Member-only story
Contagion! Narc Cooties
The nasty little buggers that linger after narcissistic abuse
The infestation: After the discard, they leave everything behind.
I live in the wreckage of a life that no longer exists. Nine months later, I am still living in our home and often expect him to come through the door any minute. I think I hear him driving into the garage. Out of the corner of my eye I think I see his shadow walk out of the bathroom. I look over at his desk and expect to see him there toiling over his current art project. I bring napkins for two when I come to sit down to eat my dinner alone. I had often complained that I’d like to relocate because of bad things he had done in our home, and I think his final gesture to show me that he “won” is to consign me to live and die in that house that has become a coffin for me in so many ways. When my husband discarded me in June of 2019, he left 16 years of his life behind except for two things: 1) what he could put in a duffle bag and 2) his beloved espresso machine. There are reasons why they do this. They want to bury you along with any evidence of their life with you so they can start fresh and reinvent themselves around a new supply. They often move far away and switch careers, change their appearance, habits, likes and dislikes, and even the way they speak and dress…
