And you’re left wondering if maybe, just maybe, they really were the broken one trying to love you the best way they could. But no, that’s not what this is. That’s another exit strategy with a built-in return ticket. Because the truth is, the narcissist doesn’t know how to attach in a healthy way, but they sure as hell can’t detach either. So they float in this gray zone, hovering, haunting, circling back whenever they need a fix. It’s not connection; it’s addiction, and you’re the fuel.
And all this—all these tactics—none of it is love. Love doesn’t vanish without reason. Love doesn’t replace. Love doesn’t manipulate you into leaving just so they can say you walked out. No, love stays. Love shows up. Love tells the truth. Our real relationships aren’t built on exit strategies and re-entries; they’re built on trust, on presence, on staying when it’s hard and growing when it’s needed.
So if you’re tangled in this mess, if any part of this rings true, please hear me: it’s not you. It never was. You were just a lighthouse, and the narcissist didn’t want light; they wanted control. And maybe, just maybe, now’s the time to turn that light back inward, to stop chasing shadows, to begin again. You deserve peace, not confusion. You deserve presence, not patterns. You deserve real.
Sharing is caring!
