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Andrea Gunning
Hi everyone. We have some exciting news to share. ABC News Studios has turned Caroline Borga's story from Betrayal Season 4 into a docuseries. You'll get to meet the people involved, you'll hear from people who have never spoken before, and you get to see where this story took place. We are so proud and excited to share it with you all. You can stream Dirty Secrets on Hulu and Hulu for Disney starting on August 4th.
Samantha Gray
It was like not being able to look away from a car accident. I couldn't look away. I couldn't put it down. It was almost like reading a novel. But this was my real life.
Andrea Gunning
This is an iHeart podcast.
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Andrea Gunning
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Matt Altmix
This is Matt Altmix from How to Money and we are all about comparing prices to save money on so many things in life. So why wouldn't you compare prices for your next ride share? Taking a few seconds to check Lyft can save you real money on your next ride. And I did this last time I caught a ride home from the airport after some travel and guess who came out on top?
Samantha Gray
Lyft.
Matt Altmix
So don't just price. Check with flights and phone planes and your groceries. Comparing rideshare prices will help you to save money every time you ride. Save money. Check lift.
Andrea Gunning
I'm Andrea Gunning and this is Betrayal, a show about the people we trust the most and the deceptions that change everything. Samantha Gray is a professor of psychology. Over the years she's taught a variety of classes.
Samantha Gray
I was teaching couples and family therapy. I taught adolescent development. I taught an undergrad class called Psychology and Technology.
Andrea Gunning
She got her start in the academic world, exploring how tech shapes our personal identity and how we relate to each other. Samantha has always loved technology. When she was growing up in the 80s, her favorite toy was a whiz kid.
Samantha Gray
It was literally a laptop. It had a little handle so I would carry it like it was a little briefcase. That kind of went along with my vibe.
Andrea Gunning
Her vibe, which Samantha describes as opinionated, inquisitive and bookish. Whenever she was around her more rowdy cousins, I was just kind of like
Samantha Gray
patting my pearls like oh my. I'm like, they're going to play in the dirt. Like oh no. I had my little purse and I was right at the adults table.
Andrea Gunning
Samantha wanted to be the first in her family to go to college.
Samantha Gray
I'd read the newspaper with my dad and we'd watch the nightly news together.
Andrea Gunning
Samantha's dad was in the military. Growing up, they moved a lot.
Samantha Gray
I was born in Chicago, but then we moved to Texas and then Georgia and then we moved to Germany and then California.
Andrea Gunning
Finally her family settled down in Indianapolis, Indiana. In high school, Samantha floated between a few social groups.
Samantha Gray
I wasn't in the super nerdy group. I wasn't in the cool kids group. I was right there in the middle. I was the editor for my high school newspaper.
Andrea Gunning
She wasn't really into high school sports unless she was writing about a game for the school paper.
Samantha Gray
We got passes to go to the football games and report from the sidelines. I was like VIP coming through. My access to the cool kids was having to interview players.
Andrea Gunning
One of those cool kids was a guy we're going to call Michael.
Samantha Gray
Michael was popular. He was a football player. He was tall and big. Everyone called him Big Michael.
Andrea Gunning
Michael had moved out of his parents house and lived on his own. He already seemed like an adult and Samantha admired that.
Samantha Gray
He was already kind of grown and maybe that helped him be the cool guy because he had his stuff together.
Andrea Gunning
They both stayed in Indianapolis for college, but they weren't in touch. A few years into college, a guy Samantha was talking to invited her to a house party at his place. He lived with a roommate. When Samantha got to the party, her date went off to smoke with his friends, leaving Samantha alone.
Samantha Gray
I didn't smoke. I didn't drink. I felt uncomfortable.
Andrea Gunning
Samantha wandered through the party feeling out of place. Then she walked past the door to the garage. She immediately recognized Michael. It turned out he was her date's roommate.
Samantha Gray
He had converted the garage to a game room. He had speakers hooked up in there.
Andrea Gunning
Michael and some of his friends were hanging out on a couch in the garage playing video games.
Samantha Gray
So I was like, okay, like video games. Like there's a targeted activity with these people in this room.
Andrea Gunning
Samantha made her way over to the couch. Michael saw her approaching and immediately made room for her to sit next to him. He handed her a controller and showed her how to play.
Samantha Gray
He's very charismatic, very gregarious, charming. I remember having a great time.
Andrea Gunning
They took turns playing a golf video game and laughed at each other's mistakes. Hanging out with Michael, Samantha finally felt relaxed at the party. After a while, Samantha got up to head back into the main house.
Samantha Gray
You had to go down a step to get to the living room. I was coming out of the garage, and I fell off that step. I hyperextended my knee. And the whole party got quiet.
Andrea Gunning
Everyone stopped and stared at her. She was so embarrassed.
Samantha Gray
I was in searing pain. I was like, let me just go home and get out of here. Everything will be fine. I went to stand up, and I couldn't bear weight on it.
Andrea Gunning
She couldn't get up. She looked around the room, waiting for someone to help her. She spotted her date, but he just seemed embarrassed on her behalf. But then she felt hands lifting her up. It was Michael.
Samantha Gray
Michael went into straight action. He came over. He's like, can you stand on it? We tried that. I couldn't.
Andrea Gunning
When it became clear that she couldn't stand on her own, Michael didn't hesitate.
Samantha Gray
He literally scooped me into his arms in front of my date, Takes me outside, carrying me, puts me into his car, buckles me in, drove me to the hospital.
