Dating is hard. Sometimes, just when one thinks they found that special someone, the person turns out to be a complete nutcase. These Redditors share their stories of dates with people who turned out to be total psychos. From double lives to undeniable dramatics, there is no doubt that Norman Bates has got some stiff competition.
1. Careful What You Wish For
There was this guy I'd been seeing for a little while, and it felt like things were moving along just fine. One time, he took me out to watch Aladdin. When we returned to my space afterward, the mood was casual as usual. We chatted away when suddenly, I noticed a strange glimmer in his eyes.
He blurted out, "I can't continue seeing you. I'm scared I might end up causing you harm." My mind instantly jumped to harm in an emotional sense, like infidelity. Trying to lighten the mood, I chuckled and reassured him that as a mature individual, I could cope with whatever came our way. We could always find a way to mend things. Yet, he emerged more agitated and his expression turned dreadful.
He clarified, "You're not getting it. I've been tormented by these nightmares where I do real harm to you." Without another word, he sprang off the sofa and dashed out of the front door. That was the last I saw of him, and I decided against trying to contact him. His departure left me shaken. Until that moment, he'd come across as someone completely ordinary.
2. He Was A Hippie Freak
For about four weeks, I was seeing this fellow with slightly quirky habits— a real peace-loving, free spirit with a generous soul who adored the thrill of cycling excursions and spontaneous outings. But then, in one surprising moment while he was taking a shower, he delivered some shocking news.
Nonchalantly, he revealed that he was actually a father of two children and the true difference in our ages was 14 years, not five as I had been led to believe. Adding to that was the fact that there was a court injunction brought forth by the mother of his kids against him.
Things only escalated from there, moving from strange to downright bizarre. He took to spattering my door with patchouli oil, littering my front porch with supposedly enchanted voodoo eggs, and meddling with my bike. So bad was the tampering that when I embarked on a downhill ride, the brakes gave way and my bike broke apart into pieces.
3. Her Fate Was Sealed With A Fish
I decided to bring my date along with her four-year-old son to a funfair. To our joy, the young lad managed to win two goldfish. They were in a transparent bag, the typical style used in pet shops. The kid was absolutely thrilled. Just as we were heading back to the car, something unthinkable happened — all without a word from her.
She forcefully threw the bag containing the fish onto the concrete ground, and it burst open. Then, she deliberately stepped on the helpless, wriggling fish. Her little boy was immediately heartbroken. When I confronted her about her cruel act, her response was, "They most likely wouldn't have made it, anyway”. Interestingly, a few weeks passed and she reached out, wondering why I hadn't gotten in touch.
4. Banging Her Head Against A Wall
One evening after a disagreement, I found myself laying in bed when my girlfriend somehow tumbled out of bed. Perhaps she rolled, but it looked more like a fall to me. Following that, she got up and began slamming into the walls. I could only watch in shock as she hurt herself and caused quite a scene, despite my attempts to get her to stop.
Due to the racket, our downstairs neighbor called the police.
When the officers arrived, they found a disturbing scene—she was on the sofa, covered in blood. Naturally, they were suspicious of me. I tried to explain the bizarre series of events, but who could blame them for doubting my story?
In a stroke of good luck, my girlfriend demonstrated exactly what I'd been saying. She abruptly got up and charged across the room, colliding with a wall and nearly knocking herself unconscious. This prompted the officers to whisk us off to the hospital.
Once we were there, they led her into a private room—presumably to ask her if I’d been the one to injure her—before allowing me to join her.
While we were waiting, she climbed out of her bed, fetched some gauze from a cabinet, and started mopping up the floor. When I asked what she was doing, she gave me a startling answer. Apparently, she was tidying up the floor to give the fish a better view.
5. Irrational Man
Following a pair of intense episodes—during one he wrecked half our home, and in another, he damaged my car with a hammer—he texted me. His message implied that this was just his nature and chances are, therapy wouldn't make a difference.
He gave me an ultimatum: stick around and make peace with his faults and occasional outbursts of anger. I knew that he was justifying his uncontrollable behavior and would soon rationalize hurting me in the same way. That was a line I wasn't willing to cross, and so, I left.
6. Just Go For It
When I was in my twenties, I dated this girl for a brief period. She told me upfront that she liked guys who were assertive, she called it "just going for it". Me, being an inexperienced young man back then, I assumed she was just pulling my leg. So I didn't make a move even on our next date. After, when I dropped her off at my place, she chided me for not listening to her earlier advice. We ended up kissing, and she told me to try and be bolder "next time".
