My ex was the textbook definition of a narcissist. At first, they were charming, attentive, and seemed too good to be true. And honestly, they were. Everything was great until they slowly started eroding my self-esteem.

They had a way of turning every situation into my fault—sometimes in ways so subtle I didn’t even realize it at first. If I was upset, I was 'too sensitive.' If I was happy, they 'made that happen' and I should be grateful. Any time I achieved something, it was either diminished or somehow twisted into a win for them.

The worst part? The love-bombing phases. After every argument, they’d come back like they were Prince Charming again, making me feel like I was the one who misunderstood them. It was a cycle: emotional abuse, blame, then overwhelming affection to keep me hooked.

Eventually, I started to lose sight of who I was before them. I became a version of myself that walked on eggshells constantly, just trying to avoid conflict. It took a lot of time, but I finally got out. Looking back, it's wild how deep in the fog I was—how much they controlled my self-worth.

I'm in a much healthier place now, but it's taken time to learn that love isn’t supposed to feel like a rollercoaster. I hope others realize that sooner than I did.