Andrea Gunning
Samantha was awestruck. Michael was taking care of her like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Samantha Gray
I thought highly of him and was grateful because my date, I don't think, had a car or a driver's license. He literally swept me off my feet.
Andrea Gunning
The next day, she got a text from Michael. He had gotten her number from someone at the party so he could check in on her. He asked her how her knee was doing.
Samantha Gray
After that it was like we'd never stopped talking.
Andrea Gunning
She learned more about his life. Even though they were young, Michael was already a dad. He had two daughters with his ex girlfriend. He was balancing parenting with going to college. This didn't scare Samantha away. Michael was responsible and seemed like a great dad.
Samantha Gray
It just felt like we had so much to talk about.
Andrea Gunning
Their conversations became more and more flirty. Michael invited her back to his house to play video games. This time, it was just the two of them.
Samantha Gray
We had our first kiss at his house in that garage, pretending to play video games.
Andrea Gunning
After that, they started going on dates. In a lot of ways, Michael and Samantha were pretty different. But the more they hung out, the more they found things they had in common.
Samantha Gray
We were two kids coming from families that we were the first generation to go to college. He was innately intelligent. He was quick witted for sure. And so I think we kind of connected over both wanting an academic life, like to go to college and to talk about the classes that we were in.
Andrea Gunning
Whenever she was with Michael, life felt brighter and more fun.
Samantha Gray
I was definitely head over heels. Michael could do no wrong in my eyes. He was so kind to me. He was hilarious.
Andrea Gunning
Six months later, they made their relationship official. When people from their high school saw them out together, they were confused. Michael was super social in high school. Everyone remembered him. But Samantha had flown under the radar.
Samantha Gray
I'd be standing right next to him, and they'd be like, michael, what's up, big Mike? They would not acknowledge me, and I'd realize they didn't know that we were together. And so then when he would bring me into the conversation, they're like, oh, hey, how do you know Mike? Did you go to our high school? And I was kind of like, yep.
Andrea Gunning
People seemed to think they were an odd couple, but neither of them cared about what other people thought.
Samantha Gray
We would drive up from Indianapolis to Lake Michigan. There was this gorgeous pier, and we'd go out on the pier and we would pack like a picnic.
Andrea Gunning
This was more than just a summer fling. They continued dating throughout college. As the seasons changed, their relationship stayed steady and grew stronger.
Samantha Gray
A lot of things weren't very traditional. I didn't really cook and clean. He did the cooking.
Andrea Gunning
Another untraditional thing they did is that while they were both in college, they decided to get married at the courthouse. One, because they were in love, and two, because being married would help Samantha qualify for financial aid on her tuition. The arrangement worked for both of them. Samantha and Michael made just enough money to scrape by.
Samantha Gray
We were really Struggling. We only get gas at a gas station called Speedway, and we'd save up our points. There were times where that was dinner, like hot dogs, nachos, whatever.
Andrea Gunning
In her senior year, Samantha started applying to PhD programs.
Samantha Gray
And I got into a PhD program straight out of undergrad.
Andrea Gunning
The program was in Tennessee. It would be a big change. But this was more than just an academic opportunity. There was a lot at stake when
Samantha Gray
I got into a PhD program. It was this amazing opportunity to really change our lives.
Andrea Gunning
So Samantha and Michael decided to move to Tennessee for a few years. Michael's daughters stayed in Indiana with their mom. It was a big sacrifice for him to be away from his kids, but they knew they were building a better life for all of them. Starting over was challenging.
Samantha Gray
Grad school was tough. It was very obvious that my peers had backgrounds that were different than mine. They would talk about their vacation, backpacking through Europe or whatever. We qualified and were on food stamps.
Andrea Gunning
Even though their lifestyle wasn't glamorous, they were happy.
Samantha Gray
He was so fun. He was this bigger than life character. Like he wanted to grab life and live it. And so even though we didn't have a lot of money, we were also in a new part of the country. We were in eastern Tennessee, which butts up to the Smoky Mountains. We would pack a picnic and go to the Smoky Mountains.
Andrea Gunning
Michael always reminded Samantha that life wasn't supposed to be one long sprint. They had to take time to slow down and enjoy where they were sitting by his side, the Smoky Mountains wrapping around them. She remembered how far they had come.
Samantha Gray
Here we are with this fresh mountain air and like, here you are in a PhD program. Things are looking up. We're still poor, but gosh darn it, we're just on the cusp of things being good.
Andrea Gunning
Samantha and Michael dreamed of having a child one day. Michael was already supporting his two daughters back in Indiana. And they just didn't have the money to afford to raise a child of their own.
Samantha Gray
I knew we did not have money, but I did want to have a kid. I still wanted to dream about it, and we did. He was also a big dreamer.
Andrea Gunning
So in between late night classes and long shifts at work, they allowed themselves to dream.
Samantha Gray
I remember us sitting at the computer in the hallway at our house. I opened a Microsoft Word document and we created this list of baby names. If I had a girl, I always wanted one of these gender neutral names. Names that were like Andy or Peyton.
