Discovering the Lies
M. is baffled by his lies. He dismisses her concerns, gaslighting her by saying it’s “nothing” and that she’s overreacting. Instead of explaining, he simply hands her his phone.
M. discovers that he and Uber Girl have been messaging for at least six months. He insists it’s meaningless – he doesn’t even like her, so why would it be a big deal? Reluctantly, she lets it go.
What M. doesn’t know is that he’s already deleted all inappropriate messages. But Uber Girl has kept screenshots, and months later, M. will finally decide to speak to her directly.
The Strain Deepens
M. spirals into depression, even self-harm. He notices but says nothing.
Instead, he asks if he can keep responding to Uber Girl, who he claims is messaging him “nonstop.” M. asks him to block her, though she’s crushed that he would even consider texting her.
She asks him to move out, but he refuses.
Dismissed Insight
A month goes by with M. feeling disrespected and tormented while he resumes his usual life, oblivious to her distress.
They argue often, yet he remains unmoved.
Desperate to understand her pain, she begins reading psychology papers, watching videos, and searching for resources that might help her find the right words to reach him.
In her search, she encounters several discussions about narcissism.
She thinks, This is it! This explains everything!
But when she brings it up with the narcissist, he lists all the reasons why it doesn’t apply to him.
M. persists for a few days but eventually decides to explore other topics, until, over time, she forgets all about it.
New Boundaries, Old Patterns
Another month goes by.
M. attempts to set boundaries, and he responds by introducing “another girl,” his ex, whom he claims is already crossing those boundaries. Though she’s wary of the timing, M. tries to accept it. But soon, she finds texts between him and his ex that seem far too intimate for friendship, discussing “regretting leaving an ex” and exchanging affectionate messages. She confronts him, suggesting his ex still has feelings. He confirms this with his ex but doesn’t share it with M.
Her sense of betrayal grows.
She asks him again to move out. Again, he refuses.
A Breath of Fresh Air
They visit M.’s parents. She’s exhausted and unable to sleep, struggling to cope with his dishonesty and lack of remorse. When she confides in her parents about Uber Girl and his ex, they speak to him. Afterward, her parents urge her to forgive him, believing he genuinely loves her.
Her friends echo this sentiment, downplaying the messages.
Feeling isolated and misunderstood, she again asks him to leave, threatening to move out herself.
He finally leaves for a friend’s place but returns to her home a few days later, citing a need for somewhere to stay.
One night, he accuses her of making him feel isolated from his friends and homeless. M. tearfully points out that he knows she needs space to process everything. He leaves.
Doubts and Commitment
He continues returning, asking her to spend time together.
She’s overwhelmed but still loves him, feeling torn between her feelings and the advice from friends and family to forgive him.
She begins to wonder if something’s wrong with her for not being able to move on from his lies.
A few weeks later, she commits to trying again.
Meduza
She had always wanted to see Meduza live, so he reluctantly bought tickets months earlier, dismissing them as “not worth seeing.”
Now that they’re back together, her mood fluctuates when he’s around, but she’s trying to stay positive, and he seems happy to have her back.
After he spends an entire week at her place, M. feels depleted, suspecting she’s depressed. She confides that she feels broken; he says nothing and goes to Meduza – but with other friends. At the event, he flirts with another girl, even asks her out, but doesn’t tell M.
A few days later, M. texts him, expressing that she’s so low she can’t imagine socializing, let alone attending the summer festival as they have planned. He tells her that if she doesn’t want to go, she’s clearly over him, adding that he’s “lost hope” for them and breaks up with her.
M. doesn’t yet realize he’s already started pursuing someone else and the summer festival is just another excuse, layered with countless lies about him and his friends to justify the breakup.
The Final Blow
A few days later, he returns. They spend the night together, and then he disappears again.
Heartbroken, M. tries to reach out, only for him to tell her that if she keeps calling, he’ll block her.