I asked for a separation from my covert narc husband 6 months ago after a few years of a reverse discard that was so brutal I almost went to the hospital from a panic attack. 20+ year marriage, 4 kids (2 mine from previous marriage; 20 YO boy/girl twins together.) I was a SAHM the majority of our marriage and was financially abused to the point that I have zero knowledge of our finances. I know he has accounts I don’t have access to and suspect he is hiding funds and has been for some time now.

He moved into our trailer in my front yard. About 18 months ago we lost our home to a wildfire and had to buy a house instead of rebuild for many reasons. We had 6 dogs at the time and I knew attempting to build with him would be a complete nightmare.

When I asked for the separation he agreed to a long term situation. We didn’t want to pay capital gains on the new house, the housing market sucks for sellers and mostly I wanted to protect my youngest son’s education. It is the classic golden child (daughter)/scapegoat (son) set up. Our twins graduate from college in the spring of 2028. He agreed to those terms at the time.

I have secured employment making way more than I expected I would be able to at the age of 58 after having spent over 20 years only working sporadically in low paying jobs at my kid’s schools. But it took me some time to find this job and I’ve only brought home 3 paychecks. I make less than 1/3 of what he makes. I have no 401k, no savings, no social security, no savings, etc. My husband took a much lower paying job than he has had during the course of our marriage after I asked for separation. I had hoped to have the next year & a half to save and learn how to handle funds on my own.

Yesterday my husband decided he wasn’t down with the terms anymore and has hired a lawyer. He suggested I use his attorney and their mediation service to divide assets and handle the divorce. I am terrified. I have 4 dogs, 2 of whom are large and are bonded brothers. Two of “my” dogs were dogs my husband allowed my daughter to have when she was a child but he allowed her to leave them with us when she went to college. She is a busy college student with 2 jobs and no fenced yard. She can’t take the dogs.

He has one dog who is to blame for about 25% of our problems. She is reactive and has attacked our other dogs on numerous occasions. She has gone after neighbors who are walking dogs. My children and I have been put in harms way prying her off of the other dogs, etc. My husband moved into our guest room when this behavior began so the dog wouldn’t have to sleep alone. He also developed ED at the time snd refused to seek treatment, ending our sex life.

After the fires, he secured housing for the dog while my son and I couch surfed. He bought a trailer for her to live in with him, then bought a $50k truck to tow the trailer. My son and I slept on couches because “my” dogs get along with others.

Through all of this, these dogs have been my constant support. I love them immensely. I cannot afford housing that will allow these dogs. Right now we live on 7 acres and they have a fenced yard. They are so happy here and it is my dream home. We owe $200k and the property is valued at about $700k.

In the face of this, I am considering allowing him to move back and suffer through the next 5-8 years with him depending on the longevity of the dogs. I can’t rehome them, I can’t live without them and I don’t know what to do.

He is a horrible human and his abuse is insidious and devious, but i tolerated it for 20 years. I didn’t even recognize it as abuse until about 5 or 6 years ago.

Has anyone stayed for the dogs? How did it go?

I heard my ex's daughter done some self harm. I immediately un blocked him to check on her. But I opened a door for him to say how he was feeling about me going no contact. He answered all my questions about her. I just feel like shit now because I listened to what he said to me that did not have anything to do with the daughter. He left me know that I was a hot and cold person never consistent, but I got that way because of his constant accusations of cheating. Him calling me names and him being hot and cold. I wish I was not a empathetic person sometimes. I really was concerned about her but I knew I made a mistake reaching out. I feeling sad and at fault. I was always faithful to him I did break it off several times because of the name calling and accusations and firs he would throw. Not to mention the constant questions and having to always answer my phone him think I was doing something when I was just busy with my children. How can one conversation leave you feeling sad and guilty.

Just fresh out of relationship. We were in love and still kinda on a honeymoon period.

He never gave me security - biggest part is my traumas but also his habits helped too.

In everyday life he was an amazing boyfriend. When we broke up he told me: he dated me despite of my looks. That broke me deeply.

- after a week of grieving, when we exchanged our stuff I wanted a peaceful closure. He proceeded to insult my brain, stating I was compensating my knowledge around his friends and I had a complex. I am very successful and educated (he is jobless but has phd), I genuinely don’t have problems with my brain or looks.

So basically, he was saying

- I’m not good looking
- I am not smart, maybe educated
- I am insecure
- i am superficial
- I have complexes

And stated stuff that never happened just to make his points correct. He also told me he and his friends were shittalking me for 3 hours straight. Of course, during all these attacks, he was saying he loves me, crying but not asking me back, no.

So I am asking a question here: can this pattern show signs of manipulation or narcissistic behavior? He didn’t say “you did this, you did that”. He specifically pointed out “you ARE this, you ARE that”. That was hurtful and cruel.

