The names have been changed to protect... me.

Before you ask, no, that's not him. He wishes it was (minus the tatts) but nope. I need to conceal his identity as best I can while I'm still here. Leaving is too scary for now. But at least, after 10 years of trying and wishing and hoping and pretending, I've finally come to the point where I can admit to myself that staying is too scary for the rest of my life.

For now I need to sit tight, hatch an escape plan, and do the most therapeutic, sanity-saving thing I can think of which is to write about surviving life with a narcissist. "Better out than in" as they say. And if reading this helps some sisters (or brothers) feel less alone in their plight with a toxic partner, all the better. And maybe I'll feel less alone too. This is the "good" part of the internet, right? The "we're all in it together" benevolence that we hoped the world-wide-web would herald before trolls and profits made it icky.

So "Welcome to My Blog" as the title that came with this template said. This is my life - and what I hope will be my countdown to freedom.

#narcissism