see what you keep secreted in its innermost chambers?”

* In the ''Series/ColdCase'' episode ''The Hen House'' the victim was killed for discovering that her murderer was really [[spoiler: a Nazi pretending to be a Dutch Jew]].

* An episode of ''Series/{{CSI}}'' has an episode where a school boy with neo-Nazi beliefs is murdered. [[spoiler: He was growing out of racism after making friends with the school's black janitor. The suspects were other neo-Nazis who not only found out, but for some reason concluded he was also in a homosexual relationship with the janitor.]] The boy was murdered because he discovered an even darker secret: [[spoiler:his new friend was actually [[RetiredMonster a leader in the Rwandan genocide]].]]

** Cersei and Jaime's twincest.
** Ned promises his bastard son Jon Snow upon returning from King's Landing, they'd finally discuss his mother. Ned [[OffWithHisHead never made it back]] for that talk but it was finally revealed that Ned [[spoiler: is actually Jon's uncle and his sister Lyanna birthed him, while his true father is Rhaegar Targaryen. Out of respect for Lyanna's wishes]], honorable Ned Stark lies not only to his wife and his best friend but the entire world, in order to protect Jon. [[spoiler:To make things even ''more'' complicated, Jon is not a bastard of theirs either; Rhaegar did not kidnap and rape Lyanna. Instead, the two were in love, with Lyanna leaving willingly with him to elope after he annulled his marriage to Elia Martell. Since Rhaegar's children with Elia were killed at the end of the rebellion, that makes Jon the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, trumping all other claims, including that of his aunt/lover Daenerys. Needless to say, if this secret were to ''ever'' become public, it would change the political landscape of Westeros on a monumental scale]].

* The whole premise of ''Series/{{Dexter}}''. His secret is [[SerialKiller quite dark indeed]]...
* ''Series/BabylonFive'', with Ivanova secretly being [[spoiler: A rogue telepath]]. Sheridan also has a secret, in that he's a member of a military conspiracy to [[spoiler: overthrow [[PresidentEvil President Clark]]]]. Then there's Delenn... you know, with Babylon 5 being a [[CityOfSpies Space Station Of Spies]], it's safe to say that there are many people with [[DarkSecret dark secrets]].
* In the fourth season of ''Series/{{Bunkd}}'', Destiny and Ava discover a huge secret about Camp Kikiwaka's founder Jedediah Swearington: when he started to suffer misfortune, he decided to quit the camp and start up the rival Camp Champion.
* In Creator/StephenKing's ''Series/StormOfTheCentury'', many of the residents of Little Tall island have Dark Secrets. The BigBad, being a mind reading demonic sorcerer, lets them know that he knows just to freak them out. He also reveals some of these secrets to the other residents [[ForTheEvulz for kicks]].
* In the ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode "[[Recap/CommunityS2E10MixologyCertification Mixology Certification]]" the group learns that Shirley had been hiding the fact she was a barfly during a more troubled time of her life.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Tara's attempts to hide her [[HumanDemonHybrid part-demon-ness]] almost result in her friends being killed. Still, they stand up for her anyway and eventually determine that Tara's family lied to her about her heritage.
* In ''Series/TheMentalist'', J.J. [=LaRoche=] has a Tupperware container hidden in a safe, which is later stolen and retrieved, as the contents of the plastic container would ruin his career and reputation. [[spoiler:It's the tongue of his mother's rapist.]]
* PlayedForLaughs in ''Series/DowntonAbbey'', where the butler Mr Carson has a deep dark secret that will lose him Lord Grantham's respect, which turns out to be... [[FauxHorrific that he used to be a song-and-dance stage performer when he was young]]. When he confesses this in anguish, loudly curses himself for being worthless, and declares that he will resign in disgrace, Lord Grantham merely sighs and says "Oh do stop being so melodramatic, you're not playing [[Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities Sydney Carton]] now, are you?"
* ''Series/{{Reboot|2022}}'': Invoked. Hannah writes a "dark secret" for Reed's character Lawrence, which gets him excited about the script. Said "dark secret" is revealed to be a daughter from a previous relationship.
* In the ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS01E05BloodyMary "Bloody Mary" (S01, Ep5)]], the ghost's victims all have a secret they do not want anyone else to know, a guilt for another person's death. It is revealed that Sam also has a secret he has not shared with Dean during this episode.
* Several characters in ''[[Series/ScreamQueens2015 Scream Queens]]'' have some dark secret that they don't want getting out. Chanel #3 [[spoiler: believes that her father could be Charles Manson]], Chanel #5 touches herself to [[spoiler:''Dora The Explorer'']] and Chad is extremely ashamed of his [[spoiler: lactose intolerance.]] Kappa keeps an entire room filled with the evidence of their more disturbing acts, [[NoodleImplements most of which we don't learn the whole story of]], but there is one event that leads to different people's own secrets. [[spoiler: In 1995 members of the sorority allowed a girl to die in a bathtub in order to continue a party being hosted in Kappa House. Dean Munsch, to save her own career, helped cover the incident up.]]
** In episode 8, we learn Wes'. [[spoiler: His wife was the president of Kappa at the time of the Bathtub Baby incident and the guilt drove her to a life of drugs and crime. To protect Grace from the truth he went as far as to burn down their house and created an ideal image of her mother.]]
* Simon Tarses in the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "The Drumhead" had one that he lied about on his Starfleet application because he feared that he would be suspected because of it. The events of the episode [[FantasticRacism validate that fear]] -- [[spoiler: he claimed his grandfather was Vulcan, when actually he was ''Romulan''. This is arguably more politically than genetically relevant, as Romulans and Vulcans are the same species, or at least very closely related, but Vulcan is a key and founding member of the Federation while Romulus is the centre of ''the'' original rival empire to the Federation. Thing is, once this is found out that's the ''only'' thing driving the proceedings against Tarses -- his personal feelings and political leanings about Starfleet and the Federation aren't even looked at.]] While the future of his career is uncertain at the end of the episode (the investigation dramatically fell apart, but he ''did'' still lie on his Starfleet application), ExpandedUniverse materials tended to take pity on the poor fellow, and have it eventually recover.
** In her final appearance on the series, Lwaxana Troi is revealed to have a dark secret: [[spoiler:in addition to Deanna, she had another, older daughter named Kestra who fell into a river and drowned during a family picnic when Deanna was still a baby.]]
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' has a dark secret in Dr. Julian Bashir's past: [[spoiler:he is an [[{{Transhuman}} Augment]], having been subjected to genetic experimentation as a child, not dissimilar to [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan Khan Noonien Singh]].]]
** Constable Odo has a dark secret of his own: [[spoiler:when he was the chief of security during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, he allowed innocent Bajorans to be charged with, and executed for, crimes they didn't commit.]]
** Another concerns the Trill, specifcally regarding [[spoiler:Joran, one of the hosts to the Dax symbiont. The violently unstable Joran was joined with Dax for six months before being joined with Curzon (the predecessor to Jadzia), with a memory block implanted into Dax to [[{{Unperson}} wipe all memory of Joran]]. Joran however is just the tip of the iceberg, as it's revealed that as many as half of the Trill population is eligible to be joined... but there aren't enough symbionts to go around and a power struggle to acquire symbionts would ensue should this secret come to light.]]
* ''Everybody'' in ''Series/{{Quantico}}'' has a dark secret, to the point where it's a frickin' joke.

