**What to Expect in a Relationship with a Narcissist…**

Expect confusion. Expect instability. Expect emotional highs that feel euphoric, only to be followed by crashing lows that leave you questioning your worth. Narcissists are masters at creating chaos and calling it connection.

Expect **disappointment**—because the promises they made in the beginning were never real. They were strategic, calculated, part of the performance to hook you in. Plans will fall through. They’ll make excuses. You’ll wait, hoping this time is different. It won’t be. You’ll start to feel like your needs are too much, when in reality, they’re just unwilling to meet them.

Expect **to be alone**, even while lying in bed beside them. You’ll feel like you're constantly trying to get through, but there’s a wall—an invisible, cold wall you just can’t break through. Conversations that should bring closeness will go in circles, leaving you feeling unseen and unheard.

Expect to be **punished**, subtly or overtly. Sometimes with silence, sometimes with rage. Sometimes by being excluded, mocked, or made to feel insignificant. These punishments often come when you begin setting boundaries, asking questions, or expressing any emotional need. Why? Because you’re no longer serving their narrative.

Expect them to **vanish emotionally**—especially when they are busy charming, chasing, or securing new supply. You’ll notice them becoming more detached, irritable, and secretive. You’ll wonder what you did wrong. But it’s not you. It’s part of the cycle.

Expect **to be exhausted**, because you’ll bend over backwards trying to please them, trying to “earn” their love again, unaware that the goalposts keep moving. They love the chase, not the maintenance. Once they feel they “own” you, the effort ends.

Expect to be **charmed**—especially when they want something, or feel you pulling away. They’ll use affection, attention, even apologies to reel you back in. But the charm is always short-lived. It’s a trap door to the same cycle: build you up, lower your defenses, then slowly start tearing you down again.

And finally, **expect to reach a point where your soul cries out for peace**—and you answer it. Expect to reclaim your power. Expect to break the cycle. Expect to walk away, not because you're weak, but because you finally remember your worth.

Because the truth is this: **you weren’t broken by them. You were wounded — and wounds can heal.**