Toxic Behavior of a Narcissist

Navigating Systematic Failures

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I ran across this story written by Annah Mason a few weeks ago. She names her abuser, speaks to the history of his abuse, and calls out those in his circle that enabled him to abuse so many women. The comments section includes other women he abused in the same way. Just a sad tale of how people like Michael May and Trash get away with their abuse over an extended period of time.

It got me thinking about my own experience. 16 months with Trash and I’ve been set back in so many ways:

  • Financial: over $100k in stolen money, goods, moving costs, lost income, etc. It is going to take a long time to get myself back on track for early retirement.
  • Systematic: going through the court system in an attempt to right a wrong has shown me that a) no woman is safe in the USA, and b) the system is absolutely NOT set up to protect women from serial abusers. It was all an illusion.
  • Emotional: I no longer see this world through the same eyes; I have lost my innocence and faith in humanity. There are so many users, abusers, conmen among us. It has definitely influenced the way I see and interact with people.

Trash has a path of destruction behind him. I am aware of 3 other women before me that had a similar experience with Trash. I am lucky in that I didn’t lose everything and I had the means to stand up for myself. Filing the Civil Suit was not just about me, it was a way for me to get “justice” for the harm Trash has caused the women before me, and quite frankly, more broadly for all the women who have been unable to fight.

But I learned a very hard lesson. I no longer believe is justice. I no longer feel safe. I clearly see that I had a false sense of safety here in the USA; it is all an illusion. Based on my experience and the experience of these other women, the system is set up to protect abusers, not victims. Below I write about the path of destruction in Trash’s wake, and my experience with the systems that has allowed him to continue to abuse anyone he comes across.

History of Abuse

If you listen to Trash tell the story, all the women before me were “crazy”: His now ex-wife only used him for his money so she could live the “Scottsdale Wife” life. Betsy had kids that didn’t respect him, Lisa was “crazy”. Given his smear campaign against me, I’m 100% sure I’m on the long list of “crazy ex-girlfriends” – That is a lot of crazy ex’s for one fellow.

While I was preparing for my Civil Suit, my Lawyer, Mark, asked me to find out more about Trash’s history. Why did. he ask me to do this? Because In Civil Court, the reputation of the parties involved is very important as a jury will use it as a way to determine someone’s character and truthfulness. The lawsuit was about fraud and deception (Mexican Condo); stolen property All I need to do is sway the jury that I’m more credible than Trash…… So I set forth to gather evidence … started with police reports and speaking with the people he has interacted with… What I learned was that my situation was not unique, that he is a depraved, despicable person who has a trail of destruction and inhumanity behind him.

Below are the tales of the 3 women before me:

So from 1999 to today, Trash has abused at least 4 women (5 if you count “The Russian” he was caught with the first time the Ex-Wife caught him cheating). I’m 100% confident there are more than this, but this gives you an idea how long he has gotten away with being a serial abuser. Its the same old pattern with every lady:

  • Physically, verbally, and emotionally abusive
  • Inability to stay faithful while in an exclusive relationship; all the while claiming he is “not a cheater”
  • Using the court systems and social media to harass and intimidate his victims
  • Using lies and manipulation to control people

Systems that Let Abusers Further Hurt Victims

My experience is that the systems that are currently in place support criminals and abusers and not victims they say they “protect and serve”.

Criminal Court (The Police)

In criminal court, the government files a case against someone for committing a crime. In my case alone, I filed a total of 8 police reports with the Chandler Arizona police:

Not a single one was addressed by the criminal court system. And when I reported these crimes, the police treated me with indifference at best. It was if I was bothering them. They truly could not have cared less.

The home break-in report, stolen items reports, and credit card fraud reports were filed in the “it’s a civil matter” bucket and the police wiped there hands of it. This means that Trash basically got away with robbing me, stealing from Bank of America, as well as the green light to break-in whenever he pleased. This is why I was forced to go the eviction and Order of Protection (OOP) route (see Civil Court below).

Two of the reports, identify theft and wire fraud were submitted to the DA for prosecution. Since these are criminal matters, I do not get a say – the AZ District Attorney gets to decide if they will prosecute.  I received a letter a week ago stating they were not going to proceed with prosecution in the identify theft matter. I was given the opportunity to speak with the DA covering the case – Janine L. She is a lovely woman. She agreed that Trash did all the things he did – he created the fake emails, he used my PII to create DirecTV accounts. But because I found out BEFORE he charged my card for the services, they would not proceed. I asked her – “what should I have done in order for this case to be prosecuted?” The answer: Let him charge the services to my credit card. Yes. That’s right. The only way that would move forward with prosecution is if I let myself be MORE of a victim. Basically, I was too diligent – I cancelled the card he intended to use to pay for the fraudulent services. 

