In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse, Justin shares the story of a relationship where he believed he was part of a team — until he realized he had been navigating it alone.

What began as a promising relationship with his second wife quickly accelerated into a rushed engagement, marriage, and parenthood. Justin noticed early red flags — overreactions that left him feeling off balance and growing control over their finances that he struggled to fully understand. Still, he believed in working through challenges, trusting that commitment meant showing up, adapting, and doing his part.

But over time, the emotional and financial pressure intensified. Justin found himself increasingly isolated, carrying responsibility while losing clarity and stability. As he worked harder to keep things together, the reality beneath the surface became harder to ignore.

It’s a story of rushed commitment, financial control, isolation, shame, obligation, guilt, fear, control, religious beliefs, being good enough, accusations, shifting expectations, divorce, custody, self-doubt, loss of identity, rebuilding, rediscovering freedom, finding peace in the small things again, and becoming the parent he always hoped to be.

CONTENT WARNING - This episode mentions child sexual abuse.

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In this Narcissist Apocalypse rerelease, Lyric shares her story of surviving financial abuse inside her marriage.

What began as persistence, charm, and devotion slowly turned into control, accusations, and financial exploitation. After marrying, Lyric found herself paying for nearly everything while her partner dismantled her stability piece by piece.

This episode explores how financial abuse develops, why abusers target successful partners, and the warning signs survivors often recognize only in hindsight.

It’s a story of persistence, creating narratives, peer pressure, the value of letting go, mirroring, love bombing, sexual abuse, shame, the fear of being alone, charisma, friends with good intentions, suffering in silence, lying, infidelity, gut feelings, legal mistakes, and divorce.

Content Warning - This episode briefly discusses childhood sexual abuse

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In this episode of Narcissist Apocalypse Q&A, we explore why some abusive partners don’t let go after the relationship ends — and instead escalate their behavior in an attempt to regain control.

Many survivors expect leaving to bring peace. But for those dealing with a vindictive narcissist, separation can trigger retaliation, punishment, and prolonged psychological warfare.

Drawing from survivor patterns we’ve heard in stories like Rose’s, and Wednesday’s, we break down what vindictive behavior really means, what causes it, and why it often emerges after a narcissistic injury — when the abuser experiences your independence as a threat to their identity and control.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why narcissists escalate after you leave
• What a narcissistic injury is and why it triggers retaliation
• How vindictive narcissists weaponize courts, finances, and social systems
• Why their behavior feels calculated rather than emotional
• Why reasoning, appeasement, or fairness rarely stops the pattern
• And the turning point survivors reach when they stop trying to fix the abuser and begin reclaiming themselves

If you’ve ever felt punished for leaving, this episode will help you understand the psychology behind vindictiveness — and why their behavior was never a reflection of your worth, but of their need for control.

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