The "next time" arrived, and it was a lovely evening, just us in my car staring at the stars through the open sunroof. I decided to act on her advice and initiated a kiss. However, that didn't turn out well at all. She shied away, asking, "What do you think you're doing? Do you perceive me to be some sort of a pushover?"
I was never sure if this was some sort of a test she had set up for me. Maybe she had some sort of fetish I wasn't aware of – liking the struggle while I "just went for it". But if so, she should have made it crystal clear because once she said no, I was not going forward with anything.
A “no” is a “no”, it's as simple as that. The whole situation left me baffled and, in the end, ended up being the last date.
7. I Was Running With A Devil
Both my ex and I used to work as correctional officers. Given our job's requirements and mandatory background checks, I thought he was a trustworthy person. Unfortunately, I was mistaken.
After being together for a few months, I moved in with him. Upon becoming pregnant about a year into our relationship, his personality started to change.
My eldest son from my previous marriage made an alarming observation one day, "Mom, I see evil in his eyes". We could see his personality shifting; he began to say things that unsettled us, making us worry about his mental health. The first warning sign was his capability to switch his demeanour depending on the circumstances.
While I was rearranging things for the baby, I stumbled upon a box of books focused on "verbal judo". I had no idea what it was, but it was a lightbulb moment for me. As I started piecing things together, he began threatening me with what he'd do if I ever left.
He often talked about a bullet with his name on it and would leave it out intentionally for us to see it. He even strung a noose up on the back patio that swayed ominously in the breeze for weeks. In worry for our safety, I packed up my boys and left. Then the real nightmare began. His friends from the local sheriff's office started to tail me whenever I was out.
I'd always been law-abiding, never even received a speeding ticket, but this was the start of some trying times. At one point, he even got a security guard friend at Walmart to falsely accuse me of shoplifting. In the end, the charges were dismissed, but he still managed to land a blow as I subsequently had to fight for custody of my son.
8. Believe It, We’re Done
Once upon a time, I dated a guy who constantly wanted me to update him with my work timetable. He'd actually call my office line and hover around in the parking lot until I finished work! But that's not even the worst part—he had the audacity to ask for my paycheck amount. One of those days, after sharing my work schedule with him, he unfortunately read it wrong and ended up panicking severely.
In his state of alarm, he crossed the line—he dialed up my entire family and was on the brink of involving law enforcement, all due to his own mistake in interpreting my message! Eventually, I had to end things with him, publicly, because he just wouldn't accept it when I tried calling it off in private. It got to the point where even passers-by would say to him, "She just broke up with you, mate."
9. Keyed Up Over Our Breakup
It was only post-breakup that I fully grasped the severity of her unhealthy behavior. She took her anger out on my car by scratching it, thinking I'd already moved on. She hunted down everyone I was connected with on Facebook, from family members to even my company's CEO, sending them a rather embarrassing and provocative photo of me.
Along with the photo, she shared a lengthy narrative claiming that I was unreliable because I had supposedly abused her and stolen from her. I was forced to take legal action: securing a restraining order and dragging her to court due to her attempts to ruin my personal life and career. It was an incredibly distressing situation, and I sincerely hoped she sought help. I'm grateful that she's been silent for almost four years now, and I've relocated to a different part of the country for a fresh start.
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10. He Was A Total Number Two
I was having a bit of a rough time with a stomach issue, spending a good chunk of time in the bathroom. Of course, I'm not one to waste time, so I had brought my laptop in with me to work while I was...er, multitasking. Out of nowhere, the bathroom door bursts open and my boyfriend appears, accusing me of cheating and snatches my laptop right from my hands.
I didn't react immediately because there was no truth in his accusation. Once I was done, I went to find him in his room and walked into a real nightmare. Apparently, in a fit of silliness, he had taken my laptop apart and hidden parts all over the room. I asked him to retrieve them, but he refused.
About 15 minutes of this madness continued, and I remained steadfast. I warned him if he didn't return my laptop, I'd call the cops. That's when he handed me his phone, thinking he was being clever. As soon as I opened it, though, he panicked at the reality of me potentially involving the police.
In a flurry, he gathered all my laptop pieces. But the next thing I knew, he was throwing my now whole laptop out his third-story window onto the street below. Well, I reacted by breaking his phone, tossing it against the wall before walking out of that mess.
