For ten long years, a woman from Yunnan province, China, faithfully gave her husband red pills every day, believing they were for his liver condition. What she didn’t know was that those pills were actually for HIV treatment, a secret her husband had kept hidden from her since before their marriage.
Their story began in 2011 when the couple met and soon decided to marry. Around the same time, the man learned that he was HIV-positive. Instead of sharing the truth, he told his future wife that he suffered from a chronic liver ailment. After their wedding, he continued taking medication, insisting they were meant for his liver and she never questioned it. For ten years, she diligently handed him the red pills, unaware of the devastating truth behind them.
The shocking revelation came in December 2021 when the husband was imprisoned for running an illegal casino. During a routine visit, prison staff asked his wife to arrange HIV medication for him. Confused, she initially thought they were mistaken. But soon, she discovered that her husband had been diagnosed with HIV back in 2011, the same year they met and had deliberately hidden it from her ever since.
Recalling her emotions, the woman said she had never imagined that the pills were related to HIV treatment. Her husband had always reassured her that they were for his liver and she had trusted him completely. That trust shattered in a single moment.
When confronted, the husband tried to justify his actions, explaining that his ongoing treatment had kept the virus under control and reduced the risk of transmission. However, his words did little to comfort his wife. Terrified, she underwent an HIV test immediately, fearing that years of unprotected intimacy might have put her life in danger. Fortunately, the results came back negative but the emotional damage was already done.
The woman described those days of waiting for her test results as the most agonizing of her life. She spent sleepless nights replaying every moment of their marriage, haunted by betrayal and fear.
Determined to seek justice, she filed a lawsuit against her husband, accusing him of deception and emotional fraud. The court in Yunnan later ruled in her favor, declaring the marriage annulled. The judges emphasised that the man’s decision to hide his HIV status not only violated the foundation of marital trust but also put his wife’s health at serious risk.
The case sparked widespread discussion in China about the importance of honesty in relationships and the moral responsibility of individuals diagnosed with infectious diseases. For the woman, the verdict brought some closure, though the scars of betrayal would take much longer to heal.
Trust should never be broken in relations, what do you say?
