Many people have narcissists in their life, and they all have their own way of dealing with them.
The strong one cuts off all contact.
The smart one fakes it. She tells the narcissist what he wants to hear. She ignores his manipulative tactics. She lets it all slide. Though what he says and does might hurt her inside, she never lets him know.
The pathetic, foolish one just can't manage to give up. She speaks up when he hurts her. She shows her anger. She shows her disappointment. She's read many times that this is not the thing to do. But she's a fool, and there's a part of her that has this delusional idea that FINALLY he'll get it. He'll finally remember and think deeply about the things he has done in the distance past and the near past to hurt her. He'll be like, Holy shit. I really am an asshole sometimes. It turns out I'm a bit less fantastic than I believed. Well, I'm going to start making a change! And I'm sorry! I'm truly sorry. Then he stops his manipulative, narcissist ways and they become BFF's.
I had this friend once. And she had this idea that delusions were not always bad. Sometimes we can believe things that keep us from losing all hope or from being totally depressed. Instead of making us crazy, they might actually be the thing that's keeping us sane. But other delusions just keep us in a rut. They bring more and more drama into our lives, and they keep us from going forward.
I am stuck.