The next day, he turned up at my doorstep, demanding $30 for the phone. But I just chuckled, closed the door on him, and made a promise to myself to never look back. So, goodbye to him and his dramatics.
11. Payback Time
I was with my rather eccentric girlfriend for approximately eight months. She enjoyed role-playing, especially scenarios involving being restrained. We decided to swap roles one evening, which was fine by me. However, after I found myself cuffed and my ankles bound to the bed posts, she used a bandana to gag me, got dressed, and left me in that position. Little did I know, it was just the tip of the iceberg.
After about an hour, she returned, this time with two men. What followed was her engaging in intimate activities with these guys numerous times right in front of me. When she finally released me and I could talk again, I asked her, "What was that about"? She accused me of having an affair with a female coworker—which I wasn't doing—and stated this was her method of retaliation. The following day, I packed up and left.
12. Trapped
I was once married to a man who was possibly not a psychopath, but definitely had sociopathic tendencies. To get from the bedroom to the kitchen, I had to cross the living room, which meant passing in front of the TV. Despite trying to be as quick as possible, I was invariably yelled at. Sometimes, I had to wait as long as 20-30 minutes until I got the 'all clear' signal to walk by.
One day, while he was out, I took it upon myself to rearrange the living room. The end result was essentially the same, it was just rotated 90 degrees—the square shape of the room made it viable. Now, my path from the bedroom to the kitchen bypassed the TV without interfering with his view.
Upon returning, my husband noticed the alteration, but his reaction was unexpected—he didn't comment, not even a peep. We ate dinner, watched TV, and retired to bed as usual. The next day, however, he stopped interacting with me altogether. He wouldn't leave bed, go to class, watch TV or even talk to me. Despite my continued attempts to get him to communicate, he remained silent.
This went on for three tension-filled days; his only movement came when he needed food or to use the restroom. I was frantic with worry, thinking I must have unwittingly done something wrong. On the third day, he finally broke his silence to reveal that his protest was punishment for me moving the furniture without his permission.
Surprisingly, he then requested the living room remain as I had arranged it, admitting it was an improvement. But despite seeing the benefits, he felt the need to punish me—clearly, something was not right with him. It was further proof when he unashamedly cheated on me for the seventh time.
His control extended to preventing me from leaving the house due to his fear that I would 'get even'. However, one day necessity called as we ran out of clean clothes, prompting me to slip out to the laundromat. While there, he threatened to leave our infant home alone if I didn't return immediately, causing me to rush back home.
When a similar situation arose the following day, I took the baby with me to the laundromat. This led him to escalate his threat to taking his own life. I responded by suggesting he go ahead and terminating the call, shortly notifying the local emergency services. As a result, he was arrested due to pending warrants for unpaid traffic fines.
Taking advantage of his time in jail, I changed the locks and never permitted him reentry. It wasn't long before he found a new woman to manipulate and exploit.
13. One Night Led To Disaster
My buddy had quite an encounter. He met this woman at a bar and they both ended up at his place later that night. She then suggested that it could be more than a fleeting moment and proposed a date for the following weekend. He decided to give it a shot. Unexpectedly, their first date was meeting her parents, a situation that promised to be quite chaotic.
Much to his dismay, she shared their "lifetime" plans with her parents during the meeting—details about where they would buy a house, the names of their future children, and so on. He managed to stick around for about a month. However, once they split, she didn't resort to following him—instead, she began stalking his friends. She would miraculously know our locations and then tried to intimidate us with threats of legal action, blaming us for "destroying her life".
14. This Guy Was A Dumpster Fire
I once had a boyfriend who claimed he was a firefighter from New York. However, a few months into the relationship, I discovered that he hadn't been truthful.
He definitely was no firefighter but rather, exhibited mentally unstable traits. His attempts to control me became disturbingly evident when he invented a story about his mafia connections. According to him, if I ended the relationship, his mafia friends would target me and my family. He even claimed to have comprehensive information about my father and his business.
His manipulative tendencies became clearer when he appeared bleeding in my car one day, saying he'd been assaulted and needed to be rushed to the hospital. After his check-up, the doctor privately expressed suspicions that the wounds were self-inflicted. That's when I felt that it was all an act designed to elicit sympathy and me to take him to the hospital.