Andrea Gunning
There was one baby name that was at the top of Samantha's list. We're going to use a pseudonym that shares the same unique style. Samantha loves Ellington. She didn't know any other kids with that name. Michael loved it too. At this point in her life, having a kid was still far away, but she hoped that dream might one day be within reach. If you've ever tried to find a psychiatrist who accepts your insurance, you've probably run into long wait lists or providers who aren't taking new patients. It can make getting help feel even more overwhelming. That's why I'm glad to tell you about Talkiatry. Talkiatry is 100% online psychiatry practice that provides comprehensive evaluations, diagnoses, and ongoing medication management for conditions like adhd, anxiety, depression, and more. Unlike therapy only platforms, Talkiatry is psychiatry, so you're meeting with a licensed medical provider who can diagnose mental health conditions and prescribe medication when it's appropriate. With more than 800 clinicians who accept major insurers, you can use your existing insurance instead of paying expensive out of network costs. Getting started is simple. You'll complete a short online assessment, get matched with a clinician who fits your needs, and you can have your first appointment in just days, not months. Head to talkiatry.com betrayal to complete the short assessment and get matched with an in network psychiatrist in just a few minutes. That's T A L K I- A T R Y.com betrayal to get matched in minutes topgiatree.com betrayal Think about it.
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Matt Altmix
This is Matt Altmix from How to Money and we are all about comparing Prices to save money on so many things in life. So why wouldn't you compare prices for your next ride share? Taking a few seconds to check Lyft can save you real money on your next ride. If you and I did this last time. I caught a ride home from the airport after some travel. And guess who came out on top? Lyft. So don't just price check with flights and phone plans and your groceries. Comparing rideshare prices will help you to save money every time you ride. Save money. Check Lyft.
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Andrea Gunning
Even though they didn't have a lot of money, Samantha and Michael were happy. They were in love. And they had big plans. Plans for their future. After years of hard work, Samantha got her PhD in psychology. She got an internship and then a postdoctoral fellowship. And not just any fellowship.
Samantha Gray
I got to do my postdoc with Cambridge Hospital in Massachusetts. That is a Harvard Med fellowship.
Andrea Gunning
Walking across campus was a real pinch me moment for Samantha.
Samantha Gray
Here I am with a school ID for Harvard and I'm going to Harvard libraries. I'm on Harvard campus. For someone from my background, never would I have thought that I would have had any opportunity like that.
Andrea Gunning
They moved to a town 30 minutes outside of Boston. It was the start of a new chapter. Michael had a steady job and Samantha was chasing her dreams. In their free time, they explored their new city together.
Samantha Gray
We were enjoying being on an ocean like we are Midwesterners. We got an apartment that was walking distance to the beach. It was grand. We started to eat better. It was like we had just enough money to enjoy a few of the finer things.
Andrea Gunning
Gas station hot dogs were replaced by fancier options.
Samantha Gray
Lobster rolls on the beach. Yeah, it was just. It was so cool.
Andrea Gunning
But that winter in Boston was bitter.
Samantha Gray
It was like the snowpocalypse. And even Bostonians were telling me, they're like, no, Samantha. Like, this is not normal. We cannot believe that this is your one year in Boston.
Andrea Gunning
Michael was working a retail job with Verizon. When the temperatures dropped below zero, he still had to Go into work. Then one day, he got sick.
Samantha Gray
He caught pneumonia and was hospitalized in the hospital.
Andrea Gunning
While they were treating Michael's pneumonia, the doctors noticed something even more alarming. Michael had heart failure.
Samantha Gray
And they were like, how has no one told you that you have heart failure before? Because this is pretty advanced. There's no way. No one told you that you had major heart issues. And he was like, oh, Someone may have said something, but it didn't seem this serious.
Andrea Gunning
Michael hadn't told Samantha anything about this. Even now, he was downplaying it. But the doctors were clear he needed to start treatment immediately. After he caught pneumonia, Michael never fully recovered.
Samantha Gray
It was a stark difference to go from walking around and enjoying the fall to pretty quickly having a significant disability. His heart couldn't keep up, so he'd run out of breath.
Andrea Gunning
Michael was forced to slow down. He'd kept his heart issues under wraps for years, but now they were impossible to ignore.
Samantha Gray
He just became more sick. And that was the first time that I realized that his health would become a big part of our lives.
Andrea Gunning
After a year in Boston, Samantha's postdoc fellowship ended. She and Michael moved home to Indianapolis.
Samantha Gray
I was able to secure a tenure track job with the University of Indianapolis.
Andrea Gunning
It was a dream job. She'd get to teach classes in psychology and technology. She would even run her own lab.
Samantha Gray
My lab was about social technology and communication.
Andrea Gunning
But Michael's doctors were worried about the move.
Samantha Gray
They were like, when you get out of our care, you absolutely need to take this seriously. When you get to Indiana, like, you have to immediately connect with a team of doctors.
Andrea Gunning
When they got settled back in Indiana, Michael's health got worse. He was living with advanced heart failure. It was a scary diagnosis.
Samantha Gray
I think he was trying to put on a strong face for everyone else, but behind the curtain, he definitely couldn't hide it from me.
Andrea Gunning
Soon, even basic tasks like getting around the house became challenging for Michael.
Samantha Gray
There were times I had to help him to the bathroom. The fluid on his legs was so great that sometimes he couldn't stand. I was like 5:2, and he was over £300. I ended up hurting my own back trying to help him. It was very difficult to be a caregiver.
Andrea Gunning
It was a stressful time. Samantha had started working long hours as a professor. In her time off, she was caring for Michael.
Samantha Gray
It almost made my love for him grow because I was worried about his health and him not being around.
Andrea Gunning
It became clear that Michael was going to need a heart transplant. But planning for that procedure was a long and Complicated process. They needed a more immediate treatment to keep him stable. So Michael's doctors started him on a medication that flowed through a 24 hour IV.
Samantha Gray
He wore a backpack and we hid the pump in his little backpack. It was to keep him comfortable, but it was so terrifying. Like you had to keep the batteries loaded so that this medicine would continuously flow. If it stopped, he could have died.