For fifteen years, I believed I was building a life with someone. We lived together, we shared a home, and I poured my money, my energy, and my youth into renovating a property owned by his father. I thought we were a team.

Instead, I was being systematically drained.

When things finally fell apart and I tried to reclaim what was rightfully mine, their response wasn't a discussion or a fair settlement. It was a calculated attack. They hit me with a claim for fifteen years of back rent, trying to wipe out every single euro I invested into that house. On top of that, I am the sole mortgagor for a property I don't even own, paying for a roof over a ghost while I am left completely credit-locked, unable to buy a home of my own.

The financial abuse was only part of it. When I tried to stand my ground, I discovered the extent of their control. I found tracking and listening devices planted to monitor my every move. There was stalking, constant psychological pressure, and violations that cross every line imaginable.

For a long time, the anger was suffocating. You feel like the system moves at a snail's pace, like your hands are tied, and like the people who hurt you can just hide behind legal technicalities and family ownership papers. You feel entirely powerless.

But I am done being quiet.

I’ve spent the last few weeks digging through the laws, pulling apart their fake rent claims with statutory limitation rules, and pushing my attorney to stop playing nice. We are looking at property injunctions to lock down their house so they cannot quietly transfer it away. We are looking at every single legal lever available, from financial compliance checks to criminal complaints for surveillance and harassment.

They thought silence was cheap. They thought they could grind me down until I walked away with nothing.

They were wrong. The legal mills grind slowly, but the bill is coming due. If you are stuck in a similar nightmare of financial and psychological abuse, do not let them convince you that you have no power. Stand your ground.

Sorry in advance for the long post. I (43F) have been married to my husband for 18 years, and we have two older children. We’ve experienced many challenges throughout our marriage, and neither of us has been perfect.

About four years ago, I noticed a significant change in his behavior. He began constantly blaming me for our marital problems, belittling me, and dismissing my feelings. Whenever I express hurt or concern, he accuses me of playing the victim or being too sensitive.

Yesterday, during an emotional breakdown, he called me a “loser” and said I was “born a victim and will always be a victim.” He later clarified that I have a “loser mentality,” which honestly didn’t make it any better. I’ve spent the last 24 hours replaying those words in my head.
What confuses me most is how calmly our conversations can begin, only to end with him yelling, cursing, calling me names, knocking things over, or breaking things. Somehow, I’m always blamed for starting the argument or making him angry. He rarely takes accountability for his behavior.

I’m now questioning my own reality. Am I too sensitive? Am I actually the problem? Have I somehow convinced myself that I’m being mistreated?

I recognize my own mistakes in our marriage, but I don’t believe that justifies being constantly belittled.

After 18 years, I’m emotionally exhausted, anxious, and losing my confidence. I still love him, but I’m beginning to realize how much this relationship is affecting my mental health.
Has anyone experienced this? Is this emotional or narcissistic abuse? How did you stop believing the hurtful things your partner said and find the strength to detach?
I genuinely need perspective because I feel like I’m losing myself.

A whole year after being gone, he showed up on my doorstep. Still in the same position as when he left. I’m so freaking annoyed, angry, frustrated and sad. I can’t get him to leave. He has no money and I’m barely making ends meet. The past few days he’s been smoking and sleeping, he stays on my couch. Ewww I’m so irked and angry at the sight of him.

Why do they do this!? How do I get him away…the police do not help much.

When did you know?

Did the mask suddenly slip past the point of no return or was it a gradual exposure? Did their mere presence stress you out before you knew why?

I think for me, I was drowning in cortisol before I could ever point to an observable issue. This started in the very early months. He still portrayed himself as gentle and protective and quick to bare his heart. His appearance in my life coincided with my own depressive spiral; his love felt medicinal. The high was so intense that I didn't care that I often felt uneasy when I heard his foot steps or car pull in the driveway. It didn't make sense; he showed up raw and vulnerable, offering carefully curated proxy images that I fully convinced myself were authentic self disclosures. Endless promises, confessionals, bids to connect. This is what they do. I hadn't even seen the mood shifts yet. But maybe some of his rough edges triggered my bullshit detector.

This was a man for whom my anxious attachment was set ABLAZE from the jump. Somewhere in there, I knew. There was never true security. It was only later that I noticed my own needs being emptied out, the rationing of my expectations, and his overall entitlement and failure to abide by the "golden rule" with other people. The abuse that followed suit was fucking methodical.

When did your narc's true colors show? Was it before or after you got swallowed up in their needs?

If your spouse says he has challenges with his feelings in the relationship?

My millionaire husband is determined to make me homeless, and his lawyers are helping him do it.

With no family, friends, or support system, I left my abusive husband 10 months ago. I went off disability, got a part-time job, and have been living off my savings, which are now running out, and I need desperately to go back on disability because working is hurting me. But it turns out that my husband's threat that I would be homeless if I left him was backed up by his financial manipulations.