From then on, I was trapped in the relationship for several months. He would frequently brandish a weapon and restrain me from going to work under the pretense that "Tony", his supposed mafia friend, wanted to meet me. Yet, 'Tony' never showed up. I even received voicemails containing threats to my life.
Despite reporting to the authorities, they claimed their hands were tied without adequate proof. I decided to file a restraining order only to find out he had nine other orders, mostly from his own parents. Eventually, I managed to escape from this devastating situation by moving to a different state.
15. I Needed To Steer Away From This Guy
My initial college boyfriend was a real piece of work. After just a week of being official, the strange behaviours began. First, I realized that some of my food began to disappear. Despite not living under the same roof, he was getting rid of food he deemed unfit for me. Then, a guy from my course phoned to invite me on a date, unaware I was already involved.
My boyfriend took the call and unjustly labeled him a home wrecker. The final straw came as we were strolling and I narrowly escaped a car accident thanks to him shoving me to safety. The sinister truth unfolded later.
The man driving was his pal, and he had set up the whole act hoping I would be forever indebted to him for saving my life.
16. Out Of My League And Out Of Her Mind
There wasn't just one incident; there were many in a very short period. Everything between us seemed perfect. I was feeling pretty confident—she was out of my league, but I was managing it nicely. We spent the whole day together, and eventually, I made my move and kissed her. It was fantastic. We spent the rest of the night talking. It all felt so normal.
Then things took a dark turn the following day. She opened up about her ex forcing himself on her, stalking her everywhere. As a teenager, I was unsure about how to react or even if I totally believed her. But, I went along with it. She started mentioning seeing him hiding in bushes when we were out and about, even when no one was visible.
There was also this socially awkward guy who was a friend of hers, and he had a thing for her. He seemed like a nice guy, which prompted me to be respectful as I knew about his feelings for her and didn’t want to upset him. Once, we were all hanging out and out of the blue, she began kissing me while he was sitting right next to us.
Trying to mitigate his hurt, I stopped her, reminding her that he had feelings for her. It was heart wrenching to see the look on his face, so I stopped her and we kept walking. Suddenly, she lagged behind, and it was just him and me.
After a while, we realized she wasn’t with us and decided to look for her. When we found her, she claimed her ex had been violent towards her. This was when I knew something wasn’t right. I was uncomfortable with these chaotic situations, so I decided to end things with her.
A few hours after our breakup, I received a disturbing voicemail. Some of her friends, both female and male, were hurling vitriolic insults at me, calling me gay among other indiscernible slurs.
A few years down the line, her newborn baby tragically died, and she was investigated in connection with the child's death. I consider myself fortunate that I broke up with her when I did. The thought of potentially grieving as a parent at just 20 years old is utterly gut-wrenching.
17. He Was Off His Noodle
He had a precise preference for his noodles—al dente with just a slight softness. He was particular about it and often requested me to prepare them since, apparently, I could achieve the texture he loved better than he could. One day, after a gruelling 12-hour shift at work and an hour's journey home, he greeted me with his usual, "I'm hungry. Make some noodles". He had been known to throw tantrums, and I was simply too exhausted to navigate his moods, so I prepared his noodles without protest.
Out of sheer fatigue or something else, I didn't remove the noodles from the heat in time, resulting in a softer texture than he typically preferred. I served him, sprinkled the seasonings, and left him to eat while I retreated to our bedroom to shower and sleep off my exhaustion. Unbeknownst to me, danger was lurking.
Midway through undressing, a plateful of noodles was hurled against the wall next to me. A blow followed, landing on the back of my head. The next thing I remember is the sight of the bathroom tiles smeared red and everything gradually fading to grey. He had his hands wrapped around my throat, threatening, "If you make soggy noodles again, it's the end for you."
Upon regaining consciousness, I found him sitting nonchalantly in the living room, engrossed in a TV show. When I attempted to leave for the hospital, he blocked my way with an eerie smile, "You're not going anywhere until I get my noodles."
I managed to sneak out later that same night and got medical help. The diagnosis was a concussion and a cracked rib. I reported the incident, and a restraining order was served. I enlisted the help of colleagues to retrieve my belongings from our shared apartment—what little was salvageable since he tossed out and destroyed most of it. That was the day I realized the man was unstable and was indeed a threat to my life.
18. Social Media Psycho
I dated this guy for a couple of months. He was continuously prodding me, hoping to hear that I love him. When it came to the topic of having kids, I was clear about not wanting them, which made him upset. That was not something I was prepared to negotiate.