* The dark comedy ''Series/{{Imposters}}'' has con artist Maddie going after a rich mark, marrying them and then leaving with almost all their money. Ezra, Richard and Jules (a woman) all fell victim and in each case, Maddie left behind a video admitting to what she did. She then warns them that if they come after her, she will reveal the secret each one of them has which will just end up destroying not only them but their families. Despite this, the trio decide to still team up to hunt their mutual "ex" down.
* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': During Niles and Maris' acrimonious divorce, Niles' lawyer discovers that Maris has been lying about the source of her family's wealth. She's spent decades claiming the money came from timber when it actually comes from making ''urinal cakes''. Maris would be humiliated if her high society social circle learned the truth, so Niles uses his newfound knowledge to force her to settle the divorce once and for all.
-->'''Niles:''' All these years, the doyenne of Seattle's elite looking down her nose at everyone in sight, she owes it all to this. She's managed to have her urinal cake and eat it too!

* In ''Manga/TheKindaichiCaseFiles'', this is the source for many a murder case in this franchise, and [[YouKilledMyFather the culprit(s) would likely be linked to the one(s) being harmed/killed in said secret in some way, which serves as a/the motive for their murders]], with few exceptions.

* ''LightNovel/KokoroConnect'': Taichi decides to reveal a dark secret about himself to Inaba, in an attempt to engender some trust between them. His secret? [[spoiler:He's masturbated to her picture.]] Inaba freaks out in a confusing mix of emotions ("I'm disgusted and shocked and... strangely kind of touched?"), but it does help snap her out of her funk. Later she decides to return the favor by telling him a dark secret of her own: [[spoiler:she's masturbated to his picture as well.]] She then grins broadly at Taichi's flustered reaction.

** After learning about their past, the heroes learn that [[spoiker:Salem herself can't even be killed due to her immortality and that despite being the leader of the group fighting against her, Ozpin revealed that he doesn't even have a plan to deal with her.]]

* In ''ComicBook/ElseworldsFinestSupergirlAndBatgirl'', Comicbook/LexLuthor pretends he is a good guy and a philanthropist, backing the Justice Society and treating Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} like a daughter. However, Comicbook/{{Batgirl}} knew that he [[spoiler:murdered baby Kal-El several years before the beginning of the story and got many people murdered, including her own parents]]. And she saw that everyone found out about it.

* In WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic fan story "Fanfic/FluttershyIsFree", Fluttershy is [[spoiler:half-Changeling, and has the Changeling powers of [[EmotionEater emotivory]] and [[TheEmpath empathy]].]] She tries to tell Rainbow Dash, but RD doesn't believe her.