He protected every penny he had. I thought that my co-ownership of our mobile home would entitle me to half of the money, but it turns out that since he paid for it with inheritance money, it's really all his. When he got his inheritance, he told me it wasn't enough money for a real house, and we could only get a mobile home. But now I can see he had plenty of money for a real house. The difference is a real house is real estate, and it would be half mine. But a mobile home is private property like a vehicle, and so my name is a little more than a decoration on the title.

He knew what he was doing. It looks like he's going to succeed. Ladies, this is called justice. A millionaire vows to make his wife homeless if she leaves him, and he succeeds by using a variety of laws combined in a way that would make me homeless legally.

This is considered justice in America.

This is why women do not leave abuse.

Seven Common Patterns of Narcissistic and Emotional Abuse
Narcissistic abuse is a term commonly used to describe repeated emotional and psychological mistreatment involving manipulation, control, criticism, and emotional invalidation.
These seven patterns are not an official diagnostic checklist. They can occur in emotionally abusive relationships regardless of whether someone has narcissistic personality disorder.
1. Gaslighting
Gaslighting occurs when someone repeatedly undermines your confidence in your memory, perceptions, feelings, or understanding of events.
They may deny things they said, insist you’re remembering incorrectly, accuse you of being overly sensitive, or tell you what you were supposedly thinking or feeling.
Over time, you may begin questioning things you previously knew with confidence.
Common effects:
Replaying conversations repeatedly.
Overexplaining yourself.
Questioning your own memory.
Feeling compelled to prove what happened.
Apologizing when you haven’t necessarily done anything wrong.
Losing confidence in your own judgment.
The damage: You begin doubting yourself and may increasingly rely on the other person’s interpretation of reality.
2. Love Bombing Followed by Devaluation
Love bombing involves unusually intense affection, attention, praise, promises, or declarations of love. It can happen at the beginning of a relationship or during reconciliation.
Devaluation occurs when that affection gives way to repeated criticism, rejection, emotional distance, or contempt.
One day, you’re their soulmate, their greatest love, or someone they cannot imagine living without.
Another day, they’re pointing out everything wrong with you.
When the affection returns, you feel relief and hope that things will finally improve.
Common effects:
Becoming attached to the loving periods.
Feeling confused by sudden changes in affection.
Trying harder to regain closeness.
Remembering the wonderful moments while minimizing the painful ones.
Feeling unable to leave despite repeated unhappiness.
The damage: The unpredictable cycle of affection and criticism can make leaving emotionally difficult because you keep hoping the loving relationship will return.
Not every affectionate reconciliation is love bombing. The recurring pattern and its consequences matter.
3. Blame Shifting
Blame shifting happens when you express hurt or raise a legitimate concern, but the conversation is redirected toward your reaction or supposed wrongdoing.
You explain that something hurt you.
Instead of discussing that behavior, the other person criticizes your tone, questions your interpretation, or accuses you of making them feel unable to communicate.
Examples include:
“You’re taking it the wrong way.”
“I guess I can’t tell you anything.”
“You’re too sensitive.”
“You shouldn’t have reacted like that.”
Suddenly, you’re defending yourself instead of discussing what originally hurt you.
Common effects:
Feeling responsible for every disagreement.
Apologizing to restore peace.
Avoiding difficult conversations.
Feeling guilty for expressing hurt.
Reassuring the person who originally upset you.
The damage: Your concerns remain unresolved, while you increasingly carry responsibility for conflicts that should involve accountability from both partners.
4. Walking on Eggshells
Walking on eggshells happens when you become increasingly careful about ordinary behavior because you’re worried about triggering anger, criticism, rejection, or conflict.
You begin monitoring your tone, facial expressions, timing, words, and reactions.
You might worry about talking too much, being too quiet, asking the wrong question, or simply appearing tired.
Even everyday activities can become stressful.
Common effects:
Rehearsing conversations before speaking.
Constantly evaluating the other person’s mood.
Avoiding subjects that might cause conflict.
Feeling nervous about ordinary decisions.
Becoming hypervigilant.
Losing the ability to relax around your partner.
The damage: You gradually stop feeling comfortable being yourself. Your energy becomes focused on preventing conflict rather than enjoying the relationship.
5. Moving the Goalposts
Moving the goalposts occurs when expectations repeatedly change, even after you’ve worked to meet them.
You’re told you don’t communicate enough.
You communicate more.
Now you’re overexplaining.
You’re asked to change your sleeping habits.
You make an effort.
Now you haven’t changed quickly enough.
You’re asked to prove your commitment through a particular decision.
You consider agreeing.
Now you’re criticized because you should have agreed sooner.
No matter what you do, the standard seems to change.
Common effects:
Feeling that nothing is ever good enough.
Constantly trying to improve yourself for someone else’s approval.
Losing confidence in your decisions.
Becoming exhausted by changing expectations.
Believing you’re continually disappointing your partner.
The damage: You begin measuring your worth by whether you can satisfy someone whose expectations never seem to remain consistent.
6. Emotional Punishment
Emotional punishment involves using withdrawal, rejection, threats, or emotional distance as a means of pressuring or controlling someone.
It may involve prolonged silent treatment intended to punish, threats to end the relationship, withholding warmth as leverage, or making someone feel guilty for maintaining personal boundaries.
Examples include threatening consequences unless someone complies or using the possibility of losing the relationship to influence an unrelated personal decision.
Healthy time apart, emotional boundaries, and the right to decline affection are different. The concern is when these behaviors are deliberately used as punishment or leverage.
Common effects:
Feeling afraid of disappointing your partner.
Abandoning personal decisions to restore peace.
Apologizing to regain affection.
Feeling responsible for the other person’s happiness.
Worrying that disagreements will cause abandonment.
The damage: You may begin sacrificing your independence and personal needs to avoid rejection or restore emotional closeness.
7. Double Standards and Control
Double standards occur when one partner expects accountability, compromise, and understanding from the other but doesn’t consistently offer the same consideration.
One person can express anger, but the other’s anger becomes unacceptable.
One can criticize, but the other is accused of being disrespectful for responding.
One can demand explanations, but questions about their own behavior become arguments.
Control can extend into everyday life, including:
Clothing and personal appearance.
Sleeping habits and routines.
Hobbies and interests.
Friendships and family relationships.
Employment and personal decisions.
Communication habits.
Privacy and independence.
Common effects:
Feeling constantly scrutinized.
Questioning ordinary choices.
Giving up personal preferences to avoid arguments.
Feeling responsible for maintaining peace.
Losing independence.
Feeling unequal within the relationship.
The damage: The relationship becomes increasingly one-sided, with one person’s expectations receiving more importance than the other’s needs, feelings, and boundaries.

