Editor’s note: Lovefraud received the following story from a reader who we’ll call “Jenna.” At the end, she posts a document written by her sociopathic ex about the price of his soul, which provides a unnerving glimpse into how he truly thinks. Names have been changed.
I have spent the last 18 years dealing with a classic sociopath, a man who lies beyond my wildest imagination. I have come to believe that he isn’t just evil that is too easy an explanation. Evil people can’t help themselves; they can be “born bad.” No, this man chooses to be sadistic and mentally cruel. He can be “nice” when he wants to. He has a now four-year-old granddaughter who adores him and thinks her “Papa” hung the moon. If she ever sees on her own what he is, he will be her first broken heart.
He calculates his moves and sets up his victims over a long period of time — feeding off one woman after another, using the exact same pattern, until they no longer are sating his appetite for whatever it is he hungers for money, respect, ego gratification. I have never met anyone like this before. He enjoys what seems to have been his life’s work. He often said he “didn’t like women or children.” I should have listened.
I met him through work in April 1992. I was 44 years old, attractive and I thought relatively intelligent. My boss knew him from a previous job, considered him an associate, and brought him in to do some computer consulting. Looking back, my first impression was that he was focusing on me, trying to impress me. I should have heeded my bells and listened to my first impressions. He was knowledgeable about everything, charming, and I realize now he talked only about himself, his business plans, his big ideas. Going for lunches developed into a relationship. He was never pushy or all over me just the opposite.
Moves in
He moved in with me on January 2, 1993 after I had broken off with him because I thought he was playing me. I went away that Christmas alone, and when I came home, he was ensconced in my home, with the fireplace burning, two dozen long-stemmed red roses, a bottle of wine and a six-page handwritten letter about what a fool he had been and how much he “loved” me. The fool was me; I let him stay.
I had been on my own for a long time so I tried to establish some beginning boundaries. The first year we were together, he had to pay half the rent and half the living expenses, but slowly that morphed into us having joint accounts, and making decisions as a couple.
Within two months, he would fall asleep on the couch watching TV. I worked, he didn’t. He was trying to build a consulting business, but I think he did nothing most days. I’d come home and he’d be busy doing dishes that he had obviously just started, so it would look like he was busy.
No sex
Within six months, he withdrew sex. “I don’t know why” was his stock answer to every attempt to work through this. I thought maybe he had problems so I backed off and learned to live without a normal and healthy love life. It was step one in completely undermining my own self confidence, self image and willingness to walk away. I was mature, had not been committed enough to really work at previous relationships, so my mindset was, “I love this man and I am going to work at this.”
In 1994 he got a job that lasted four months. He talked me into starting my own business and I did freelance accounting. When he was fired from his job I was never able to find out why, but they let him go on a Tuesday and paid him only to the end of that day, which had to mean just cause. Knowing what I know now, no doubt he was inappropriate with female staff or maybe even male staff, because now I wonder about everything. Nothing was as it seemed.
August 1996 and he has just started his second job lasted six months, during which, I find out, he has been having an affair with the receptionist. He moved out March 1997 and came back begging me to give him another chance in May, saying he was nothing without me; he might as well go live on “skid row” because he would never be able to get off the couch again if I wouldn’t take him back. We had a business to consider he reminded me. He made love to me four times during the “take me back” stage. Soon as he was safely back, sex stopped, but he did come to bed at night. In later years, he would sleep in the living room, on the couch every night, in his clothes and only came downstairs to get a change of underwear, knowing that hurt me and was the exact opposite of what I wanted.
In business together
Over the years this scenario was repeated. In 17 years he held down four jobs, all of which lasted max six months. He talked me into going into business with him and we are 50% shareholders in a small home-based business that supported us from 1999 onward. I am seriously living to regret this, as I divorce and try to extricate myself from him. He talked on the phone a lot, and I did all the heavy lifting.