** Grace had laid ten eggs but has only one child. The other nine were [[spoiler:killed in their eggs by robbers who were then killed [[MamaBear the furious Grace]]]]. After [[spoiler:burying the bodies]], she has presented herself as a law-abiding woman who disdains outlaws like Jake initially. Jake's absolutely disgusted when he learns this, thinking Grace hypocritical for thinking him the same as [[spoiler:the baby-killing robbers]].

** In episode 8, we learn Wes'. [[spoiler: His wife was the president of Kappa at the time of the Bathtub Baby incident and the guilt caused her to a life of drugs and crime. To protect Grace from the truth he went as far as to burn down their house and created an ideal image of her mother.]]
* Simon Tarses in the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode ''The Drumhead'' had one that he lied about on his Starfleet application because he feared that he would be suspected because of it. The events of the episode [[FantasticRacism validate that fear]] -- [[spoiler: he claimed his grandfather was Vulcan, when actually he was ''Romulan''. This is arguably more politically than genetically relevant, as Romulans and Vulcans are the same species, or at least very closely related, but Vulcan is a key and founding member of the Federation while Romulus is the centre of ''the'' original rival empire to the Federation. Thing is, once this is found out that's the ''only'' thing driving the proceedings against Tarses -- his personal feelings and political leanings about Starfleet and the Federation aren't even looked at.]] While the future of his career is uncertain at the end of the episode (the investigation dramatically fell apart, but he ''did'' still lie on his Starfleet application), ExpandedUniverse materials tended to take pity on the poor fellow, and have it eventually recover.

* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' has a number of these. Figuring out what they are is the whole point of the game.
** The sequences with Psyche-Locks involve a person's secrets/lies being locked up with spiritual locks and chains when confronted with a statement or question the person refuses to answer and may go to great lengths to keep that secret hidden. The more locks that appear, the more desperately the person wants to hide their secret. Phoenix can see the locks due to the Magatama item he carries and presenting the right pieces of evidence when questioning the person gets them to "unlock" themselves and reveal the truth. [[spoiler: While a typical Psyche-Lock is colored red and can easily be broken, there's two occasions where the locks are ''black'' and can't be broken by normal means. Phoenix first sees the black locks during ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'' when he asks Kristoph Gavin why he killed Shadi Smith, Kristoph refuses to answer and 5 black Psyche-Locks appear, which Phoenix describes as cold and dark and probably cannot be unlocked. The black locks appear again in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'' when Athena is accused of killing her own mother several years ago and the suppressed memory of the event causes her to throw up 5 black Psyche-Locks. Phoenix finds out from Pearl that the black locks mean that someone has a secret buried so deep within their hearts that they are not consciously aware of it and if the Magatama user tries to brute force the locks open (not approaching the topic gently in other words), the person's spirit can become broken beyond repair, and they are traumatized for life. Luckily, Phoenix gets past Athena's locks without any damage to her mental state.]]

* In ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', there's Keiichi's [[spoiler: habit of shooting kids with a BB gun]], Rena's [[spoiler: psychotic episode]], Satoko's [[spoiler: unwitting murder of her parents]], the Sonozaki family's [[spoiler: complete lack of a DarkSecret, despite all their posturing]], and the fact that Rika is [[spoiler: stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop]]. The entire series being based on ThePowerOfFriendship, all of these are eventually revealed and EasilyForgiven.
* Franchise/DragonAge:

* ''VideoGame/StarcraftII''

--> "I made a DealWithTheDevil, Jimmy..."

-->'''Nameless Voice''': What's your blood-price for the elf? The zealot? The wizard? I know you've thought about it. How heavy would the purse have to be?
-->'''Markus''': Go annoy someone else.

-->'''Nameless Voice''': Ziflin Deeps. A word from you, and so many would still be alive. But you ''weren't'' there, were you?
-->'''Bardin''': ''[annoyed growl]''

-->'''Nameless Voice''': You do remember Rambler? He helped you harness your gifts, and you burned him alive for it.
-->'''Sienna''': It's the past, it's done.

-->'''Nameless Voice''': You didn't save that Skaggerdorf burghermeister's daughter, did you? She pleaded for mercy as you drove home the stake.
-->'''Victor''': ''[bitterly]'' Leave me alone!

-->'''Nameless Voice''': Count your kills all you like. Repay Ubersreik's slaughter a dozenfold, a hundredfold. It will change nothing.
-->'''Kerillian''': ''[fearful]'' [[BreakTheHaughty Lileath... Lileath, preserve me...]]

** Tracy, who works as a webcam girl and who let herself almost be drawn into an orgy by her porn star friends at one point, doesn't want these facts know at the games company office where she's working as an intern. When Gary, who knows these secrets, turns up there for a job interview, Tracy's usual niceness slips a little as she persuades him not to say anything.

* In the first season of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', half the team has them, which the Light are holding over their heads. The solution? [[spoiler: After a bit of angsting, they just tell each other. They're a team.]]

* In the first season of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', over half the team has them, which the Light are holding over their heads. The solution? [[spoiler: After a bit of angsting, they just tell each other. They're a team.]]