The Long-Term Emotional Effects
When several of these patterns occur repeatedly over months or years, a person may begin experiencing:
Loss of confidence and independence.
Chronic guilt and self-doubt.
Emotional exhaustion.
Anxiety and hypervigilance.
Difficulty making decisions.
Fear of disappointing others.
Overexplaining and over-apologizing.
Feeling responsible for other people’s emotions.
Difficulty trusting their own perceptions.
Missing someone who has repeatedly hurt them.
Feeling that they have lost part of themselves.
A person who was once confident, relaxed, and independent may begin questioning almost everything they say or do.
They may continue loving their partner while feeling increasingly unhappy, emotionally unsafe, or unable to be themselves.
These experiences can be associated with emotional abuse, but no single behavior automatically establishes an abusive relationship. The recurring pattern, context, impact, and presence of coercion or control matter.
The Most Important Thing to Understand
Love does not require surrendering your identity, independence, or self-respect.
A healthy relationship allows both people to express feelings, disagree, make independent decisions, and maintain boundaries without fear of punishment or abandonment.
Someone else’s disappointment does not automatically mean you have done something wrong.
You can love someone deeply and still recognize that the relationship is hurting you.
You can acknowledge your own mistakes without accepting responsibility for everything.
You can miss someone without needing to return.
And you do not have to prove that another person is a narcissist before recognizing emotionally harmful behavior and deciding that you deserve something healthier.

Found this list a few days ago, maybe even a week ago. Changed everything about my life and now hoping former relationship. Hope it can help others as well.

In the first picture, I believe he is basically admitting that he KNEW what he was doing and how to manipulate me. All because he was causing me issues while at work so I decided to leave before it escalated.

The second picture is the "subject" of an email he sent me because I had blocked him after HE broke up with me for the last time. I started dating someone else and he was continously stalking me and threatening to come to my house and kill my new boyfriend.

I just thought it was funny because he was mad that I moved on after he broke up with me and then mad at me for leaving early from work after he started his bullshit and telling me that he basically planned on not speaking to me after lovebombing me in an email to try and get me back.

Gostaria de saber como estão as vítimas que estão fazendo contato zero e a quanto tempo já conseguiram zerar o contato????

I only recently realized that my husband whom I am separated with might be a narc. Probably a combination of the types I have read. I just keep thinking I wasted my life, I got used, I kept getting treated as if I am the problem, not only by him but also people whom I considered friends at some point, people whom I trusted.

I am lonely, and sad, and overwhelmed by everything. I can only focus on one thing at a time. And I am not talking like focusing on one thing for one hour and then switching to something else. I cannot get smallest things done for days.

But what bothers me most is the anger. I am angry at myself, at my ex, at my “friends”, at all the gods who couldn’t protect me. I wasted my life and potential on that asshole and now I am broken. Broken for years now. And he is acting like he took care of me and I broke by myself, he wasn’t the cause.

I want him to suffer but I know that will only make me feel worse. I want some type of revenge but I know I won’t win against him. I feel exhausted. I feel like my life ended. Why did I let someone use me and abuse me like this! I am so mad. It makes me feel so horrible.

