I Was In Love With A Narcissist: How I Left His Harem and Rediscovered Myself

They don’t wake up planning to hurt, manipulate and cheat. Narcissists are emotionally damaged. But their story is not our responsibility — and reasons are not excuses.

After my text to him I shut my phone off to hide. My life felt suddenly over. “This is good for you”, I reasoned aloud. “You did the right thing.” Words I tossed into the ether with the cadence of Carol Brady. I imagined her talking Alice off the orange linoleum ledge after leaving Sam The Butcher. I was alone in my apartment— heartbroken but safe — wrapped in Colgate and coffee-stained terrycloth. My house robe was now a makeshift blanket providing comfort as I sat on the kitchen tile. I wanted my own Carol Brady.