Eventually, I found an opportune moment to break up because I didn’t feel as committed as he did. His intense behavior only came to light after we split up. He kept saying that he would "Fight for me", which was quite vague. He would also say he wouldn’t give up because he felt like he had become a father figure to my cat in just three months.
His messages alternated between pleading for us to get back together and making threats. So, I started blocking him. First on text, then Skype, and gradually across other platforms like Facebook and Instagram, but he kept finding new ways to contact me, becoming increasingly aggressive.
He started insulting me, alleging that I was seeing someone else. I even changed all my home security codes in case he had seen me enter my pin. Next, he began bothering our mutual acquaintances.
He messaged my best friend, saying he planned to file a restraining order against me and that I should wait for it. He spoke about taking legal action against another friend for defamation and targeted other people in our group, who then proceeded to block him too.
Surprisingly, his irate behavior didn’t appear unusual because a few girls experienced the same attitude from him. After a few months, he went quiet, until he tried to follow me on Instagram recently. I blocked him instantly, but he discovered my ancient Flickr account.
He messaged me there, apologizing for his actions and implying it wasn't necessary to delete my Instagram account. I didn't reply; I just removed him.
19. Plenty O’ Fish In The Sea
Before he got home from his usual shift, I swung by his place. I routinely used his computer since I knew his password. I noticed that he was logged into dating sites—'Plenty O’ Fish' and 'Cougar Life'. My first reaction was confusion. On checking the messages, I learned that he had been attempting to connect with local women for a bit. When I confronted him over the phone, he panicked.
His excuse was that he created the account for a friend, but I saw right through that lie. Looking for closure, I stuck around till he returned from work, but that was a mistake. We ended up breaking up; he became aggressive, taking my phone, keys, withholding me inside his house, and physically restraining me.
The situation was terrifying. He towered over me, and I felt helpless. He was hollering at me angrily, gripping my arms, veins popping out in his neck; it was truly terrifying. Soon, I was on the couch, curling up into a ball, trying to wrap my head around everything that was happening. It was at this moment that I truly realized how dangerous he was.
Finally, I managed to calm him down and he let me go. I didn't notify the authorities then; I was in shock. For several days following that incident, I was shaky and had visible bruises on my arms. It was only much later that I discovered he had a history with such behavior, having confined another woman before me. In hindsight, I regret not going to the authorities; I'm confident he'd be in jail by now after the second offense.
The most disappointing part is that I RECONCILED WITH HIM and continued to be with him for a few more months until things escalated. We eventually split up for good, but he attempted to get in touch with me for YEARS. The distress from that experience still triggers panic attacks whenever I hear a man yelling at a woman, and I remain suspicious of unfamiliar phone numbers.
Now and then, I search his name in the court records, hoping to find that he has passed away or is incarcerated.
20. News Flash—I’m Gone!
On the day of 9/11, my ex-partner and I were driving to a café where I planned to work on my thesis. While listening to the radio, we heard about the tragic plane crashes into the towers. After the second report, I commented, "This can't be an accident". His response was to belittle me, ranting about how "stupid" I was to suggest it was intentional.
Once we reached the café, we found that a TV had been wheeled into the center to let customers follow the developments. As we sat mesmerized by the live broadcast, we witnessed one of the towers collapse. Overwhelmed by sadness for the innocent lives lost, I broke down crying.
At that point, concern flooded my mind. Wasn't my brother on a flight that day? Wasn't my friend working in New York City's financial district right now? My emotions were a rollercoaster, something anyone humane would surely understand.
My ex then tried to comfort me by wrapping his arm around me, only to whisper something chilling into my ear. He told me I was "making a scene" and that I should "stop crying or go sit in the car". It was a turning point—because at that point, I knew our relationship was over.
We were living together, so I had to plan my departure carefully. A few weeks later, another argument sparked when he refused to let me have a night out with friends out of jealousy. He cornered me against a wall, threatening to hit me before laughing it off.
The next day while he was at work, I packed my bags and left. He was emotionally vacant; there was simply no empathy in him.
21. Festival Of Lies
My buddy's girlfriend had been making frequent visits to a specific city due to her mother's lupus diagnosis and the resulting need for extensive care. Before jetting off for another trip, she called it quits with my friend, saying she wasn't being a good girlfriend due to her split time commitments.
