It didn’t take long for Dex to start showing a few of his true colors…
As the months passed, he started dragging his feet whenever we had to attend functions thrown by my family. His excuse was always that he preferred to stay in, spend time alone with me and just chill. When I would explain that if I went without him, he was putting me in an awkward position to explain his absence, he didn’t seem to care. The times that he would flat-out refuse to go, he would accuse me of not loving him and I found myself making up excuses that he was sick or that I had a migraine and couldn’t attend.
And at other times that he would grudgingly go with me, he would sulk and ensure that we arrived very, very late. Then, like a flip of a switch, Dex would turn into the charming gregarious man everyone knew him to be and enjoyed.
I should have known that it wasn’t normal how the moment everyone’s backs were turned, he would act like an obnoxious baby to me, making me regret having insisted that he attend in the first place.
Then, when it came to going out with my friends, Dex always refused, especially if Samantha was involved. Scared that she would dislike him even more and not trusting how he would behave towards her, I started distancing myself from her at work and outside the office. No more lunches together, no more drinks after work on Thursdays evenings… Somewhere along the way, Sam found a new boyfriend at one of those nights out and I wasn’t even a part of it.
Our friendship took on a chill that it had never had before and I missed her.
Sam simply stopped inviting me out, gravitated towards others at work and carried on without me. If I did go out with others friends without him, he would sulk for days and drop comments about how selfish I was, making me feel guilty as hell that I wasn’t satisfied spending all my time with him. Then Dex would either give me the silent treatment or refuse to touch me for days, making me feel unworthy and unloveable.
“Agua que no has de beber, déjala correr“.
I didn’t want to upset the apple cart so I forced myself to go with the flow. I quickly learned to walk on eggshells around him, knowing what to say and definitely what not to say. I mean, I had finally found a good man who loved me and was it such a big deal that he had a few flaws?
Cara
Continuation: F is for “Frankenstein”
All Rights Reserved ©2018 Marquessa Matthews.
Marquessa 
Oh dear – the true colours are definitely showing now.
Debbie
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It was only a matter of time!
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Sounds like welcome to the world of the bi-polar or the most manipulating man alive.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
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Yes sir, narcissistic sociopathic behaviours…
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This is what happened with my Ex husband; he made me feel guilty about all my friends and activities; so ofcourse I shunned it all. he would drag his feet to go out but the moment he got there he was the life of the party. Total charmer – took me so so long to see his true clolors and then even longer to get out of it! Phew! You were right, I didnt want this man!!
The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak #atozchallenge
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When we know better, we do better. If we have no clue about the red flags, we’ve taken for a loop!
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Eggshells is never a good thing – and ‘Frankenstien’ tomorrow does not bode well at all….
https://iainkellywriting.com/2018/04/05/e-is-for-echternach-luxembourg/
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Frankenstein, Jeckyl and Hyde are great in books but not in a person’s real life…
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Wow! This brought back some unpleasant memories! Keep going, girl. So many women have stories like these to tell.
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I understand. Writing this is not as easy as I thought it would be!
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I had to go clear back to your theme reveal to make sure this was a work of fiction! Very nice writing, and it really captures one type of toxic relationship.
Melanie’s Stories
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Yes Melanie, Cara is a fictional character but her story is very real…
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Walking on egg shells is never a good sign. I like how you are developing Dex’s character, can’t wait to read more.
Letter E: https://writingiscommunication.wordpress.com/2018/04/05/eye-opener-the-space-between-bookstore-presented-by-a-to-z-100-word-stories/
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Dex’s unravelling is a slow unravelling…
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What an awesome title for this installment of your posts. I’m glad Melanie mentioned that is was fiction, because I almost couldn’t tell either!
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There is lots of truths wrapped up within this fiction.
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Oh, it’s a big deal! I’ve sucked it up, so to speak… and it only made things worse for me… it wasn’t worth it!
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Sucking it up and dismissing always leads to trouble.
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Yes it does…
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Great job. Looking forward to future installments.
My E was English surrealist, Eileen Agar: https://beyondtheflow.wordpress.com/2018/04/05/e-eileen-agar-a-z-challenge/?wref=tp
Best wishes,
Rowena
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Thanks again for the feedback Rowena!
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Poor thing. 😦
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You are on a roll! haha
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Narcissism?
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Narcissistic Personality Disorder…😒
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Too many women have partners like Dex. Well crafted excerpt. All the best for the challenge.
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Thanks for reading Nilanjana!
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