Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following story from a reader whom we'll call "Charlotte19." Names and details have been changed. It was blind love. Yes, actual blind love. In 2016, as a widowed mom to three boys for 13 years and true empath, having run non-profits for nearly 25 years, I was ready, now that boys were young men, to explore real adult committed relationships. I’d recently ventured into online dating and even met a charming British beekeeper, who upon learning was “shockingly into polyamory,” I had placed in the “friends only” category. Having just lost my 6 figure job due to non-profit board politics, I walked into that all years high school reunion at the age of 54... …
Thinking he was gay, she let her guard down, but he was a sociopath
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following story from a reader whom we'll call Evelyn19. Names have been changed. I came to North from Florida as a traveling RN. Needless to say, traveling for work gives me financial stability and independence but it can be lonely. After moving into a month to month apartment in June and realizing that all the windows had been nailed shut and the place didn't have air-conditioning let alone a ceiling fan, I had to find someplace that was cool. I left work at 8 pm on a Tuesday in a town I'm not from, so the options are limited of where to go. So you guessed it! I go to the closest bar for a few drinks and contemplation of how to go back to my …
Thinking he was gay, she let her guard down, but he was a sociopathRead More
Translating a sociopath’s attempts to hoover his ex-wife via text, part 2
Editor's note: Once again, the Lovefraud reader "Maura" analyzes a sociopath's texts to her friend as he tries to hoover her back into a relationship. Read Maura's previous translation of the sociopath's hoovering. Introduction — sociopathic hoovering This is another text that my friend Annie was sent from her sociopathic ex. Four years ago, after a 17-year marriage, he abandoned her and their sons for his new flame from Craig’s list. Once again, on the surface his text seems genuinely caring and that he is truly motivated to mend his ways. However, he is a sociopath and he’s simply toying and baiting her. We’ve analysed all the standard sociopathic ploys he flips through to get a respon …
Translating a sociopath’s attempts to hoover his ex-wife via text, part 2Read More
After divorcing one diagnosed narcissist, marrying another one
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following story from a reader whom we'll call Cathy19. Names have been changed. To start my ex husband was clinically diagnosed as narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) with sociopath tendencies and OCD (random I know but wanted to be thorough). I had five years of marriage and two kids with him. Almost ten years later I'm still dealing with him but distance between us geographically has helped. On the downside I remarried, which is how the geographical divide came about. After six months in court being attacked from all angles by the ex in an effort to stop the move, it turns out the good guy I thought I knew and had now married...was undeniably …
After divorcing one diagnosed narcissist, marrying another oneRead More
My ex-husband is a sociopath, and this cannot be fixed
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following story from a reader whom we'll call "Lisa19." We met at my best friend’s 5-year wedding anniversary party. He was a friend of her husband. She is a trust fund kid, and worth multi-millions. My ex had clearly come especially to that party in New York, from his home in Virginia, to find his next target, while still technically married to his 2nd wife. I was “the best friend,” who happened to be single. He was charming in the extreme and I practically fell in love with him that night. He sunk his claws in exactly on purpose. We had a 1 year long-distance relationship which consisted primarily of him visiting me at my condo in Florida. Once …
My ex-husband is a sociopath, and this cannot be fixedRead More
He was dating a female sociopath – no wonder he is confused
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following letter from a reader whom we'll call "Anthony19." I’m very unsure still about what I experienced. Maybe it was nothing but a typical relationship. I did talk with a therapist that I believed specialized in emotional abuse, and she told me she believes I have an anxious attachment issue. I also talked with one other therapist that turned me on to gaslighting, which I had never heard of before and that is how this whole thing got started. My childhood friend is a therapist and he verified some of the things I’ve been reading about and thinking, however after the last visit to this therapist that mentioned anxious attachment issues, I’m feeling …
He was dating a female sociopath – no wonder he is confusedRead More
The narcissist discarded me every year for 11 years
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following story from a reader whom we'll call, "Angie19." I was involved with my narcissist for a little more than 11 years, for which 4-6 months out of each year he would discard me. The process would start out with him giving me enough rope to hang myself by pushing the buttons he knew would get me to say something he could later use to “play victim” and claim “it always comes back to this” or “why, every time, do we have to go thru this.” It would be followed up with the standard guilt trip, topped off by demeaning me, which he was very good at doing. He had a talent to be very hurtful with very few words. He would continue this beat-down unti …
The narcissist discarded me every year for 11 yearsRead More
Letter to a sociopathic ex: You ruined me
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following letter from a reader whom we'll call "Claudette19." I hope this letter explains to you all what I have been through and how I am still trying to recover from the impact. Dear ex Only by staying away from you did I begin to see your destructiveness and I had to detox from your trauma. For almost 4 years you projected all your anger from your past/present onto me. You did this by calling me a c**t b**h, throwing things at me, charging at me, hurting me, threatening to kill yourself, bullying me and breaking things. You were unpleasant, manipulative and you constantly lied to me. You told me you were the only person who knew how to love me, …
My husband’s sex addiction was just the beginning of his disorder
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following story from a reader whom we'll call, "Marguerite2018." I spent over half my life with my now ex-husband. What I’m about to share is a glimpse, as I’m sure is the case for so many of us that have stories upon stories to share of the surreal experiences that we endured with our abusers. During the course of our relationship, from time to time, I became aware of what I believed was periodic cheating or affairs. We had been through marriage counseling a few times & after each incident, I forgave & assumed it was behind us. In between incidents, there was evidence of heavy porn use. He always hid these things & I always seemed to ac …
My husband’s sex addiction was just the beginning of his disorderRead More
My psychopath boyfriend stole all my money, bought a sailboat and tried to have me committed
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following story from a reader who posts as "Lillian." I met him online. Dated casually for a year, during which time I met his sister who grows fruit & is married to a well-known doctor. I met his other sister who is a judge. I got to know his 21-year-old son who was graduating from college & gave him a job for a summer. I met his ex-wife. I met a childhood friend of his. He showed me portfolios of the homes he built or remodeled, I met a couple of his clients, & he drove me past a few homes. The next year we dated regularly & traveled all over the world. France, Greece, The Caribbean, Hawaii, San Diego, Seattle, NYC. We were …