A TikTok influencer went viral after she made a tragic revelation about pretending to be her dead twin sister for many years to her family. 34-year-old Annie Niu, who is known for her lifestyle and food videos, said she began the devastating lie to protect her grandparents who were not told about her sister's passing.
Annie said that she has finally let the truth come out that her twin sister had succumbed to viral meningitis five years ago. After her death, the family decided to keep the news under wraps as they feared the tragic death would cause deep pain to the grandparents and their fragile health. She said that it was her father who came up with the idea to keep the news to themselves.
"POV: You finally told your family that your twin sister passed away five years ago, and they took down every single family photo that had her in it," she wrote in a video, which has millions of views.
Take a look at the video here:
As part of her elaborate lie, Annie had been making holiday calls pretending to her twin to her grandparents to keep the illusion alive. This year, she revealed to her grandmother, who was on her deathbed, that her twin had passed away.
{{/usCountry}}As part of her elaborate lie, Annie had been making holiday calls pretending to her twin to her grandparents to keep the illusion alive. This year, she revealed to her grandmother, who was on her deathbed, that her twin had passed away.
{{/usCountry}}"I think it's because he didn't want to withhold this information but he also didn't want to cause them any more heartbreak," she explained in her video. "And God forbid they are 92 and something happens."
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What internet said
The video divided internet and many users voiced their opinion about the heartbreaking lie. While many sympathised with her plight, others were confused by the family's choice to hide the truth for so long.
"I hope nothing but the best for this family moving forward from this loss," said one user, while another wrote: "She's not totally wrong. My family went through some crazy hoops so my grandmother wouldn't know bad news."
A third user said, "They had no right to deny them that information. They didn't get to say goodbye, they didn't get to send her off. Their reasoning is fickle and selfish because it's what they wanted and not about the grandparents."
Annie's grandfather is still unaware of the tragic news.
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