Andrea Gunning
It was terrifying. And their dreams for the future were put on pause.
Samantha Gray
We were still relatively young. Going to the cardiologist every two weeks wasn't on our to do list. Before, it was a mess. Trying to take care of his physical health and trying to get tenure. It was extremely stressful.
Andrea Gunning
Michael's doctors advised him not to work. Samantha was making enough money to cover their bills. And any strenuous physical effort was too much of a risk for his heart. But Michael did not take this advice well.
Samantha Gray
He was not someone who enjoyed being told no or having things taken away. He's always been a competitive person. He was an athlete in his younger years. He's always considered himself healthy and able bodied.
Andrea Gunning
Against the advice of his doctors, he kept working.
Samantha Gray
I was telling him, like, michael, sit down. I can pay the bills. All you need to do is focus on your health. I was agreeing with the doctors. I saw his condition. The evidence was very clear cut. And I was like, what if your medicine runs out? What if you have a stroke or something happens?
Andrea Gunning
Michael insisted that he felt fine.
Samantha Gray
He was on a lot of prednisone, which I called the duct tape of medicine. Just a general steroid that makes you feel great. That's how sick he was. But he didn't understand, they're trying to keep me comfortable. He only understood, I feel great no
Andrea Gunning
matter what she said. Samantha could not get Michael to stop working. He said they needed the money.
Samantha Gray
I couldn't understand why he was so money hungry.
Andrea Gunning
Michael's health made other aspects of their relationship more challenging.
Samantha Gray
There was a difference in our level of physical intimacy that came along with some of the woes of being a heart failure patient.
Andrea Gunning
Things were hard. They were stressed about money, work, intimacy, and the future.
Samantha Gray
Everything we were going through felt like the pamphlets you would read in the lobby at the cardiologist's office for families going through heart transplant. It felt like financial stress, relationship stress, intimacy issues.
Andrea Gunning
All the while, Michael kept coming to her with ways to make more money. One day, he told her he'd found a lucrative business model, a trucking company,
Samantha Gray
Breadbox type trucks that just delivered appliances for big box stores like Lowe's Home Depot, stuff like that.
Andrea Gunning
He'd always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Samantha already knew she couldn't stop Michael from working. So if he'd found something he was excited about, she wouldn't stand in his way.
Samantha Gray
In this weird time where I felt like he was losing himself a little bit, losing his identity, I did want him to be happy, and I wanted to support him. I was like, okay, I'll get on board, because he's going to do it anyway.
Andrea Gunning
Michael enrolled in a training program to learn about the trucking industry. The trainings were extensive and took place in North Carolina.
Samantha Gray
They would be anywhere from three days to a week. So he'd get a hotel and do the training and then come back.
Andrea Gunning
Whenever he was gone, Samantha worried about him. But at the time, she was working a lot too.
Samantha Gray
I was working as a tenure track professor, and it is so much work teaching a class for the first time and having to prepare the materials. I was at the office until 12 in the morning.
Andrea Gunning
With all the travel and hotels, attending these trainings became expensive. But Michael found a solution. He had a friend in the program who would let him stay at his house.
Samantha Gray
I was like, that's very kind of them. Are you sure?
Andrea Gunning
Michael assured her that it was totally fine and that his friend was happy to host him. A few days later, he left again for North Carolina.
Samantha Gray
One day, he sent me a text message to tell me that he was going to church. And I was like, oh, my goodness, you went to church? We haven't gone to church in a long time, but we both come from families that faith is really important.
Andrea Gunning
Michael texted her throughout the church service, telling her about the amazing singer he was watching. She happened to be performing one of his mom's favorite songs.
Samantha Gray
His mom passed away when I was in grad school, and he was emotional because he was hearing his mother's favorite songs. I'm like, oh, my gosh, that does sound amazing. I'm so glad you got to go.
Andrea Gunning
Samantha was touched by this update from
Samantha Gray
Michael, and he was so excited. He told me the name of the artist who was singing. He's like, oh, she sings so great. You gotta hear her sing this song. So I'm thinking, okay, I'll look it up later.
Andrea Gunning
When she had a free moment a few hours later, she decided to look up the singer Michael was raving about.
Samantha Gray
I just googled the artist's name and the date, and it came right up. Except the artist singing that day wasn't in North Carolina. The artist singing that day was in a church in Knoxville. Tennessee.
Andrea Gunning
Samantha stared at her screen.
Samantha Gray
I immediately knew he was lying. I just didn't know why.
Andrea Gunning
She pulled up the church's Facebook page.
Samantha Gray
It was a big enough church that they were recording their services, and by the time I got on the Facebook page, those services had already been uploaded to the website.
Andrea Gunning
She clicked on the recording of that morning's service.
Samantha Gray
This church records their services from the back of the church so the entire congregation was visible. It was like the back of everyone's
Andrea Gunning
heads scanning the crowd. Her eyes landed on Michael.
Samantha Gray
My heart sank when I saw him. He's big and tall and he's in yellow right smack dab in the middle of the screen. And then my heart sank again when I saw her.
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Most dog food brands don't really want you seeing how their food is made. Just food for dogs is the opposite. They actually invite you in. You can walk into any of their kitchens and see real human grade ingredients like chicken, beef, carrots and peas being prepared right in front of you. It's real food made in real kitchens. Nothing is hidden behind labels and that kind of transparency says a lot. Nothing to hide, everything to love. Go to justfoodfordogs.com and get 50% off your first order.