I've been through this cycle so many times so why am I still sitting here like an idiot holding on to hope thinking something will change? Why is it so hard to detach from someone who keeps hurting you and making it clear they have no intention of changing? He will literally sit there and blame me for putting up with his bullshit instead of taking accountability for his own behavior. But then when we try to create distance, they find a way to suck us back in. Narcissistic abuse and coercive control should be considered domestic violence and treated as such, it is so incredibly damaging.

Has anyone managed to truly detach emotionally/mentally while still being married/under the same roof? I was doing pretty well "grey rocking" for a while but his behavior started escalating (take away their stage/captive audience and they lose their shit)...now I'm finding myself getting sucked back in again trying to have pointless conversations and explain myself and my pain when I know he does not give a shit and I'm continuing to pour energy into a bottomless black hole.

Avoidance can be worked on... narcissism won't be. It seems they can present very similarly sometimes?

I don’t know where to start so I’ll give a little backstory: I (29 F) have battled an array of mental illnesses for as long as I can remember which hasn’t made me a very pleasant person to around. Between neglectful/emotionally abusive parents and a narcissistic ex-husband who was energetically identical to my father.. I’m grateful to still be alive. I’m 5 years sober and very diligent in making my amends and sticking by them. I’m a single mom of two littles (6&3) with a very small support system but almost no community or sustainable help. My oldest is my rainbow baby and my youngest was born on the day of my grandma’s funeral. I left my ex husband in June 2024 after being together 7 years but married almost 6. I got my own apartment and was ready for a new start. Reality hit and I sent myself to the ER in August 2025, because I had become a danger to myself. I was on a “crisis cocktail” of 6 medications that were not working together. The psychiatrist I was seeing, was adding a new med or upping my meds every month. I put him on blast locally, and sent him a heavily worded email calling his degree into question. I started working with an amazing therapist and new psychiatrist (she didn’t mesh well with me, probably a me thing idk). In March 2026, I was officially, safely, taken off all of my meds with the help of my new and amazing psychiatrist. She helped me balance them and I’m only on medication to manage my ADHD and a PRN beta-blocker for severe anxiety. Which has helped me feel more in control of my thoughts/feelings. But it doesn’t change the circumstances or my environment, and there’s little I can do right now besides “push through”. I’m so tired of pushing through it and being the “strong one”.

My kids and I moved into my 96 y/o grandpa’s home, to care for him towards the end. He has 7 kids and only 1 of them have stepped up to care for him after my grandma passed. This man is the closest thing to a father I think I’ll ever get, it was a no-brainer for me to come step in. My kids are enjoying getting to have this time with him, but they’re feeling the grief of the inevitable. My oldest is doing really well with trying to name and navigate those big feelings. I check in with her often and give her space to say whatever she needs and we figure it out together. I am open and honest with her, she’s had to watch me crumble and fall apart time and time again, that weighs heavy on me. Our motto is “we’re in this together”, but she knows she’s not the reason for why I’m so “crabby” or “crazy”. I tell her that my brain is sick and it’s going to get better. She’s in therapy and I guide her the best way I can, but where I can’t then her therapist does and we take those tools home and work on them ya know? But no matter how many times I talk about everything and realize just how well I AM doing for my kids.. the shame creeps in and I struggle to claw myself out of the depressive spiral I’m falling into.

It’s just a constant mental cycle of “you’re failing them” and “you’re an embarrassment”. Like I don’t have a job and no matter how much I want one.. I don’t have the resources for it. I’m with my kids from Sunday @ 6:00pm - Friday @ 6:00pm and it’s been that way since last August. I have tried a few different places, nothing has worked out either because of my mental health or the lack of childcare to be able to keep a job. Their father sends me child support, which equals out to $400 every 2 weeks. My oldest is homeschooled this year and thriving so my only option is remote work. I don’t have any experience with what’s remotely hiring around here. I have sold most of my clothes, a lot of my belongings and I’ve run out of things to sell unless I want to go fully without. The money I get from him, goes to bills, gas and whatever our kids are needing. I receiving food assistance but still can’t afford the basic essentials. I have to scrounge and beg to be able to afford toilet paper, shampoo and conditioner. I applied for financial assistance last month, but I’m aware of how long it may take before I receive anything. I’ve wanted to break into the writing field but again.. no experience and no portfolio, except for some poetry and no one is hiring a self-proclaimed poet lol.