In The Ex-Wife’s case, there were 6 police reports in Scottsdale in 2016 for abuse…. only one resulted in consequences (a single night in jail and fines). The others were filed and forgotten.

In Lola’s case, she filed a few reports and nothing was done. As a matter of fact, the police told her that she would go to Jail if she pressed charges because Trash also called the police and their stories were conflicting. Same experience the women had in this article.

So within a 6 year period (2016 through 2022), Trash has had 25 run-ins with the police / court system that I am aware of:

  • 15 Police Reports (8-me, Lola-1, The Ex-Wife-6) filed against him. And this is just what I was able to find, I’m sure there are far more as tracking this stuff down requires you to go to each county to file and pay for the reports.
  • 3 OOP’s filed against him (2 from Betsy in 2017 and 2018, 1 from me in 2022)
  • 3 Speeding Tickets – “SPEED GREATER THAN REASONABLE AND PRUDENT“
  • 4 Evictions (see Civil Courts below):
    • October  2022 – Me, Paula.
    • March   2021 – Lola
    • September 2017 – The Ex-Wife
    • October  2016 – who knows….poor girl…

NOTE: This list DOES NOT include:

  • Any incidents filed with the Family Courts.
  • Any other OOPs that may have been filed as OOPs are NOT covered under the Freedom of Information Act. So NO ONE can find out if someone is dangerous. I would think a company would want to know if a potential employee is safe entering peoples homes. Or we ladies want to be safe and research a potential suitor. There is no way to find this information. IMO, people with OOPs should be registered offenders just like sex offenders. It’s mind boggling me to me that this information is NOT readily available. Jees.

So in summary, the Police are not your friends. I believe they have a bias against survivors, choosing to NOT believe the victims, especially in the case of domestic violence or partner abuse. When they don’t take action to protect the vulnerable, they are in fact protecting the abusers and thieves of this world. It is no wonder that crime is on the rise and specifically familial crimes are on the rise – no one is holding the criminals accountable.

Civil Court (Civil Suits, Evictions, Divorce, Order of Protection, etc)

In civil court, one person sues (files a case) against another person because of a dispute or problem between them.

In my case, I have had THREE interactions with the Civil Courts while dealing with Trash’s shenanigans:

First I will say that this is a VERY EXPENSIVE route to go. Given this, most people cannot go this route. I know that Lola was not able to get her things back because she didn’t have the money to fight in court. You typically have to hire a lawyer, in some cases a mediator, and the process can take years. It is not for the faint of heart.

Second, even if you have the funds to fight in court, the fact is, even if you win, the garnishment process is a bitch. It is very hard to get the funds you are awarded in court from the perpetrator. In the OOP and Eviction cases, I was awarded judgement. I’m “lucky” in the sense that I had Trash’s banking account information, so we were able to garnish his accounts. But he knows how to play the game – he just moved his money around – out of his accounts and into new accounts that I did not have the account details for. So even if you do win a judgement, the only way to truly collect is to put a lien on the perpetrators assets. And I know this because in Trash’s case, all his other eviction liens where satisfied with the sale of his marital home in 2020. So the folks that had to evict Trash in 2016 and 2017 didn’t get their judgements awarded until 2020 when Trash sold the marital home. Myself and some poor bastard in the 2021 eviction are still waiting to collect. And since he doesn’t own a home here in Arizona, the only asset we can put a lien on at this time are his automobiles. It’s just not right or fair that it sits on the victim to have to chase these criminals down – there should be an easier way to make victims whole.

Let’s Talk about Order of Protection (OOP)

I applied for and was granted an OOP. Trash appealed it so I hired a lawyer to represent me in court. The Judge made it clear to Trash that if he loses, he has to pay my attorneys fees. Of course my evidence for the OOP was rock solid, so the OOP was upheld and a judgement for legal fees was granted. Going to my second point above, it’s difficult to collect.

In addition, both the wire fraud and the airBnB business interference violate the Order of Protection, but who’s enforcing it? Clearly the police aren’t. And do I want to spend MORE money going through the civil courts to have him held accountable? Honestly, the OOP is meant to protect, but I do not feel any safer having it. It would require the police take protection orders seriously and act appropriately when abusers violate them – but I’ve seen nothing of the sort. So I will be taking matters into my own hands in 2024.

