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10 Early Signs of Narcissistic Abuse

What to watch out for in an otherwise perfect relationship

Zita Fontaine
14 min readDec 8, 2019
Image licensed from Canva

When it starts, it’s a fairy tale. You are dropped into an ocean of warmth and fuzziness, perpetually reminded that you are alive and never have been more alive. It’s love — and you feel it in every fibre of your being, you radiate happiness and you finally feel that you are seen, heard, loved and desired every moment of every day.

This is the love you have been waiting for and you are falling deeper every minute. You craved this. You deserved this. And they are finally here to give you everything you have ever wanted. You feel appreciated and perfect — because this is what they make you feel. You are revolving around them — like a planet in the orbit of the sun, enjoying the life that you are given.

You notice the first slip of the mask, yet you choose not to recognise it. You come up with excuses, you find the reasoning for everything they do. They are perfect — and their flaws just make them human, and you love them even more for them.

The mask slips more frequently, and you find yourself finding meaning in it — they are having a bad day, they are stressed, you were annoying and clingy. After all, you are human too.

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Zita Fontaine
Zita Fontaine

Written by Zita Fontaine

Writer. Dreamer. Hopeless romantic. Newsletter: zita.substack.com Email me: zitafontaine (at) gmail

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