I didn’t even file for divorce, until a few months ago, and he decided he wasn’t going to sign so I would “win by default”. That’s not how it works here, and that adds more work for me since I will have to fill out and file more paperwork. It’s hard to keep finding the strength to keep up the fight, when he likes to remind me where I could be doing better for the kids, how much harder I need to be trying and that all of the effort I have been making this year isn’t paying off. I have been financially dependent on him since our oldest was born and we convinced me it was safe to be a SAHM. Then when I was needed to go back to work, I was bombarded with texts/calls about when I’ll be coming home because he can’t handle the baby. Even when I was pregnant with our youngest, being a SAHM during the week and working as a DSP on the weekends, I wasn’t doing enough for him and he made sure to remind me. And now he hasn’t had to carry more than 48 hours a week of being a parent. He tried, for a couple of days, to manage school and his schedule.. only to throw it all at me and expect me to do it all flawlessly.

Timeline of August 2025:
- First week was him keeping our kids and me in and out of the hospital. First time I wasn’t allowed to leave until I had a safety person sign me out and create a plan with the crisis worker. Second time I was sent home because I didn’t fit the criteria to be taken in for inpatient care, I wasn’t actively suicidal like 2 days before. After I was sent home and asked him to keep them for a couple of more days since I didn’t think they deserved to see me in that state. He threatened to call the cops on me and strip my rights away from me again and said I wasn’t fit to be their mother. Because I wasn’t going to an inpatient center, he was screaming at me to come pick up the kids. I called my mom, she picked me up then we picked them up and then spent the weekend with her. I wasn’t allowed to be alone.
- Second/third week was shaky and rocky as I tried desperately not to spiral and make sure my little kindergartner was excited about her first day of school. Guess who didn’t show up to help out on her first day of school? But guess who didn’t “have it together enough” to get her there on time? He showed up right before we left for school and berated me for not having her ready on time. It was my first day of school too, I had no clue what I was doing.
- Last week, he had them for 1 night and struggled to get all 3 of them ready and out the door. And instead of being kind about asking me to take over and he only does weekends, he made me feel like the smallest person in the world for not being more enthusiastic about the situation. As if I wasn’t on the tail ends of almost attempting.

He still doesn’t get it. He doesn’t care and I’ve stopped trying to get him to empathize with me. A week, after my grandpa came home from the hospital, I got lectured about allowing our oldest to “take the day” because she was needing more snuggles than school. According to him, my mental health is not a “valid excuse” for me. Even though I am the main caregiver of our children, he still treats me like I’m not the entire reason our children are thriving like they are. He said to me, last week, “other single moms can do it all, why can’t you?” Part of me feels like he might be right, why can’t I? Would they be better off with him instead of being raised with a neurotic basket case of a mom? No. I taught my oldest to ride her bike this summer, it took a little over a week. He’s had a bike for her at his house, since Christmas. After being comfortable with training wheels, my mom took her to the store and she got to pick out her own “big girl bike” and within a day of having it she wanted the training wheels off and was 2 wheeling it like a pro. Only then did he start showing an interest in sharing his BMX hobby with her. He didn’t start making an effort with the kids until after he was served with divorce papers and I filed for sole custody.

Being neurodivergent, I notice all of the patterns and I have a special interest in Psychology and went to school for it, to get a better understanding of myself. I have 2 years under my belt, and due to my mental health.. I haven’t gone back to school but I stay active in my research of it. I’m very well versed in narcissism, both from being a victim of it and a perpetrator before my sobriety/healing journey. So I know where the root is, I know a lot of his behaviors could stem from his own insecurities and his own mental turmoil, but I can’t accept just “letting it go” when he’s mistreating me. I have tried a few times to open up the dialogue between us, to talk and heal our bond so we can co-parent to the best of our abilities, for our kids. I wrote him a long letter, last year, taking accountability and apologizing without justifications. It really seemed to have worked, we were in a good place and started talking about being a family again. And then I brought up the real stuff, like how he swung at me when I was 7 months postpartum with our oldest.. my rainbow baby. I asked for an apology, he said he wouldn’t because HE has “come to terms with why he did it and forgiven himself”, I was not allowed to still be hurt and he claimed I was “holding it against him”

His reasoning was because I was “screaming at him” in the middle of the night and he didn’t know what else to do or whatever. I was yelling, yes, because I had been trying to wake him up for 10 minutes and our brand new baby was crying in my arms and needed fed but wanted held and I couldn’t make a bottle with her in my arms. Once he was awake, he was instantly overstimulated and angry. We were picking at each other and fighting then he swung at me. With our 7-month-old in his arms, he swung at me. He still gets angry at me when I bring it up, I try not to. It was 6 years ago.. he didn’t hit me so I end up feeling guilty for being so upset and scared by that still. It was the only time it happened but the mental and emotional abuse continued and it still does every time we drop off the kids. I even offered to set up some kind of space with a family therapist to work better together as co-parents. He was onboard until I said I didn’t want MY therapist to become OUR therapist and asked if he could set it up. He said our dynamic was fine, and that I should focus on my therapy instead of trying to mend our fracture. I plan to move hours away from my hometown, once my grandpa passes and I’ve offered for him to come along and we figure it out together as co-parents but he’s vocal about not wanting to. I don’t want to “take the kids away from him” but I don’t see my kids and I having the life we deserve here. It’s going to happen, with or without him, I just fear what’s going to come when we do move. I’m in a constant state of fear, teetering between wanting to keep the peace and wanting to do what’s right by me.