My friend handled it gracefully, even hoping for a potential reunion once her mother's health improved. Throughout the weekend, she texted him about the difficulties of caring for her mom, mentioning tireless nights spent at the hospital.
All the while, my friend offered unwavering support, sending her lupus research and other helpful resources. A few days later, while scrolling through Facebook, my friend stumbled on a 360-degree panoramic photo taken by someone who previously had a fling with his ex. The picture was snapped at a bustling music festival near the city where his ex's mother resided.
To his shock, there she was in the picture, partying hard. Rather than tending to her sick mother, she'd attended this festival and reconnected with this past fling. He then found more photos of her at the festival, implying she'd been there over the weekend when she claimed to be at the hospital.
He couldn't help but question the existence of her mom's lupus, or whether she'd been seeing this guy over these past months. He confronted her immediately, and she responded by abruptly cutting off all contact with him. She could’ve simply broken things off without concocting an entire web of deceit, allowing her to seemingly have it both ways.
22. He Was A Different Brand Of Crazy
One night, my boyfriend decided it was time for me to meet his friends. He organized a little get-together around his backyard fire pit. I found common interests with a few of his buddies, particularly in the movie department. There was absolutely no suggestion of any flirtation. As the gathering was wrapping up, with the last person heading home, my boyfriend and I found ourselves alone by the garden gate.
Suddenly, he tugged me towards him by my belt loop. I assumed he wanted a hug, but that was far from the truth. He was upset that I'd gotten along so well with his friends. His irrational fear was that they might "tempt me away from him," and he blamed me for that. His anger left me bewildered.
A large stick, glowing red from the fire pit, was in his hand. His intention wasn't to pull me into a warm embrace. Instead, it was a chilling action of trying to "mark" me with the hot stick where it wouldn't be seen by others. I still bear the scar from that night, but he's no longer a part of my life.
23. Nothing Was Real
For a grueling nine months, I was in a relationship with a manipulative person. He fabricated everything about himself—from his professional life, history, down to the fact that he was not the biological child of his so-called parents. He'd make a huge fuss over the most minor things.
Let's say I was running three minutes late; he would respond with yelling. Or if we were having a pleasant meal with his family and I spent a bit more time conversing with his sister than he deemed acceptable, he'd create a public spectacle. His confrontations were so loud that nearby dwellers would raise concerns.
After he moved in, I realized that money and various pieces of my jewelry were gone. In a shocking turn of events, I found pawnshop receipts tucked behind some furniture and realised it was him. He even claimed to be sick with cancer just to keep me from taking a business trip that was due to last two weeks.
Meanwhile, I was the one earning for our lives, not doing anything suspicious, and we were in dire need of that income. His claim of seeking treatment for his alleged illnesses also turned out to be false. After doing some digging, I found out that the healthcare facility he frequented did not offer any service that would treat his supposed conditions. On top of everything, I also found some off-color makeup he used to appear sick after he moved out.
I tolerated his antics way longer than I should have, finally breaking under the pressure after seven months. I needed several therapy sessions to cope with the aftermath and it caused serious trust issues that affected my relationship with future partners and dates.
24. Scrambling To Survive
My boyfriend unfairly reported me to the police, blaming me for things he'd actually done. It was quite a tricky and uncomfortable situation for the detective and me to unravel. Ironically, he had hot-wired my car, which ended up catching fire as I was driving on the highway.
Despite me being a frail 90 pounds and very ill, he knocked me out cold and then had the nerve to accuse me of hurting him, a burly 300-pounder who aspired to be a linebacker. His harassment knew no bounds—he followed me around at school, had his buddies incessantly dial my number, and overall turned my world upside down until I had no choice but to switch schools. And yet, he audaciously claimed that I was the one behind all this.
25. Two-Faced Terror
My first serious boyfriend had some particular habits. When he started doing something, he'd practically forget about me, despite asking me to stick around. And if I made other plans, he'd somehow guilt-trip me into aborting those and spending time with him instead. He kept trying to create an environment where it was just him and me, constantly. Plus, he'd keep a keen eye on what I was doing and didn't hesitate to check my phone.
An incident I vividly remember is when my friend casually pecked me on my cheek, right in front of him. He just laughed it off then, but later, he yelled at me over it. He portrayed different personas to different people. His behavior transitioned from being a caring partner to my sole overseer, slowly yet steadily. Fortunately for me, it seemed like he lost interest out of the blue one day.