I had my life savings, which wasn’t much, but it bought us the home I live in now. We moved here in 1999. Yet another “job” he had, this time contracted through our company. He lasted five months in what was supposed to be a five-year contract.
I have to say that the privacy act and employer’s unwillingness to share information is a tremendous handicap to women in my position. Even as 50% owner of the company, no one is willing to tell the truth. If any one of the people who saw through him, anywhere along the line, had had the courage to tell me what my husband was up to, it would have opened my eyes. I was getting his side of the story only, and his best skill is, he is a honed and practiced liar. No matter how suspicious or concerned or questioning I might be, he could talk himself out of it, so I’d wind up giving him the “benefit of the doubt.”
Job in Florida
On April 21, 2009 my husband (he wanted to get married in 2003) left “on business” to take a consulting job in Florida. When he left, I prayed that this would be make it or break it. My health and spirit were so broken that his decision to take this job was almost a relief.
A month after he was gone I began to feel better physically, but such was my commitment to my marriage that I actually said out loud, what worried me was he would want to come back, and I wouldn’t want him to. I would feel obligated to take him back, even though I knew I was living in a toxic relationship. A counselor said to me afterwards that if you have a kind heart, cut people some slack and believe in God, and in doing unto others, you are custom made for this type of predator. They count on it! Your decency and your ability to love and forgive are the very tools they use against you.
First month, he web-cammed daily while I helped him get set up, furnish his apartment and paid his bills. He phoned me 10 times a day on his way down to Florida, saying how much he missed me already.
Cheating
The lies kept up until June 27, 2009 when he avoided an opportunity to web-cam home to see our 3-year old Granddaughter who was visiting. Everything began to add up. I spent all day July 1, 2009 trying to figure out how to hire a private detective in Florida. Turns out he had put himself on a dating site within three weeks of arriving there, and he had “grown an inch” from the time he left here. By August he was on Craig’s list as well and had grown yet another inch!
I had to take control of our business servers and over the course of the next few months I received emails from two women, who came after the one the private investigator filmed him with. His story to them he had been a widower for 40 years, had raised his two girls alone, his wife had been tragically killed in a car accident, t-boned when his youngest was just 2 months old. He had sacrificed himself to raise his daughters. Turned out I wasn’t the dead wife he was speaking of he was actually referring to his first wife, who is alive and well and who is still married to the man who really helped her raise the children.
Second woman who contacted me, did so because she had been told I was his “cousin” and I “worked for him” and she wanted to know if I was going to be helping her learn how to work for him. Both the women who contacted me were kind enough to send me the “ads” they answered, and photos of themselves and one even send me photos of them together, which I could have lived without.
My honesty saved the two women who connected with me, but every woman who crosses his path is at risk. I have come to see that he is like a reverse serial rapist. It is all about power and control, and once he assesses what you want and need most from him, in my case, warmth, love and affection, he withholds that from you. He apparently was quite lustful with the women he met on line and I wonder now, who was he cheating on me with during the 10 years we’ve been in this town? A man doesn’t go from being celibate for 17 years to suddenly being active. I now consider it a gift that he didn’t touch me at least I know my health isn’t at risk.
The document
Interestingly enough, in the “document” you read below, the woman referred to as “Marsha” is in fact his first wife (you know, the one who wasn’t killed in a car accident). The second woman he mentions, is the woman he cheated on “Marsha” with and left Marsha for. It would seem that none of us who came after mattered at all.
I found this document while searching his computer using the word “university” because he claimed to have a Bachelor of Commerce degree and I wanted to share that with my lawyer. This document, written by him on Oct. 1, 2005 at 7:30 pm, popped up. His oldest daughter’s birthday. The night after my 58th birthday. Two years and one month to the day after our marriage, and two months before he would “set me up” by putting me as sole director of our company, which as it turns out, has backfired on him, but it was part of a long-term plan he had and was slowly working on, a trap that would be used when he was ready to spring it.
