I was married to
madness for 7 years.
We're divorced now.
(HappyDanceOMG!)
To this day our mutual friends and his family don't believe his the person I say he is -- no matter what I say, even when I try to tell them about the gun in my face and the blank look in his eyes. To them he is charming, witty, sociable, compassionate.
But I watched behind the scenes for almost a decade as he struggled to understand people and came up with intricate gestures/displays to put on in order to convince people he "cared"
He never accepts responsibility for his actions and is painfully passive aggressive. (I endured weeks of silent treatment for the smallest slights -- not loading the dishwasher "correctly"... really.)
He refuses to discuss his "feelings" -- these days I understand he just didn't have any to discuss -- or thoughts unless he thinks he will come off sounding intelligent and "win" the conversation.
He has no conscience. I've seen him lie and steal without blinking.
He disparaged every belief I held. (I'm pagan. We're all evidently pacifist suckers in his eyes.) Insulted every family member I loved. (My dieing grandfather? WTF?) And attempted to destroy every friendship I built. All the while putting on an amazing front to his friends and family, making himself look nearly heroic for all of the trials he endured "for the sake of our relationship."
If you find yourself on the crazy train I only have one piece of advice. Get off the train. You can't fix them. You can't save them. You can't even save the other passengers. Jump and run. Cut ties. Stop, drop and roll. Save yourself!