Matt Altmix
This is Matt Altmix from How to Money and we are all about comparing prices to save money on so many things in life. So why wouldn't you compare prices for your next ride share? Taking a few seconds to check Lyft can save you real money on your next ride. And I did this last time I caught a ride home from the airport after some travel. And guess who came out on top? Lyft. So don't just price check with flights and phone plans and your groceries. Comparing rideshare prices will help you to save money every time you ride. Save money. Check Lyft.
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Andrea Gunning
While Michael was on a work trip, he texted his wife, Samantha, to tell her he was attending an incredible church service. But when Samantha looked up the church, her reality began to crack. Michael was lying about the state he was in. He said he was in North Carolina, but this church was in Tennessee. And when she watched the recording of the service, she saw him in the pews with another woman.
Samantha Gray
My heart sank when I saw him. And then it sank again when I saw her.
Andrea Gunning
The camera angle gave Samantha a clear view of them. She could see that they were holding hands.
Samantha Gray
I glanced around the congregation. I'm like, wait, is this one of those times where everyone's supposed to be holding hands? Like, why are we holding hands? Like, is this, you know, we're going to do a group prayer? Like, what's going on? And it was quickly, just the next second, I realized, nope, no one else is holding hands. They are clearly together, coupled. There was a time on the footage that they kissed, and I don't know if my heart could possibly sink one more stage, but he was with a family.
Andrea Gunning
Sitting next to Michael was a young boy, and next to him, an older woman.
Samantha Gray
He has a whole other family in this pew.
Andrea Gunning
They were all clearly together. Samantha watched in horror.
Samantha Gray
There are times where I can see him texting, and I realized he's texting me.
Andrea Gunning
Michael clearly had no idea the church service was being recorded or that by telling her the singer's name, he had told on himself.
Samantha Gray
He Was that confident and that comfortable and not concerned at all. He's like, I can just lie in this woman's face. She'll never know.
Andrea Gunning
But now Samantha knew.
Samantha Gray
After I found out what he was doing and I saw the video, I went on a quiet rampage.
Andrea Gunning
Samantha and Michael had been married for over 10 years. She knew all of his passwords. She'd never had any reason to snoop until now.
Samantha Gray
I went home that night and I started opening all the mail I could find. Opened up old computers. I powered up all his old cell phones.
Andrea Gunning
She held her breath, afraid she would find more evidence of this affair. But as soon as she powered on his old devices, she was met with a tidal wave of information. So many emails and texts from multiple women she'd never met. This wasn't an isolated affair. This was his way of life. She began going through his text messages. In some cases, Michael was paying women
Samantha Gray
for sex, transactional type relationships.
Andrea Gunning
Others were serious emotional connections.
Samantha Gray
Some of these people, they had long term relationships. They had anniversary text messages. There is one woman who I think it was like seven years.
Andrea Gunning
Samantha went further and further back in his texts and emails. Michael had been cheating on her for almost their entire marriage. When she counted up all the evidence she could find, she had proof of at least 15 different affairs.
Samantha Gray
This is years and years and years of affairs that I have found. So many women, so many lies. And these are people who know he's married, right? Some women who would talk about me. To see your husband having a sexual communication with someone, and then that person says, you better save some of that for your wife. You guys are trying to have a baby.
Andrea Gunning
That sentence stopped Samantha in her tracks. She had been trying to get pregnant for a while, but it had been a difficult road. Seeing someone joke about it made her sick. She kept reading and she noticed something.
Samantha Gray
His tone was different with different women.
Andrea Gunning
One of the women he was having an affair with worked at a prestigious hospital with her. He texted in full sentences and made grand gestures.
Samantha Gray
He had a beautiful set of flowers delivered to Beth Israel Hospital in Boston.
Andrea Gunning
With other women, he was way more casual.
Samantha Gray
The language he'd used there, abbreviations. Oh, the slang he would use. It almost looked like a teenager texting. I was like, my goodness, how does he manage these? He was like a little social chameleon.
Andrea Gunning
The messages were painful to read, but she couldn't stop.
Samantha Gray
It's like not being able to look away from a car accident. I couldn't look away. I couldn't put it down. It was dizzying, disorienting. The rug had been pulled from underneath me.
Andrea Gunning
She felt like she needed to get to the bottom of everything. Next, she started going through his finances.
Samantha Gray
Almost everything I opened had some sort of damning piece of evidence. On was a credit card in my name. Another credit card in my name. This one has a dinner date on it. This one has a concert in Pennsylvania.
Andrea Gunning
On was becoming clear that Michael's work trips were not what they seemed. He'd been traveling to meet women and racking up debt in Samantha's name while he was there. Samantha was stunned. She had always trusted Michael to handle their bills.
Samantha Gray
But that's a bad thing when your partner's cheating on you, because then you don't look at the bills and you don't look at what's right in front of your face.
Andrea Gunning
Suddenly, Michael's desire to keep working and keep making money even when he was so sick, started to make sense.
Samantha Gray
It is very expensive to cheat.
Andrea Gunning
She sat on her bed, bills at old cell phones piling up around her.
Samantha Gray
It was hard to say, like, okay, this is the point that I should stop looking and go to sleep. I've got two more phones here that I haven't even powered up yet. I've got more emails to look through. When do I put this aside or say, like, okay, now I have enough.
Andrea Gunning
In the span of a few hours, everything she thought she knew about her husband had been turned on its head. So if Michael wasn't who she thought, who was he?
Samantha Gray
I was getting to know this person that I didn't know, and I wanted to know him.
Andrea Gunning
Michael was still in Knoxville. Samantha kept texting him like everything was normal.
Samantha Gray
I didn't want him to know what I knew. I wanted to be stealthy.
