It started with a harmless white lie on a first date – and now three years later, one woman is stuck living a ‘caffeine-fuelled double life’.

An anonymous woman confessed she’s been secretly pretending to like coffee for the length of her relationship with her now-husband – after fibbing about it early on to impress him.

‘I feel like a fraud in my own house,’ she admitted on Reddit.

‘When I first started dating my now-husband, I told him I liked coffee because he LOVED it. Obsessed. Black, no sugar, espresso machine – the whole deal.’

What began as a small attempt to bond quickly turned into a defining part of their relationship.

‘He made it such a cute thing in our early days, bringing me my “favourite” cold brew, planning coffee dates, even buying me fancy beans for birthdays,’ she wrote.

‘His family knows me as the “coffee girl” because he told them I love it as much as he does. But here’s the thing – I hate coffee. Always have. It tastes like burnt dirt water.’

At first, she got away with pretending.

‘I’d sip it, smile, say “Mmm, smooth”, then secretly pour it into the sink or give it to a co-worker,’ she said.

But once they moved in together, the lie became impossible to escape.

‘He started making me one every morning before I woke up. It’s the first thing I smell each day. And I drink it,’ she said.

She’s even learned to fake enthusiasm, inventing a ‘favourite roast’ and attending a barista class he booked as a surprise.

‘I smiled so much that day my face hurt,’ she said.

Now, years later, she admits she has no idea how to come clean.

‘What could I say? “Babe, you know those 800 cups of coffee you’ve lovingly made for me over the years? Yeah, I’ve been suffering through every one of them”.’

The post quickly went viral, with hundreds of people offering advice – and sympathy.

‘Say you’re cutting back on caffeine because it’s affecting your sleep. No one argues with that,’ one suggested.

‘Blame it on heartburn – coffee upsets my stomach and I LIKE coffee. Just say you’re giving it up for health reasons,’ another wrote.

Others took a lighter view.

‘Just be glad he wasn’t into hiking,’ one person joked.

Some said they’d been through similar experiences.

‘I gave up coffee for Lent and never went back. Just say you’re detoxing – when it’s over, say you feel better without it.’

While many agreed the situation was hilarious, others said it highlights how often small lies in early dating can snowball.

‘You could probably tell him now and he’d just laugh. He’d probably still make you tea in the morning – that’s love,’ a woman said.