Jake Halpern (Host)

Sarah admits she lied a lot growing up, about all kinds of things. At first, some of the lies we heard about seemed to us like they'd fall in the category of just stuff that kids do. She'd tell her parents she was at school when she wasn't. Sometimes she'd lie to other kids. We spoke to her best friend. Her name is Ariel. They met as teenagers, and the two of them remain very close.

Sarah admits she lied a lot growing up, about all kinds of things. At first, some of the lies we heard about seemed to us like they'd fall in the category of just stuff that kids do. She'd tell her parents she was at school when she wasn't. Sometimes she'd lie to other kids. We spoke to her best friend. Her name is Ariel. They met as teenagers, and the two of them remain very close.

Ariel gave us a window into Sarah's world. Back in high school, Ariel remembers Sarah spinning lies that didn't even really make sense. Like when Sarah would tell people that she was adopted. According to Ariel, Sarah's mom called her out on this, saying, Stop it. You're not adopted. But Sarah would keep on saying it. Ariel always found this strange and never quite understood why Sarah did it.

Ariel gave us a window into Sarah's world. Back in high school, Ariel remembers Sarah spinning lies that didn't even really make sense. Like when Sarah would tell people that she was adopted. According to Ariel, Sarah's mom called her out on this, saying, Stop it. You're not adopted. But Sarah would keep on saying it. Ariel always found this strange and never quite understood why Sarah did it.

Sarah told us that things happened to her as a child that made her want to live a different life. Be someone else. Lie. Escape.

Sarah told us that things happened to her as a child that made her want to live a different life. Be someone else. Lie. Escape.

Sarah says that there was a man who sexually abused her for years when she was a girl. Her mother attested to this in official documents. Nicole also confirmed to us that this abuse was something that Sarah had shared with her.

Sarah says that there was a man who sexually abused her for years when she was a girl. Her mother attested to this in official documents. Nicole also confirmed to us that this abuse was something that Sarah had shared with her.

Sarah started taking medications for her anxiety after this, and she says she really evened out. But then her insurance stopped covering her medical provider, so she went off her meds. It was a rough time. She says that she tried to take her own life on multiple occasions. All of this is to say, Sarah told us, she faced some pretty difficult moments in her life from a young age.

Sarah started taking medications for her anxiety after this, and she says she really evened out. But then her insurance stopped covering her medical provider, so she went off her meds. It was a rough time. She says that she tried to take her own life on multiple occasions. All of this is to say, Sarah told us, she faced some pretty difficult moments in her life from a young age.

These two things, her wife and her veteran buddies, would become Sarah's pillars, her support. But they were also destined to push against one another and create tension in a way that would ultimately bring everything crashing down.

These two things, her wife and her veteran buddies, would become Sarah's pillars, her support. But they were also destined to push against one another and create tension in a way that would ultimately bring everything crashing down.

What Sarah is describing here are symptoms of PTSD, which she says stemmed from her trauma, the sexual abuse from her past. And she says that veterans seem to understand this kind of trauma innately, almost like it was part of their shared memory and their unspoken language. She told us she felt safe with them, like for once no one was judging her because they understood them.

What Sarah is describing here are symptoms of PTSD, which she says stemmed from her trauma, the sexual abuse from her past. And she says that veterans seem to understand this kind of trauma innately, almost like it was part of their shared memory and their unspoken language. She told us she felt safe with them, like for once no one was judging her because they understood them.

Sarah told us she always felt different, but when she was posing as a veteran, she felt like she belonged.

Sarah told us she always felt different, but when she was posing as a veteran, she felt like she belonged.

Around the people that she cared about. And that, right there, was the problem. Because these people, the people she cared about, were the same people that she was deceiving and manipulating and taking money from. Sarah says that what she did stemmed from a deep need and some seriously flawed thinking.

Around the people that she cared about. And that, right there, was the problem. Because these people, the people she cared about, were the same people that she was deceiving and manipulating and taking money from. Sarah says that what she did stemmed from a deep need and some seriously flawed thinking.

The odd part about all of this is that Sarah did have this other life, with a pretty home and a caring spouse, a life that seemed pretty good. Even now, when Sarah talks about Nicole, you can hear a tenderness in her voice. She calls her Nikki. And as far as we can tell, Nikki was a lifeline for Sarah. It was Nikki who took Sarah on walks in Lincoln Woods.

The odd part about all of this is that Sarah did have this other life, with a pretty home and a caring spouse, a life that seemed pretty good. Even now, when Sarah talks about Nicole, you can hear a tenderness in her voice. She calls her Nikki. And as far as we can tell, Nikki was a lifeline for Sarah. It was Nikki who took Sarah on walks in Lincoln Woods.