Andrea Gunning
Before she made any decisions, she wanted all the information. She spent a few days reading everything, all the emails and all the texts, catching up on the plot of the lives she had no idea her husband was living.
Samantha Gray
I would go to sleep with a phone in my hand. My laptop was on my bed. It was almost like reading a novel. But this was my real life.
Andrea Gunning
Finally, she had read all she could read. But still, it didn't feel real.
Samantha Gray
In that moment, I was still lost. I kind of wanted an identity confirmation. This is reality. Like, I want to see his physical body, not through a screen. I wanted it to be tangible.
Andrea Gunning
So she decided it was time to take a trip. Michael had taken her car, so she
Samantha Gray
booked a rental and I drove to Knoxville. I had no idea if I was going to confront him. I had four and a half, five hours to figure that out, driving.
Andrea Gunning
When she got to Knoxville, she checked into a hotel. Next, she needed a disguise.
Samantha Gray
I put on a wig, a hat, and sunglasses because I was on this secretive mission.
Andrea Gunning
She set out to find Michael, and it was surprisingly simple. Some of the details he told her were true. He really was working for a trucking company. When she drove to the company's address, she found him parked there.
Samantha Gray
From there, I started trailing him.
Andrea Gunning
Samantha followed Michael as he drove through the neighborhoods of Knoxville.
Samantha Gray
I was so worried that he would notice that he would being trailed, but he didn't.
Andrea Gunning
He drove through Knoxville like he had nothing to hide. He picked up the woman Samantha had seen in the church video, and together they drove to a dog park.
Samantha Gray
I'm like, how long have they been together? They have a dog together. Are you kidding me?
Andrea Gunning
Samantha parked up on a hill overlooking the dog park.
Samantha Gray
I was looking at him. I could see him cheating. They were holding hands, walking the dog.
Andrea Gunning
She took out her phone and started recording.
Samantha Gray
I have video footage of them walking around this park, holding hands, kissing. To me, it was like, if there's an open and shut case, this is it.
Andrea Gunning
Michael was strolling through the dog park holding another woman's hand. Like everything about that was normal. Like this was his only universe, his only life.
Samantha Gray
And I started recording myself talking through everything that I had been through, how I had gotten there. I don't know why I did it. Maybe as the psychologist in me, it was almost like a trauma narrative, like talking to a friend through a difficult problem. So I'm sitting here narrating everything. It kept me calm.
Andrea Gunning
After the dog park, they went to a pancake house. Samantha followed them there. Then they went to the grocery store. After that, she gave up on following them. She had seen all she needed to. She sat in her parked car, staring straight ahead.
Samantha Gray
This is a normal life. And that almost made it more confusing to me because I'm like, there's nothing sexy about this. This isn't the classic sort of popular media representation of an affair where it's like, okay, I'm gonna check into the hotel, flip you my room card and I'll be ready for you type of affair. Or looking into each other's eyes, talking about our feelings, and there's like a candle lit dinner. That's not how I found my husband. I found my husband picking up poop after a dog at a park. This isn't fun. You're just having a boring life with another family. This is a painful affair.
Andrea Gunning
When she woke up in her hotel room, the Next day, Michael texted her good morning, as he always did.
Samantha Gray
He never stopped texting me, here's my husband. He'd still send me good morning text messages.
Andrea Gunning
She still hadn't told Michael that she knew about the 15 women, the years of lies, his double life. She didn't tell him anything. It was his turn to be left in the dark. It was a beautiful day in Knoxville, and Samantha was going to church. One church in particular she heard. There was a great singer there.
Samantha Gray
Brought my Bible, brought my Sunday clothes, right? I had a big hat on. This is church in the South. He didn't want me to know what he's doing now. He doesn't get to know what I'm doing. I think that was a big part of why I stayed, a way to regain some kind of control or some kind of power.
Andrea Gunning
She prepared to confront Michael if he was there that Sunday. But he wasn't. After she left church, she took herself on a little drive around Knoxville.
Samantha Gray
I did a tour of my husband's cheating by the stuff that I had found. I drove around to the places that I saw on my credit card receipt. I didn't go inside to eat, but I drove. And I'm like, yep, there's that restaurant.
Andrea Gunning
When she'd seen enough, she went home to Indianapolis. Michael texted her and said that he needed to extend his work trip for a few more days. She replied she wanted her car back.
Samantha Gray
And he's like, well, you know, I'm down here doing the work thing. I said, I don't care. I want my car back. That was the only inkling I gave him that I was upset about something. And he was upset because he couldn't figure out, like, why is this a big deal?
Andrea Gunning
Michael made the drive back to Indianapolis to return her car, But Samantha wasn't ready to face him.
Samantha Gray
He still didn't know that I knew anything. I wasn't ready yet. I was so afraid of interacting with him because we've been married for so long. And I'm like, if he sees me, he's going to know.
Andrea Gunning
So she got a hotel room for the night and told Michael she was staying at her dad's place. He went to their house and dropped off her car. Then he went back to Knoxville. She was keeping a close eye on her finances now, and to her horror, she saw that he tried to take out another credit card in her name.
Samantha Gray
I was like, okay, well, I need to hurry up because I don't want him doing any more damage.
Andrea Gunning
She decided to go to the police to file an identity Claim against Michael. But the fact that they were married made things complicated.
Samantha Gray
The police were like, just divorce this guy. That's all you should do.
Andrea Gunning
While Michael was still in Knoxville, Samantha decided to move out of their house. The university she worked for had housing available for her to move into.