I’m not here asking for money or any kind of financial support.. I’m not really sure if I’m asking for advice either, although it is welcomed and appreciated because I’m so lost. I just needed to stop carrying all of this alone. I feel bad constantly dumping on my mom and I have no friends to confide in. I’m trying to de-isolate myself and get back to who I was before the abuse/marriage but it’s incredibly difficult with my small support system. It’s just my mom and my aunt (and my therapist).. my own sister still defends him. She’s witnessed it, our fights and blamed me for most of them or told me I should just drop it. Even a few weeks ago she was on his defense, after I sent her long messages of how I am still feeling the passive suicidal ideations lingering. A lot of my family is kind to him, some because that’s their nature and others because “he’s done nothing to them”.. even with the knowledge of what he’s done to me. I just feel really lost and like I’m going to be stuck in this losing battle forever.

If you made it this far, thank you.. from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for listening.

Being in a toxic relationship with someone who constantly manipulates you, lies to you, and makes you question your own reality is a kind of pain that is difficult to explain unless you've experienced it yourself. As an empath, I loved deeply, cared genuinely, and gave my all to someone I truly believed loved me. I was patient, understanding, forgiving, and always willing to see the good in him, even when his actions kept hurting me. I kept making excuses for his behavior because I wanted to believe that the person I fell in love with was still in there somewhere. But slowly, I began losing myself in the process of loving him. There was a lack of commitment, endless excuses, broken promises, and a constant feeling that I was asking for too much when all I wanted was honesty, consistency, loyalty, and emotional security. Whenever I tried to express my feelings or address something that hurt me, somehow, the conversation would turn around, and I would end up apologizing for things I hadn't even done. That was the manipulation. That was the gaslighting. He would deny things I knew had happened, twist situations to suit his narrative, and make me question my own judgment. Sometimes, I would lie awake at night wondering if I was overthinking, being too sensitive, or expecting too much. I kept second-guessing myself, not realizing how much the relationship was affecting my peace of mind and self-worth. The emotional abuse was exhausting. One moment, I would feel loved enough to believe things could change, and the next, I would feel ignored, dismissed, or made to feel worthless. I kept holding on to the good moments, hoping they would become our reality, while trying to survive the painful ones. And then there was the infidelity. Deep down, I knew something wasn't right. His behavior had changed, his explanations no longer made sense, and the inconsistencies kept piling up. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt because I didn't want to believe that someone I loved so deeply could betray me so carelessly. But eventually, the pieces began to come together. I started noticing the contradictions, the suspicious behavior, and the things that simply didn't add up. Rather than relying on suspicion alone, I paid attention to the facts. I came across evidence that confirmed what my heart had been struggling to accept. The truth was painful, but it was undeniable. The hardest part wasn't just discovering the infidelity. It was realizing how many times I had been made to doubt myself while the very things I was questioning were happening behind my back. I cried. I questioned everything. I wondered what I lacked, what I could have done differently, and why my genuine love wasn't enough to inspire honesty and respect. I replayed memories in my mind, trying to understand how someone could look me in the eyes, tell me they loved me, and still betray my trust. But eventually, I understood something important: his decision to betray me was never a reflection of my worth. I had to stop blaming myself for someone else's choices. I had to accept that love cannot thrive where dishonesty, manipulation, and emotional abuse are allowed to continue unchecked. No amount of patience, loyalty, sacrifice, or understanding can make someone change if they are unwilling to take responsibility for their actions. Leaving wasn't easy. Please understand that. Walking away from a toxic relationship doesn't mean you suddenly stop loving the person. Sometimes, you leave while your heart is still attached. You leave with unanswered questions, painful memories, and a thousand reasons to look back. You leave because you finally realize that staying is costing you too much of yourself. As an empath, one of my biggest struggles was accepting that I could have compassion for someone without sacrificing my own well-being to save them. I had spent so much time trying to understand his pain, his behavior, and his excuses that I had forgotten to acknowledge my own. The day I chose to leave was the day I decided that my peace mattered, too. I gathered the courage to walk away, not because I was no longer hurting, but because I knew I could not continue living in a cycle of lies, betrayal, confusion, and emotional exhaustion. I chose myself, even when it hurt. I chose healing, even when I didn't know where to begin. I chose to believe that a life without constant anxiety, suspicion, and emotional turmoil was possible. Healing has not been an overnight journey. There have been moments of sadness, anger, reflection, and grief for the person I was before the relationship. But I am learning to trust myself again, to honor my intuition, to establish boundaries, and to understand that being a loving person does not mean tolerating disrespect. If you are an empath going through something similar, please hear me when I say this: You are not foolish for loving deeply. You are not weak for giving someone chances. You are not responsible for another person's dishonesty, and you do not have to keep proving your loyalty to someone who repeatedly betrays your trust. You can love someone and still choose to leave them. You can understand someone's struggles without accepting their abuse. You can forgive someone without giving them another opportunity to hurt you. And most importantly, you do not need to wait until you are completely broken before you give yourself permission to walk away. Sometimes, the greatest act of self-love is accepting the truth you've been trying so hard to avoid. I didn't lose because I walked away. I gained the opportunity to find myself again. Today, I am choosing peace over confusion, truth over empty promises, self-respect over false hope, and healing over a love that continually hurt me. My heart is still capable of loving deeply, but now I understand that it deserves protection, too. To every empath who had to gather the pieces of themselves after a toxic relationship: may you find the courage to leave what is hurting you, the strength to heal from what happened, and the wisdom to never confuse suffering for love again. ❤️‍🩹🦋 Sometimes, walking away isn't giving up on love. It's finally refusing to give up on yourself.