I can tell you that when I opened this document, it embarrassed me to read it. I never knew this man at all. I have no doubt that I was in my office working, or making dinner, or cleaning up after dinner, while he sat in his office writing this. I can tell you that knowing what I know now, he doesn’t have “a soul to sell.”
I’m weeks away from my divorce being final. He has fought me every step of the way, threatening me, filing lawsuits against the company, using the business and my fear of losing my home and what little security I have left. He has harassed both me and my lawyers, gone out of his way to increase my legal fees, hoping to break me. He represents himself, and at every turn is foxier and more cunning than one could ever believe. Normal does not apply. I wonder what the women before me went through and know in my heart, they went through exactly what I am going through. I can’t wait to get rid of his last name legally.
He threw away his life and I need to be punished for that. I wasn’t supposed to find out. I was supposed to continue in the role I had played, the easily conned wife who kept knocking herself out trying to make her marriage work, while he kept his options open and explored for greener fields.
PS: Job in Florida lasted four months, then they let him go. I have no doubt he is trolling for his next food source as I write.
The Price of My Soul
- To return to Easter, 1956 when my parents moved.
- To have all of the knowledge that I have now and have had in the past.
- To be popular with both boys and girls. At school, in clubs and all other parts of my life.
- To excel in sports without injury, particular in hockey, track, football and baseball. To be good enough in football, baseball and track to attract quality athletic scholarships.
- To excel in school without undue effort. To receive the highest marks in every subject, to effortlessly complete all homework and assignments. To receive the highest possible marks on all tests and examinations. To be the valedictorian in both High School, University. To be first in my class in Graduate School.
- To have the inherent ability to make the right and correct choices regarding education, finance, investments and career.
- To be attractive, fit and athletic for my entire life. To live well in to my 90s and to be happy, contented and satisfied with my life. To die with no regrets.
- To never smoke or partake of non-prescription drugs. To always drink alcohol responsibly and never get drunk or impaired.
- To never have an illness and to be immune from all disease.
- To be hardworking, focused and disciplined. To be courteous to everyone. To be calm, soft-spoken and fair. To have, and experience, no prejudice.
- To be unusually attractive to all women, of legal age, regardless of age, race, color, marital status or religious beliefs. To have the inherent ability to communicate my interest to a particular woman and to have her feel a tingle in her loins and know that, by overtly contacting me, she will experience the most satisfying sexual encounter that is it possible to have.
- To have the inherent ability to bring women to the deepest orgasm possible at my whim and thought. To do so, if I wish, just by touch, by stroking, or by any other means that I wish. To have women become addicted to sexual relations with me. To be completely uninhibited in sex and to have each of my partners wish to be willing to try anything. To be able to bring my partners to orgasm orally, anally, vaginally and any other way I choose. To have them long for each way. To be able to bring women to multiple orgasms, including ejaculation, and to be able to experience multiple ejaculations, myself, within minutes of each other. To never lose this ability until my death.
- To never, either myself or a chosen sexual partner, experience a jealous husband, fiancé, lover or friend. To never end a sexual relationship in any way other than as enduring friends.
- To have women become so addicted to my sexual prowess and their satisfaction that they will do anything that I wish to continue the relationship. To have them recommend me to their women friends and to have those friends join us in the relationship.
- To have this attraction begin from the moment of puberty and, until I am of legal age, to have these relationships with women older than myself.
- To have these women pay me for my company until I have graduated from school and have become a wealthy person. It would be my expectation that, beginning at 13 years of age, I would earn $100 per week from each of my lovers and that I would have five lovers. I would expect my income to increase with each year until legal age.
- To have the inherent ability to save my money and to invest in the most profitable manner. To always know the correct time to buy stocks, bonds or other investments and to always know when to sell at the maximum profit. To never make a losing investment.
- To always know the correct time to create a new company or service and to always know the correct time to sell the investment. To never lose money in this manner. To always have prior knowledge of startup companies and to know which ones will succeed and which ones will fail. To always know the optimum time to cash in the investment.