Samantha Gray
So I packed up everything. It was a quick pack. Didn't sort anything. I moved under, like, the COVID of night.
Andrea Gunning
Basically, she told the people closest to her, Including Michael's family, that she was planning to file for divorce.
Samantha Gray
And that's how he found out that I knew. He found out that I was divorcing him from his own family.
Andrea Gunning
But Michael didn't know what exactly Samantha knew. He just knew that all of a sudden, she wanted to end their marriage. He called her, trying to figure out what was going on. Samantha told him she knew about the woman in Tennessee.
Samantha Gray
I was like, are you kidding me? We were trying to have a kid, and you're down here cheating?
Andrea Gunning
Michael denied everything.
Samantha Gray
He never really admitted to anything. He's like, I'm down here for our family. I'm down here for you. I know things are bad now, but I'm almost done with the words. It didn't even sound like we were talking about cheating. His narrative was like, well, whatever you found, the truth is that I still love you, and I'm down here trying to strengthen our family, and that as soon as I get back and I don't have to come down here for work anymore, we'll get back right how things used to be.
Andrea Gunning
Michael couldn't even admit to this one affair, let alone the 14 others. Samantha knew it was pointless to argue further. Their marriage was over.
Samantha Gray
I have no desire to do any kind of reconnection. I have no desire to do any kind of work to try to salvage the relationship. I don't even want to waste my breath.
Andrea Gunning
When Michael finally came back to Indianapolis, he went to their house, expecting Samantha to be there.
Samantha Gray
He put his key in the door, and because I had moved houses, his key didn't work.
Andrea Gunning
He called Samantha in a panic.
Samantha Gray
He was like, what'd you do with all my stuff? And I was like, well, who you got caught cheating with Is who you can stay with.
Andrea Gunning
After that, Samantha filed for divorce. Michael was faced with a sobering realization. Samantha was walking away now. He was the one left. Desperate for answers, Michael started showing up at Samantha's job.
Samantha Gray
And he was leaving notes on my car. And I contacted him, and I said, I'm officially putting you on notice that I do not want you coming to my job. Do not leave notes on my car. If you have any correspondence, do it through my attorney. And I remember he was just like, why are you being so cold?
Andrea Gunning
Samantha began setting up an independent life for herself. Not only did Michael's betrayal take an emotional toll, there was a huge financial toll, too. The credit cards he took out in her name severely impacted her credit.
Samantha Gray
I started protecting myself, locking my credit reports, getting my own health insurance. I was taking my life back, taking my control back, and still in pain, but still putting one foot in front of the other. I'm just like, okay, finally it's going to be some time, but maybe I can breathe because I've just been through the wringer.
Andrea Gunning
One day when she was at work,
Samantha Gray
after I got my own health insurance, I was logging in to my account. I was in therapy at the time, and I wanted to make sure that the insurance was filing things correctly and whatnot.
Andrea Gunning
When she logged into her health insurance portal, she noticed a new claim had been added to her account.
Samantha Gray
I didn't know what it was for because I wasn't really going to the doctor. And especially for that month, it should have just been just my therapist on there.
Andrea Gunning
She clicked on the claim and started reading.
Samantha Gray
It didn't dawn on me that the date of birth was on there, and it wasn't my date of birth. It didn't dawn on me that the city that the claim was in was Knoxville, Tennessee. It didn't dawn on me that it was a pediatrician that was the provider. And it didn't dawn on me that the last name of the patient was the last name of my husband.
Andrea Gunning
The only thing Samantha saw was the name in the middle of the screen.
Samantha Gray
Ellington. He had a baby with this woman, and he took the name that I was going to give my daughter if I ever had a little girl.
Andrea Gunning
That was their baby name, the one they dreamed of together. This cut so deep, something in her snapped.
Samantha Gray
I was crying, wailing, sobbing. I didn't think that he could take anything else from me, but I was wrong. That was the last thing that he could do to me. And he did.
Andrea Gunning
A few weeks later, Michael called her. She usually ignored his calls, but this time she picked up.
Samantha Gray
I was just screaming at the top of my lungs. I don't even think I was making sense. I lowered my tone and I said, did you have a baby with this woman?
Andrea Gunning
Michael played dumb.
Samantha Gray
He was just like, what are you talking about? And I was like, I know already that you had a baby with this woman.
Andrea Gunning
Samantha held her breath, waiting for Michael's response. But all he said was, I mean,
Samantha Gray
so we're getting divorced, like, whatever.
Andrea Gunning
His nonchalance was stunning.
Samantha Gray
I was like, this is the one thing that you can't deny. Like, there is a life, There's a person that you have created. Surely that will be the one thing that you can see that I would fall apart over. I thought he was actually going to see how that would be painful. And yeah, he just, he. He did not. It took years for us to get divorced. He refused to sign any of the papers. He would dodge phone calls, emails, subpoenas. I mean, it was a mess.
Andrea Gunning
But eventually their divorce was finalized. Michael and Samantha stopped being in regular communication. But occasionally he or his family reached out with updates on his health. That was how she learned. Michael's health was declining rapidly. He needed a new heart.
Samantha Gray
He was on the heart transplant list. He was approved and was waiting for a heart. But he was so ill that he could not go home.
Andrea Gunning
Michael was living in the hospital waiting for an appropriate match. His family updated Samantha. When he finally made it off the list, they told her he was going into surgery.
Samantha Gray
He never woke up from that surgery. He died the next day. Day I began to weep.
Andrea Gunning
Despite everything. She went to Michael's funeral.