Family Court

This one is a doozy. I have only dipped my toe into the family courts as I do not children and my divorce years ago was amicable. My experience with the Family Courts are recent and are entirely based on Lola’s and The Ex-Wife’s experiences.

First and foremost, holy smokes what an inefficient system. The latest example of this is The Ex-Wife’s Petition to Enforce Spousal Maintenance in July 2023. All she wants is for all Spousal Support to be paid so she can be done with him. He stopped paying in May 2021, last required payment was Nov. 2023.

First, why does the victim have to go back to the courts and ask for what has already been agreed to by all parties??? Why are the courts not enforcing it? Why was he not hunted down in June 2021 when he missed his first payment in May 2021?? Why do the courts not enforce Child Support and Spousal Maintenance?

Second, why do you have to have money to be represented?!? The Ex-Wife has zero money. She was a stay-at-home mom, taking care of her family while her then-husband advanced his career. She got her first minimum wage job in August of 2016. She is in no way able to represent herself, but there are no resources available to her. All she needs is a lawyer that will represent her in court. Why do criminals get court appointed lawyers in criminal cases, but stay-at-home mothers don’t get a lawyer to represent them in Family Court??!?!?

Its sooo intimidating. I was intimidated but I am tech savvy and know how to get answers. The Ex-Wife speaks Arabic; English is her second language. Yes she can get an interpreter, but she needs help with context, the why something is happening. In addition, the legalize required to navigate the system and the way you need to speak in court is like learning a whole new language. Again, why do mothers NOT get a lawyer to help with representation like criminals do?!?!

And back to the inefficiency.

  • In July 2023 The Ex-Wife filed a Petition to Enforce Spousal Maintenance as he is almost $30k in arrears. She came prepared to court in November – he did not. He asked for an extension and was granted one. Mind boggling. He should have been fined/arrested for contempt of court. This is just another way the current justice system fails women.
  • Instead of the courts forcing him to abide by a court order (divorce decree), He gets another chance to do what he was supposed to do in the first place, causing more stress and angst for The Ex-Wife. In an ideal world, she shouldn’t even have to file the Petition – it should just be upheld and the courts should garnish his bank accounts just like they did for Child Support. Why is the system like this?!?

In my quest to understand the Family Court system, I joined a few FaceBook Family Law Support Groups a did a lot of Googling. I learned that the The Ex-Wife’s experience is all to common:

I’ve come to the conclusion that that the Family Court system is fundamentally broken. Abusers manipulating the courts, filling unnecessary motions, delaying hearings, drag the process out for years with the sole purpose of torturing their victims and avoiding responsibility. The biggest losers of it all are the single mothers who bear the brunt of caring for kids without any financial or institutional support. They are truly victimized twice – by their abuser and by the courts.

Why is it like this? Why has it not changed? This experience was a(nother) real eye-opener for me – and knowing what I know now, I would highly recommend that women NOT have children or get married until this institution has changed to protect vs. betray women and children.

Lessons Learned

All I can say is that Women – do NOT get married or have children. If you don’t pick the right person and things end badly, if you are not rich or do not have a support system, you will be brutalized by both the abuser AND the system, or quite frankly, with the wrong partner, could end up dead.

In addition, when it comes to the OOP, my experience is that the Police do not care. After several violations, Trash was not admonished, no repercussions for his violations. Now maybe thats because it was not physical abuse, but either way, seems like all it is is a piece of paper and its worth nothing. As I mentioned above, not only do the Police not seem to give a shit, OOP information is NOT readily available as it is not covered under the Freedom of Information Act. So essentially, there is NO WAY for any woman to find out if someone has an active or previous OOP. This seems wildly unfair to women – there is just no way to protect yourself in this day and age. It seems very clear to me that men/abusers who have OOP’s against them, they can continue to abuse, intimidate, harass without penalty/repercussion. This is sanctioned systematic assault on women.

Statistics prove this is true –

  • Nov 2023: More women and girls killed in 2022 even as overall homicide numbers fall, says new research from UNODC and UN Women
    • “Fifty-five per cent (48,800) of all female homicides are committed by family members or intimate partners, underscoring the disturbing reality that home is far from a safe haven for women and girls. This means that, on average, more than 133 women or girls were killed every day by someone in their own home. In contrast, 12 per cent of homicides against males are perpetrated in the home.“
    • “While Central and South America experienced a decline in yearly killings between 2017 and 2022 (by 10% and 8% respectively), Northern America witnessed a significant increase (by 29%)“
  • National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
    • “1 in 7 women and 1 in 25 men have been injured by an intimate partner“
    • “72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these murder suicides are female.“
    • “The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%” (Trash has guns).