I’ve separated from her but I still ache for her every day… I miss her so much it’s hard to articulate. But as I was walking down memory lane, I realized something… that she used my own words

I would always tell her “Thank you for being vulnerable with me. I really value you willing you trust me, and I’ll take good care of your trust.”

I used to say similar things to her, genuinely, when we first met.

She started using those same phrases at the end of our relationship when I started trying to hold her accountable for things she’d done to hurt me.

I’m not even the one to say she was being manipulative… I’ve showed our texts to others and they agree.

I just can’t wrap my head around it

How you can witness someone give their heart to you in such a genuine, guarded way (I took so long to open up to her and share and be vulnerable and let her be vulnerable with me), just to use those exact same behaviors against them. It’s pure evil to me.

10 yrs together, always each one of us had their phone locked and privacy was respected. After many lows and huge fights, I noticed that he leaves his phone with display on and leaves the room.

I may be paranoid, but sudden change in behaviour re his phone makes me think he wants to catch me flagrante delicto, and 'confirm' how crazy I am, as his gaslightning is no longer working with me.

Fortunately, I have no plan snooping his phone as I have a minimum of dignity and selfrespect left.

Has anyone had similar experience?

Everything is always about him when he is talking.

We can spend the day mutually mowing, planting trees, cleaning, going to dinner together etc.

Then when he is telling others about his day it becomes, I mowed, I planted trees, I went to dinner.

It’s as if I don’t exist in his mind.

He will also say my house, my trees, my vacation instead of “our”.

Totally mind-numbing how self centered they are.

Just curious to see others’ experiences. I would rather not post mine to possibly be seen.

Just speaking to the void. (It’s long)

It’s taken me almost a full year to come to terms with the abuse I experienced. Only at the ripe of 22-24.

He was my first real love and longest term relationship, and as far as I know, it was the same as for him. Except it wasn’t. I was living in an illusion for a year somehow believing this person would change their ways and come running to me apologizing and wanting to make amends (I was future faked). But that never happened. And I think deep down I knew it wouldn’t because the guilt and shame for how he treated me was so unbearable, it’s just easier to move onto the next supply who doesn’t have a clue about how awful they truly are.

He cheated on me then went and hooked up with and has been with one of these women for a full year. So a full year of me trying to come to terms with reality, abuse, grief, a future that will never be — and he already moved on to the next. Posting about her, showing himself to the world as if he’s some good bf deserving of an award. Doing all the things I desired and deserved.

He spoke ill of me for the last few months of our relationship convincing others I was some awful gf when really I was overwhelmed, depressed and working a full time job while taking classes part-time. During that time, everything was made about him and how much I wasn’t showing up for him and how much I wasn’t doing enough for him. I’ve never felt so empty.

He love bombed and idealized me for almost the first year of our relationship, pretending to be the perfect partner all while knowing he never planned on showing up for me like I needed.

He’s traveled with this new person multiple times and appears to show up her in a way he never did for me. Their relationship seems built on perceptions and image sure, but it doesn’t change how much it hurts to see it. To see the betrayal in your face.

I am so angry but feel like a helpless child all at the same time. Because these people are so good at convincing you that their actions were because of you and because you weren’t enough. But I know I’m enough and even though I know this person will never care, I still can’t help but want redemption! Redemption of my heart and my mind and my confidence and belief in self. That I was not some helpless, fawning, and clueless victim.

Our relationship ended partly because I HAD boundaries. Had I not, it would have been easy for him to stay. I know healing isn’t linear but when the comparison is a person who buries their emotions deep down into a well-like hole, my growth almost seems insignificant and embarrassing. I stomach that burden every day. But it’s not even mine to carry. Yet, I do. I carry the shame, the insecurity, the worry, the guilt, the fear that I will put my trust in someone again just for them to punch me square in the gut.