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.
Luv716, good grief … you are NOT damaged goods. Damage they did to us, yes. That is their problem, don’t make it yours.
We all have choices (free will remember) to make in life.
From the beginning of creation, the Word of God has warned mankind this:
Obey God’s Word, and you will live.
Disobey God’s Word, and you will die.
Genesis 2:16.
Satan’s lie has been from the very beginning basically this: You disobey God’s Word, you will surely die.
Genesis 3:2-4.
This is the same idea as is found in 2 John 9,
“He who transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ, does not have God.”
In other words, the one who disobeys God’s words (the doctrine of Christ, Christ’s words) does not have God. The one who does not have God, will surely die (meaning they will go to hell!).
God will pour out His wrath upon those who hate God (who don’t abide in His Word). But, He will pour out blessing and mercy to those who do abide in His Word (“keep My commandments”).
You need to question those friends where they came up with the lies they are telling you.
Trust and stay faithful in Jesus’ truth.
Peace.
Dancing – if you look at everything he does as a manipulative stall/ suberversion tactic you will have your starting point. it is never ‘why’ is he doing this. he is doing it because he is disordered and is subverting and stalling the process. instead ask what outcome he is looking for – long term and short term.
you need to keep your goal in your sights, and analyse everything he does in light of your goals. does his mess of finances derail your long term goal? doubt it. does it stall – yes. now, is there anything you can do about that? ask the lawyer, ask EB, and the financial advisor. he wants to mess with you? don’t be messed with. just keep telling yourself it is his goal and it doesn’t fit yours, so discard it. i mean it. you need to get tough – go for your intellect, drop your emotions. use your intuition to counter control him. i know it is against your nature – but HE is against your very life – you must keep stepping up. I know you are tired and feel not equal – but you keep trying.
you might write down your goals with the divorce (factual, financial ones); his bs moves and which ones you need to counter move with action and those you counter move by letting his disorder show to OTHERS who matter, and those you counter control by doing absolutely nothing.
I know you go in and out of the fog….i understand. I am speaking to the woman who chose the screen name, dancingwarrior – this IS a dance and you must be the warrior.
about how you look to others and to yourself. being nice and civil is all well and good when the other person is also. get it? you have NO obligation to be other than protective and warrior like – on the offensive always – talking to this prick would put you on the defensive – don’t go there.
work at staying protected, and in the moment. you have gone a long way in the last couple of months. you keep going – but grow in it if you can. get wilier. you will only be this way with bad people – and you can be nice with others. but damn dancing – it is a VERY good skill to have.
i am always cheering for you. maybe bp can take you to a self defense course.
best,
one step
Dear Luv,
Darlin, you are NOT “damaged good”—right now you are injured. Like a broken leg, but it will heal. Right now your “leg” is broken and you limp, and because your leg is broken you can’t run a “race” but it doesn’t mean your leg was amputated, and even if it was, there are good artifical legs that would still let you run and win the race. The thing is, there is a big difference between “damaged goods” and a TEMPORARY injnury!
It will TAKE TIME to recover, but right now don’t even worry about a “relationship” in the future, when it is the right time, you will be. Heal yourself before you even worry about that in the future. LIVE IN THE NOW!! (((hugs)))))
Hey – I’m flying off to Canada tommorrow for 5 wks. But b4 I go – this is a song I perform regularly in my band.
This goes out to all the lovely ladies (and lovely gents~!!) here on LF:
There once was a young man
His hair shone like the sun
And in a field of dreams
She knew he was the one
To bring her greatest treasure
Or bring her deepest fear
And in another lifetime
He’ll always feel the pain
Of hearing that young woman
Calling out his name
Oh the wild winds blow in the woods tonight
And the wolves… are howlin’ they’re tremblin’ for a fight
The weight of good n’ evil buried out of sight
In the heart of the woman that you hurt tonight
Her name was Grace
Her heart was Care
No sweeter woman was there anywhere…………
She loved to dance
She love to sing
She saw no wrong in any living thing (before u)
But darkness waits and darkness watches
There are those who destroy the sweetest places
And who hate the kindest faces
Blessings
Delta 1 x
Delta1, thanks for the song. Go out and rock that house!
Oxy, Wini, and Silvermoon–
Thanks so much.
Delta –
That is eerily beautiful. Thanks
Dear Delta1, Have a good trip and hope you knock their socks off with your singing! Love the song, BTW! I always wished I could sing (most of my family were nice singers) but unfortunately, don’t have the talent (People WILL pay me NOT to sing though!) LOL
Hang in there Amay, it is a tough and long journey, but well worth the trip!
This list is written from a very sick sick mind… and at what age did he think these things/write these things… he indicates he isnt even 18 at the time of writing…??
If only this list of his could be put on his dating site profile… instead of the deceitful manipulative things he says/does to lure innocent women.
How does one protect themself from these monsters?? Guess we have to learn to get the heck out at first signs of “changes” from the “courting” stage. We must make NO EXCUSES for when employment stops, sex stops, and red flags are waving in our gut but we “feel compelled” to hold on and save something that isnt there — A SOULMATE — because those are all signs of A SOULLESS MATE…
The writer sounds so strong and bright and grounded and committed to removing this monster from her life FOREVER…Good for you and I wish and pray for you happier, healthier days ahead. Its never too late to get out and get away! You have reminded me to TEACH my daughters to never feel they must stay in something that doesnt feel right — its up to them to act on their gut feeling and protect themselves — even when the thought of doing so hurts — its the right thing to do. It will never feel that kind of wrong/off with healthy respectful souls with a conscience.
So many of us were unprepared to even remotely know what to do, how to handle/deal with these monsters. Im so glad you will soon be free again. Thank you for sharing your story.
Warrior:
The spath nevere submitted what I needed/required by courts…..ever!
He photocopied reciepts and random stuff….upside down and backwards etc….it was a lcluster f of papers…..my previous attorney did nothing….
IWhen I switched attorneys, I had her request legible docs or an explanatin of what the cluster f was sent and what it represented?
Never got anymore docs……
I never needed them anyways…..and i’m not sure if this was another nail in his cofin.
If he’s getting reimbursed for expenses…..you should know this…he should provide.
Ask attorney to send another letter…..requesting a completre accounting for his reimbursements /credit cards statememtn copies and bank statements.
Leave it at that.
I am on my kids computere…..so the ekeyboard is weird for me…..sorry about the typos……
Dear EB, good advice anyway, even if it does come from your kids puter! LOL
I’m still having problems, but my old AT&T air card (3 years old technology) is working okay for son D and giving FAST service, soooo. He says he thinks the card itself is worn out, so we are ordering a replacement for it. I am using the verizon one but it has LIMITS on how much you can down load and the AT&T doesn’t. So he is ordering a later technology one for AT&T off ebay for a reduced price, so will see what happens on that one. It will end up costing me to send the verizon one back, but I can sell the card on e bay! LOL Maybe finance the new AT&T Card! LOL
Technology!!!! Bah hum bug!!!! But couldn’t live without it, just wish I had a brain to learn about it….