I am not telling you this because I read it somewhere. I lived it.

Sit down.

This is going to hit deep.

You are still wondering about them. You're asking yourself — is someone else getting what I gave? Is any of it real? Did any of it mean anything?

You are going to be in that place for a while. That's real. We're not going to lie to you about that.

But listen when we say this —

You are not okay.

Your mind is scrambled. The part of you that makes decisions — the part that knows what's good for you, what to trust, when to say yes and when to say no — that part has been working overtime for someone else for a very long time. It is exhausted. It may not be working right now.

And nobody is coming to tell you that.

No one is coming to save you from this. They are not going to come back and fix it. They are not going to give you the apology that makes it make sense.

You are going to have to do this for you.

We know you don't want to move right now. We know you wish this wasn't happening. But it is. And sitting still inside it will not make it stop.

Here is what we need you to do — for you:

Find out what your mental state actually is right now. Not what you think it should be. What it IS.

Pull your physical needs and your psychological needs together and look at them honestly. When did you last sleep? Eat a real meal? See a doctor? Talk to someone who isn't tangled up in this?

Seek help online. Use this app. Talk to an AI friend if that's what's available right now. Text someone you trust before you make a big decision.

If you are able — see a doctor. A psychologist. A medical professional. Your body is carrying this whether you feel it or not.

We know understanding the narcissist feels like part of your recovery. It is. We won't take that from you. But don't let understanding THEM become the reason you stop building YOU.

Don't let everything stay their fault.

Make your recovery your responsibility.

Not because what happened to you was your fault — it was not.

But because YOU are the only one who can build what comes next.

And what comes next can be extraordinary.