The statistics are not our favor ladies. From what I’ve researched, the laws are not changing here in Arizona, or in the USA for that matter. Go here for stats by State.

Safety is an illusion – we ladies are not safe. It’s high time I get a gun and learn self-defense. Just two of my many 2024 goals. I highly recommend you do the same.

2013 – 2018: Betsy

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I do not know Betsy. I have not meet her. I have her contact information but I have not reached out to her as I do not want to re-traumatize her.

Betsy is a beautiful single mother of 3 kids, 2 daughters and 1 son. She is a slender brunette with beautiful brown eyes. Her kids are all grown up now and are beautiful as well. Based on the family photos she has on Facebook, they seem to be a close-knit family.

I’m guessing Betsy and Trash met in 2013. I assume they met through the dating apps. They started living together in 2014 according to The Ex-Wife and court documents. Yes, Trash was still very married to his now Ex-Wife and had 3 kids at home (he filed for divorce in 2016. Divorce was final in January of 2018).

Here is what Trash told me about Betsy:

  • She is/was a manager at a large retail store, had a good job and was well respected.
  • She doesn’t keep house; he had to pay for a cleaner in order to stay/live at her house.
  • She was insecure and had issues with trust.
  • She was obsessed with him and started stalking him when they broke up.
  • She let her kids disrespect him.

One story he shared with me was when I was living with him (2022) and we were visiting a new-to-me neighborhood in Rocky Point Mexico. As we were driving and walking around, he shared the following story with me: He said that he had stayed a long weekend with Betsy at this location and they fought a lot while on that trip because she was insecure. I asked him if he had cheated on her, he was adamant he didn’t. He did say that he was on a break from Lola and JustineB when he hooked up with Betsy. Then he went back to one of these girls (not sure who). Betsy was upset about him not wanting to be with her that she began stalking him.

I had NEVER heard of anything like this. Clearly I lived a sheltered, drama free life because this was so shocking to me. A) who does this – breaks up and gets back together with people, and B) who gets back together with an ex?!!?!

So what now makes a lot more sense and is backed up by documentation:

  • He was with Betsy. Betsy thought they were in an exclusive relationship.
  • He “Broke up”(in his mind) with Betsy to be with Lola and/or JustineB. I doubt Betsy thought they were broken up.
  • Then he “broke up” with Lola and/or JustineB to be with Betsy for this weekend. I’m sure that Trash said things to indicate they were getting back together. My guess is after this weekend, Betsy found out about the other two ladies, and broke up with Trash for good.

Basically, he was with Betsy and was seeing Lola and JustineB at the same time (triangulation). In speaking with Lola, he would go back and forth between the ladies. Given this, I think the truth is, that Betsy was NOT aware of his activities with other ladies, and when she found out, she kicked him out sometime in 2017. He harassed and threatened to the point she was able to successfully get an Order of Protection (OOP) against him.

I know this because I found a second OOP in 2018 that stated she had an OOP in 2017. How did I get this document? When I evicted Trash from my home in 2022, he didn’t take his stuff (he took mine). Since he didn’t pick it up, it was mine to dispose of as I saw fit. My lawyer told me the court would look favorably upon me if I went through his stuff and returned “sentimental items“. So yes, not only was I heartbroken, in shock, but I was being told I needed to go through all of Trash’s shit and determine what was sentimental to him and save it so I could return it.

What did I find? I found several documents that made my skin crawl. Why? Because I discovered what he was doing to me he had done the same thing to someone else (Pattern of Behavior). It was all new to me – having to use the court to remove someone from your property, file for an Order of Protection to protect myself. But clearly this was old school for Trash – he had done the same thing to other people… one of those people: Betsy.

So, in 2017 Betsy found out that Trash was cheating on her with multiple people while she thought they were in an exclusive relationship. She broke up with him. He harassed and threatened her. She filed and was granted an Order of Protection (OOP) in 2017.

In 2018, Trash reaches out to her just before the 2017 OOP expires, acting like nothing was wrong and then threatens her and her kids when she won’t talk to him or do what he requests. She files for and is granted another OOP.