- To be financially well of by the age of 18. To be a millionaire by the age of 20. To be a multi-millionaire by the age of 25. To be a billionaire by the age of 30 and to be the richest man in the world by the age of 40. To remain so until my death.
- To be asked to mingle in the highest levels of society all over the world. To be politically astute and to have political influence worldwide.
- To never marry and to never have children. To die, peacefully and happy, having left a legacy of both deeds and money that will be invested for good. To have planned those investments so that they will never stop working for good.
- To have several loving relationships during my lifetime. To love deeply and be loved deeply. One of those relationships is to be with Marsha Jackson and the other with Susan Morris. Both are to be deeply satisfying for everyone involved but are not to be monogamous on my part. As in other relationships, they will be so satisfied that they will want to share me with their female family members and friends.
- To be an outstandingly accomplished dancer. To be able to bring a women to climax just by whispering in her ear while dancing. To be able to engage in a conversation, with a woman, about absolutely anything. To have her feel no offense at the most intimate of conversations and comments. To be able to bring her to climax during those conversations.
- To be appreciative and knowledgeable of the arts. To be an engaging and interesting speaker. To have an inherent ability to lead people in the direction I choose for them to go. To always do so for good, never evil.
- To be truly satisfied and happy in everything that I do. Especially in each and every sexual relationship that I have. To be able to give the deepest possible pleasure to my partner and, in turn, to receive the same.
Matt, dear, how long has it been since I told you that I love you even if you are a lawyer? I WOVE YOU!
Latest lawyer joke: Difference between a mosquito and a lawyer? one is a blood sucking parasite and the other is an insect! LOL ROTFLMAO
Hope your new job is still going well. Your advice to Warrior is great! and so cool calm and collected! Having been in her shoes in various legal wrangles though I do know it is difficult for the client to keep that “cool calm” though, but that’s what you guys are paid to do. So hope her shark is even half as cool and calm as you are! ((((hugs)))))
Wini,
You said it. America was founded on in God we trust, and a right to bear arms. This strategy worked pretty good against the British who did a pretty good job of world domination with guns. A world without either wouldn’t be a very safe place indeed. I served in the military and could shoot a gun pretty well,but don’t own one personally because the chances of you using it or being shot with it goes way up. But why no country has dared come into our backyard is because we have millions of gun toting citizens many of which are crazy and not afraid to use them.
Blueskies
I hear ya and I’m sorry for the gun jokes and for visualising a big gun going off infront of the P….no more…it’s far from funny and it’ s “letting off steam” unacceptably…guns are illegal in this country and I do not nor ever intend to own one. They actually horrify me
like one step it’s a juvenile indulgence when thinking of the P..like a bugs bunny cartoon, it’s a hoot…I love black humour but I promise to curtail it and thank you for being so direct…I would use a gun only to defend myself…and I think shooting ‘game’ is unacceptable (for me..I couldn’t be there)…animals are sentient beings and to harm one with a gun is down right miserable.
yeah self defense….I’m back there again this evening, with what feels like an injured arm muscle (I guess I got carried away with the puches) I was very sore after it and now back for more pain.
It’s a very big class, lots of sweating and shouting and puching going on…I like it best when the instructor is explaining the psychology bits…but I shouted so loud and hurt my throat! you know I guess don’t sit on the ass all day and then think you can do everything without first building up to it…
Thanks Bp:)x like I said I said my piece.x Glad it was okay for me to do it;) Moving on!;)
Matt,
Thanks.
I am meeting a 2nd opinion lawyer today. I will tell him what’s been done so far and ask his advice in best strategy going forward, how best to negotiate for what i want, and also whether it’s worth making him produce all the documentation if I generally know what our big picture assets are.
I like the detail you gave me about the judge compelling him to do so. My L didn’t say boo in his letter when he forwarded his L’s letter and “docs” that are obscured, cut off, or nonexistent. He is very formal and polite in his correspondence unlike his L’s obnoxious tone.