At that time, his sudden decision to leave me seemed painful, but looking back, I feel grateful. As it turned out, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia later on.
26. Baby, You Crazy
So, he asked me to collect a baby shower gift he'd picked out for his buddy. Off I went to the store, but when I got there, they had no record of any order. I ended up calling him and handing my phone off to the cashier for a chat. But when she handed it back, she was pretty upset, stating, "I won't tolerate being spoken to in such a manner." You could've knocked me over with a feather, I was completely baffled.
She was so put off by his rudeness that she refused to help me, leaving me no choice but to head home empty-handed. Despite what had just happened, he completely denied being rude to her and got steamed up at me for taking her side. Later, he added that I had messed everything up, said we wouldn't be attending the baby shower, and that his friend was very disappointed. I was so overwhelmed and guilty that I called his friend to apologize.
Yet, she was clueless about the entire situation. It hit me then—he had fabricated the whole story to make me feel guilty. This revelation about his manipulation was a hard pill to swallow, it showed me he'd been gaslighting me throughout our three-year relationship, making me feel like I was losing my mind.
27. Rewind The Tape, He Did What?
For almost 24 years, I shared my life with a seemingly wonderful husband. Day after day, he came across as a cheerful person until an unexpected arrest disrupted our lives. He was caught misbehaving in an AMC theater's parking lot during a daytime children's movie show—it was shocking. More surprisingly, he used his company's mailing address in his official report.
After some investigation, I came across astonishing facts. My then husband had been arrested on several occasions before and during our marriage without ever discussing it with me. On two of those instances, he was pulled in by immigration officers who had been asking about our supposed child—a son who did not exist. Upon uncovering these unsettling truths, I went ahead and filed for divorce the very next day at the crack of dawn. Since then, he disappeared from my life entirely.
28. Gut Instinct
For a while, I was seeing a girl with whom I thought I shared a good connection. We seemed to enjoy the same things, but something was nagging me inside that something wasn't right. So I decided to end it while still trying to preserve a friendly relationship. Eventually, I discovered that she'd been playing me all along, pretending to like the same things I did as part of an elaborate plan to change me.
Later on, I learned that when I called it quits, she was so upset that she threw a glass at her door, shattering it into pieces. When her roommate tried to clean up the mess, her response was ridiculous: “No, let it be. Those fragments symbolize my broken heart.” Needless to say, I don't have any regrets and have never questioned my gut feeling since.
29. Prove Your Love
I'm not certain whether his behavior was more reflective of a sociopath or a psychopath, but near the end of our two-year relationship, my boyfriend made a suicidal threat. We were high up in an 11th-floor apartment when he made a move to jump out of the window. The barrier was only up to his waist, and with a slide of the glass door, he was perched on the edge. I had to physically stop him from making the fatal leap, which felt like a never-ending struggle.
We were both in a state of chaos, yelling and sobbing. Finally, I managed to pull him back from the precipice, and in the process, we both tumbled backward. I smacked into the TV stand, and he collapsed on top of me.
After this horrific ordeal, he nonchalantly stood up, dusted himself off, and declared that he never intended to end his own life. He'd just staged this terrifying show to test my love for him. It was at this moment when I realized he was mentally unstable and made the decision to end our relationship.
30. Slow, Subtle Sicko
It all began with minor things like him likening me to his former partners, always in a positive light, initially. His eagerness to participate in my hobbies or activities, ones that I enjoyed without him, seemed inordinate. He would insist on being part of it, then either sulk or ridicule subtly throughout. His jokes about my pastimes, which I used to brush off initially, gradually grew meaner and more frequent.
Next, he started underestimating me and dishing out insincere compliments. Whenever I'd confront him upset, he'd dismiss it as a joke, brandishing a smile that never quite reached his eyes. One evening, we were casually lounging on the couch, drinking, watching a match, and just unwinding. Everything was great until he suddenly confessed that he didn't want to live anymore. I took his claim seriously and delved deeper into it.
But he just shook his head in confusion, denying ever making the statement. After this, the situation deteriorated. The last straw came when he assaulted me in a fit of rage. He apologized afterward, contacted me, and sent me flowers as a peace offering. Thankfully, my sister was there for me. I hadn't discussed the specifics of my predicament with my family due to his systematic efforts to alienate me and because I was feeling a bit unhinged.