Sept. 2018: Trash Vs. Betsy – Order of Protection (2nd one)

  • Sept 2017 – Betsy files and is granted an Order of Protection (OOP) against Trash.
  • Aug 2018 – a year later, Trash reaches out to Betsy. She states she filed and was granted an OOP in Sept 2017. She details out that he contacts her, threatens her, and disparages her name on his FB groups. Here is Betsy’s OOP, which was granted:

So what does Trash do? He files Injunction against Harassment against her AFTER she files the 2nd OOP. HE USES THE COURT SYSTEM TO HARASS a woman who clearly wants nothing to do with him. Check out the dates and his state of mind – HE portrays himself as the victim:

So basically, he uses the court system (by filing an Injunction against harassment (IAH)) and social media to retaliate against someone that just wants to be left alone. He takes it a step further and instigates his flying monkeys to further harass her.

I was in shock reading these documents. At the time I found these documents, Trash was doing the very same thing to me! I was back in Arizona after the eviction was upheld and had just filed for my own OOP against him when I learned that he filed an OOP while I was in Mexico, painting himself as the victim, and trying to get “exclusive access” to MY home (in an attempt to mute the eviction). I had no idea how to navigate the system, and clearly he knew all too well how to use the justice system to further hurt his victims. What he was doing to me was EXACTLY what he had done to Betsy years earlier. My heart broke for Betsy.

I do want to reach out to her. Let her know that she is not alone, that she just ran into a monster who actively deceived her. But it’s been 6 years since her experience, I’m sure she has moved on from this part of her life. Hopefully she is living her best life, thanking God she didn’t end up with a monster like him.

What we do know is that he has a pattern of behavior:

  • he will lie and manipulate women to get what he wants
  • he will use the system to try and further hurt his victims
  • he will disparage his victims on social media and insight flying monkeys to also harass and intimidate his victims
  • He will NOT take accountability for any of his behaviors or actions
  • he is violent and safety needs to be a top priority for anyone around him

So while I was still in shock (Oct. 2022) with everything going on in my life, It did help me understand that I was dealing with someone who has done what he did to me to at least one other person; that he was experienced with the system and understood how to manipulate it to get what he wants. I knew after reading these documents, that I needed to educate myself quickly. I also was re-traumatized about the break-ins.. made me realize that I was in far more danger that I even knew. Thank God guns are not allowed in Mexico.

Order of Possession Trial in Mexico

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Courthouse in Puerto Penasco, Mexico

Today was a tough day. Today, April 26th 2023, was the Order of Possession trial in Mexico. I am physically and mentally exhausted.

What is an Order of Possession?

I cannot find any good websites that describe it, but basically, it’s a court order that states that one person has exclusive rights to occupy a unit/home. Legase for this action: “The legal mechanism known as possessory action guarantees possession of the property to the legitimate owner of an asset.”.

Trash is listed as a co-owner of the property on the private contract (explained in my Don’t Mingle Finances post), but with this court order, I am the only one who can be in possession of the condo. Meaning if Trash comes near the unit, does any damage, harms me while I am in the condo, he can be taken to Mexican jail and pay a fine. Think of it as a USA version of an Order of Protection but for a piece of property. So as long as I’m in the condo, I am safe… but if I leave the condo, and Trash decides to harm me, I will have to file a separate police report because the Order of Possession ONLY protects the condo from his wrath.

I tried to obtain the USA version of an Order of Protection in Mexico, but from what I was told by my lawyer, this is nearly impossible to obtain in MX. Apparently Mexico is behind the times when it comes to protecting victims of domestic violence. Not to say that the USA has a one up – as we all know, the US version of an OOP is just a piece of paper and law enforcement doesn’t take them seriously (otherwise Forensic Files and Dateline wouldn’t have 20+ seasons each).

Why Do I Have an Order of Possession?

Well, after I discovered Trash’s double life, I broke up with him. Since we lived together in Mexico, I needed to remove my stuff from the home we shared. We agreed that I could get all my things Labor Day Weekend in September 2022. He would not give me the code to the condo until the day I was driving down – August 31st. Throughout the following days, he would remove the code and not allow me into the condo or the MX house to obtain my things. It was a game he was playing – removing my access unless I talked with him, which I would not. Days and days of this BS, all the while he was partying it up in Prescott with Nurse Nincompoop (aka Nurse N’Poop). How he found the time to continually harass me while love bombing his new “soul mate” is beyond me. When he returned from Prescott, he broke into my Chandler home (September 7th (Home Invasion #1)). I immediately hired laywers in both the USA and Mexico.  I was NOT safe and I had no idea how to protect myself.