H’s L did not write to me directly btw.
Ha Ha! @teacher123, I have that magnet on my fridge, “It’s better to have loved and lost, then to live with the pshycho for the rest of your life!” Got it the time my ex hubby (weirdo) left me for some heavy (fat) chick…my money ran out as did my credit. I thank g-d he’s moved on to someone else. (Poor thing).
It’s wonderful for me to see all the posts through the years trolling on here, hope you all don’t mind! It has strengthened me to the point I just don”t even hate him anymore. Like smoke, how I think of him. Like nothing. Like a peice of trash floating down the street. I don’t hate anymore.
Peace to everyone and if you don’t hear from me, know I’m reading every blog on here and TOWANDA folks!
Dear Hairellen,
Glad to know you are doing well and hanging around! TOWANDA!!!!!
Thanks Oxy! I think you’re the best! ellen
Dear Ellen,
THOU doth swell my head so much my feathered hat won’t fit! Thanks ((((hugs))))
I wish more folks would check back and let us know how they are doing, and not just “disappear” off the face of “the earth.”
I really am glad you are doing well! Keep on walking toward the light. God bless.
Legal update:
Hello all. Wanted to tell you I got a 2nd opinion legal advice.
Atty. Rick told me a couple of key points, and straight out told me to stay with my atty and not switch.
He said he is 1 1/2 times more expensive, it would take him time to catch up on my case while my atty. knows the details as he’s been working with me, and most importantly, he said that he knows 5 good atties in this county/court that are good and my guy is one of them. He has told other clients, “don’t hire that person s/he is a BAD attorney,” but that’s not the case with mine.
He told me how to watch out about my pension and why the other side is adamant to get a hold of that info asap. I have to get my atty on the same page how to protect that bec. that’s my biggest asset and his atty will claw to get at it.
2nd, he told me to carefully figure in education cost to realistically determine my budget to make sure what I need to afford it adn include that in the affidavit. Not give too much info about the details of degree/program so he won’t argue against paying for my education, but make the number reasonable enough to make sure I ask for sufficient alimony to make up the difference after c.s. and equalize out incomes/budgets. KEY thing to work into fin. affidavit BEFORE I give it to my lawyer on 22nd, or just ask him to request extra time to sort that out correctly.
And he told me about fault.
That no fault means divorce will be granted, period, no matter what. But fault DOES count in division of assets. So if he claims fault with my naked retreats, I must attack BOTH defensively and offensively. See, I did not know that from my atty.
I must print brochures about workshop, website info, facilitator credentials or bio, and testimony of other participants that might say, for example, good thing there were no men there, or witnesses who’s say “it’s great living in a state of nature, and it brings you more in touch with your inner nature and with the world, and nudism is not about sex” or something to that effect. Have lots of data to respond with facts defensively.
Offensively also perpare all the facts to prove his fault, he didn’t tell me what exactly. I am thinking print a diagnosis and symptoms of narcissistic p. disorder, have a record of therapy extent, duration, and names of therapists I tried to resolve marital problems for years, and also therapists during separation, and offer witness testimony of a therapist if I can, and I’ll ask atty. re. my diary record of long term emotional/psychological/mental suffering and attempts to correct issue. I know counseling is confidential, but in some cases I am sure they can testify. And in the end it it goes to trial, judge can hear both and see who sounds credible hopefully.
whew! So much! I feel I barely have any time till pretrial Aug 24!!!
If you think of any other tips to tell/ask my atty Thursday, do tell me.
Matt, EB, Oxy–if you read this, I welcome other concrete legal tips.
Oh, p.s. he told me lawyers will write a nasty letter as a way to appease their client who is complaining to them Why this Why that when they don’t have an answer or a solution to assure them they can have what they want, so it’s a way of speaking for them to validate or express their angst so to speak. I did feel the letter was just like HIM talking, bickering, intimidating, psturing, UGH obnoxious.
Thanks again for listening to my worries.