Samantha Gray
I had the pictures that they could use. I had the information for the obituary. I was the wife. I was grieving, the husband that I thought I had. The person that I thought I was married to was who I was grieving.
Andrea Gunning
Samantha navigated complicated layers of grief. One of the hardest parts was grieving. The opportunity to be a mother. She had to change her long term plans.
Samantha Gray
I did get tenure, so that was very exciting. I bought my own car. I worked really hard to get my credit restored. And that took time. And that damage went on for years. I recently bought a house. I was like, wow. Yeah, I did that on my own. I think for me, it also marks having my life restored.
Andrea Gunning
She hasn't tried to erase Michael from her story.
Samantha Gray
It's easier for me to conceptualize it as grief. I lost one of the most meaningful relationships that I thought that I'd have for the rest of my life. I do not discount everything that happened in my marriage. I think I've learned that it's more of like a both and instead of an either or, he did these things. And I had times of joy and happiness in this marriage.
Andrea Gunning
There's no guide for situations like this one.
Samantha Gray
I definitely just learned that I have far more room for, like, growth and expansion and self care and self love than I thought that I did wisdom I think that has come from this situation.
Andrea Gunning
We end every weekly episode with the same question. Why do you want to share your story?
Samantha Gray
I've always believed that there's power in narrative and power in processing, but I have learned that there is actually power in sharing. Outwardly, shame is one of the most difficult emotions to work through. When it sinks in, it's so pervasive, it's in every deep, dark corner of our minds. In not hiding, it's the perfect way to work against shame.
Andrea Gunning
On the next episode of Betrayal Weekly,
Samantha Gray
I really started to see this pattern that she had been using for years. It was almost like this chess game. It was checkmate and she didn't really care that we figured it out. We were just chess pieces to her.
Andrea Gunning
If you'd like to share your story on betrayal, please email betrayalpodmail.com that is betrayalpodmail.com Please note that we are not a mental health organization. If you are in crisis or currently experiencing domestic violence, we encourage you to seek local help or dial 911. Please contact organizations that offer immediate support. In our show notes, we've included a list of US based resources. You can follow us on Instagram, etrayalpod or Find me itsandreagunning to access our newsletter and additional content and to connect with the Betrayal community, join our substack@betrayal.substack.com we're grateful for your support. One way to show support is by subscribing to our show on Apple Podcasts. And don't forget to rate and review Betrayal. Five star reviews go up a long way. Big thank you to all of our listeners. Betrayal is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeart Podcasts. The show is executive produced by Nancy Glass and Jennifer Faison, hosted and produced by me, Andrea Gunning, written and produced by Olivia Hewitt. Our story editor is Monique Laborde, also produced by Ben Fetterman. Our Associate producer is Leah Jablo. Production management by Kristen Melchuri Booking support by Curry Richmond. Our iHeart team is Ally Perry and Jessica Krynczyk. Audio editing by Tanner Robbins with additional editing and mixing by Matt D'. Albacchio. Betrayal's Theme composed by Oliver Baines Music Library, provided by MyMusic and for more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Andrea Gunning
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Host: Andrea Gunning | Date: July 30, 2026 | Podcast: Betrayal Weekly
This episode of Betrayal Weekly features the harrowing story of Samantha Gray, a psychology professor whose life was upended by an unimaginable double betrayal from her husband, Michael. Through her deeply personal account, Samantha shares how the man she trusted most led a parallel life — not only maintaining multiple affairs, but also having a secret child, all while she cared for him through advanced heart failure. The episode examines the profound betrayal, emotional fallout, and Samantha’s journey towards reclaiming her life.
[03:13–05:18] Early Life & Meeting Michael
[09:33–10:49] Relationship Development
[11:17–13:53] Early Marriage, Poverty, and Dreams
[19:24–21:36] Career Milestones and First Hints of Crisis
[22:52–26:23] Transition to Caregiving and Financial Stress
[27:00–29:03] Michael’s New Ventures
[29:20–31:22] Unraveling the Secret
[36:15–38:18] The Search for Truth
[42:47–45:13] Samantha Takes Action
[46:20–49:02] Slow, Secret Exit
[49:02–52:15] Financial Aftermath and Boundaries
[52:38–54:19] The Baby Name
[54:28–55:06] Last Confrontation
[55:45–57:37] Divorce and Aftermath
[57:09–58:08] Healing and Growth
On Michael’s deception:
“He was like a little social chameleon.” — Samantha Gray [39:29]
On withholding the truth from Michael after her discovery:
“He didn’t want me to know what he’s doing now. He doesn’t get to know what I’m doing.” — Samantha Gray [46:50]
On the moment she realized the shocking use of the baby name:
“I didn’t think that he could take anything else from me, but I was wrong. That was the last thing that he could do to me. And he did.” — Samantha Gray [54:05]
The episode is matter-of-fact and reflective, blending detailed, candid recollections with moments of raw emotion. Both host Andrea Gunning and Samantha use language that is vulnerable yet composed, often with wry or self-aware humor amid the pain. The narrative is chronological, providing context and emotional escalation as Samantha transitions from hope and partnership to devastation and eventual recovery.
In this gripping episode, Samantha Gray recounts her journey from a loving, dreaming newlywed to someone blindsided by years of betrayal. Caring for Michael through life-threatening illness, Samantha discovers he’s led a parallel existence: multiple affairs, financial exploitation, and a secret child bearing the very name they once chose together. Her story is one of heartbreak, resilience, and ultimately self-reclamation. Through clarity, boundaries, and courage, Samantha not only survives but grows, refusing to let shame define her.