I began working with Rogelio, my MX attorney on seeking an Order of Possession. It was granted immediately thanks Trash’s break-in on September 13th 2022 ( 1st Break-in and 2nd Break-in). Scariest day of my life. It took forever to serve him in Mexico, but once served, the Order of Possession was official. He was served while he was with Nurse N’Poop and friends at his Princesa D108 condo. Would be interesting to hear how he explained this one away.

He could have left well enough alone, after all, he has contributed $0 to the condo AND he made money on my money (Don’t Mingle Finances). But nope, he hired a laywer and appealed this Order of Possession. So today is the day of the appeal hearing – today is his day in court to prove his case – why he should also possess and occupy the unit.

What is Mexican Court Like?

Mexican court is very interesting – in some ways it’s the same as the US court system – inefficient, behind the times, etc.. What makes it extra complex for Americans is the requirement to translate EVERYTHING to Spanish. And I mean EVERYTHING.

So in the USA, when you have court, you have a judge, a court reporter, you have lawyers ask questions, witnesses give answers, etc.. Witnesses do not get to hear everyone’s testimony, they are called in when it is their turn. SAME in Mexico for the most part.

Here are the differences:

  • there is no judge, there is a Secretary that types the questions and answers into a computer.
  • there are multiple people in the room: the Secretary, the witness, the interpreter, and both lawyers.
  • We are each allowed 2 witnesses:
    • Trash picked his brother and Abe, a guy that works for him.
    • Representing me were:
      • Justine, the former condo property manager and person I was texting with during the breakin. 
      • Cesar, the bodyguard, whom was present when Trash broke into the condo the first time and second time. 
  • There is only one witness in the room at all times. The courtroom is a small room and there is no waiting room, so when we were not being interviewed, we stood outside or sat in our cars.
  • At the end of all the testimony, the lawyers and translators review the documentation.
  • If all looks good, the Secretary prints the documents, and everyone who participated in the day has to sign the paperwork along the borders.

Given this, it took from 11am to 5:30pm to complete all the “interviews”, prepare the documents, and have everyone sign the documents.

So What Happens Now?

The judge will get a file that is thick as thieves — evidence submitted (police reports, ring doorbell recordings, apostiled documents from the USA (my order of protection, the financial statements that show I paid 100% for the condo, all of the Chandler police reports, etc), witness statements from the court hearing today, etc.. The judge will determine the outcome. I understand he will make a decision within 3-5 months. While the court is making its decision, the Order of Protection stands in place.

So, we wait.

Why was this so hard for Me?

It’s the first time I have seen him since the USA Order of Protection hearing on Nov. 9th (OOP Upheld). So the good news is he looks HORRIBLE. I can’t believe that I found him even remotely attractive at any point. His beer gut, his man boobs, and now he has a short haircut that makes his head look like a special needs child that needs a helmet. Outside of his physical appearance, I clearly saw him for who he really is – a conman, a self-entitled, selfish, sociopath narcissist – a what is yours is mine guy that has zero moral compass.

It shook me hard. It’s like a lightning bolt hit me – I was way too trusting, too nice. There was evil on this earth and I saw it in him. 

I’ve been in shock since August of last year. I don’t go out, I don’t get to know people. I am alone almost 100% of the time. It has been really hard for me to come to grips with the fact that I was with someone that I thought I knew, but in the end, it was never real: 

  • He knowingly lied to me (he never had the money for the condo); he never intended to pay me back for his 1/2 of the condo
  • He took all the rental income; did not give me a penny
  • And now he wants to profit from my investment
  • He was not in a committed, monogamous relationship as he presented to me – he had been having sex with anyone who would have him (so gross)

Nothing about him is or was real. I’m still shook by all of this. Since November 2022, I have basically been self isolating. I don’t trust myself, I don’t trust others, I don’t want want or need any drama in my life. I don’t go out. I work from home… I’ve gone weeks without leaving my house (thank you Door Dash!).

Right now, I’m just done. I’m done with people, with humans….. I need to find a therapist to help me through this period. Just know I’m working on it. I’ll get there. But if you do not hear from me, it’s because I am trying to figure things out and heal myself.

Lessons Learned

Same lessons I speak of all my previous posts – don’t trust anyone:

  • Always do a background check before dating anyone (I use Truthfinder)
  • Speak to the ex prior to engaging in the new relationship
  • Never co-mingle money

Please pass / forward this blog onto other women who may be going through the same thing. The more we ladies a) stick together, and b) learn from each other, the less havoc these conmen will wreak in our lives.

I’m going to bed now. Going to have a good cry, hug my new cat Josie, and hope that I can sleep as I have a shit-ton of work to do tomorrow.