I was under the impression that I was overthinking his remarks and suggestions. But when he assaulted me, I immediately turned to my sister for help. I left him, abandoned everything I owned at his place, and decided to move on. It took several years and relationships with more stable individuals before I was finally able to leave this behind.
31. Sweet Jesus, She Was Crazy
My ex-girlfriend used to be quite eccentric. We once missed a bus by just five minutes which resulted in having to wait an additional ten minutes for the next one, and she scolded me for two hours. During my intense college courses, I wouldn't be able to use my phone much, especially around exam time. Whenever I couldn't respond to her messages quickly enough, she would become upset.
She expected us to meet up five times a week and would insist on two-hour phone conversations every night. On one occasion, when she was at my parents' house, she craved sweets. However, since we didn't keep any at home and the nearest store was 15 minutes away, this caused another argument. She even accused me of being unfaithful four times, roughly the number of days when I wasn't able to call her.
As we separated, things escalated. She threatened self-harm and had my friends message me, urging me to call her back. She even made false accounts to reach me, but I blocked them all. She went as far as getting new cell phone numbers to continue calling and texting me, leading me to block those numbers, too. Random texts would come in the middle of the night, all of which I blocked. And then, the icing on the cake...
In what seemed like an attempt to hurt me, she got involved with one of my friends. She even attempted to pursue another friend, but luckily, he consistently rejected her advances.
32. Stuck Between A Rock And A Hard Place
Back when I was in college, I had a girlfriend for two years. It took me quite a bit of time to realize she was a little off the rails. While we were together, there were some small signs, like her being quite controlling. But the truly bizarre stuff happened after I smartened up and ended things with her.
During the summers, my buddies and I worked for our college, which included free accommodation on campus. She had a similar deal, but in a different department. We had already broken up by then. She left me shocked—every time I passed by a big rock near my building, she would be there, sobbing away.
Whenever I walked by with friends, she'd give me this intense stare. And if I happened to be with a female friend, I would immediately receive a text asking if I was hooking up with her. The building we stayed in during the summer had a 'C' shaped configuration with a courtyard in the center.
My room was on one side, and directly across the courtyard was where my friend stayed. One evening, while chilling in my room, I got a phone call from my friend across the courtyard. He had spotted my ex, dressed in stealth-mode black, concealed in the bushes under my window playing detective.
I quickly called her up, asking what on earth was going on—and her response made me scoff. She tried to convince me she was at Walmart. Even after good six months had passed since our breakup, I saw her at the college's big spring concert. I was there with my new girlfriend, whom I later married, watching one of my favorite bands.
As predictable, my ex was there too. She walked straight up to us, assessed my (now) wife, stared directly at me and muttered, "This is fine. I don't care. This is totally fine." She then walked off nonchalantly. It's beyond me how I was actually with her for TWO YEARS.
33. Bad Romance
So, one time I was driving my former boyfriend somewhere, and Lady Gaga's hit "Bad Romance" started playing on the radio. I bumped the volume a bit and joined in with the melody. Unbelievably, he completely overreacted. He started wailing and shedding tears in the car, firmly believing that I was subliminally messaging him about the state of our relationship. I did my best to pacify him, reassuring him it was nothing more than a tune I enjoyed!
Oddly enough, he remained unconvinced. To him, my singing meant our love story was hitting a "Bad Romance" phase and that a breakup loomed on the horizon. Even when we reached his house 15 minutes later, he was still in floods of tears. It took the intervention and reasoning of his parents to finally calm him down.
34. Time To Get Out
On a regular Sunday evening, my ex-husband, who had been jobless for some years, knew it was time for me to approve many employee time cards for payroll. It was a task I performed every Sunday evening for three years, taking around an hour and a half. He was also known for his excessive drinking and poor temper.
That particular evening, he had a huge problem with me finalizing the time card approvals after I'd spent an hour preparing dinner for him and our son. Sitting on the floor of the living room due to a lack of a couch, I tried to eat and work simultaneously, only to be interrupted by his demands for attention.
Before I could assure him that I was almost done, he approached me with a full plate of food, took a large mouthful of tilapia, chewed it well, and then proceeded to spit it out over my face and keyboard. I was stunned beyond belief.
I was astonished that the man I used to be married to could do something as outrageous as this—spitting food over my face and workspace. I sat there, astounded, and realized it was time for him to exit my life.
35. She Ain’t Got No Alibi
One day, the police reached out to me, wondering if I'd been out with the lady I was dating. They were able to list every meal and movie we’d had, thanks to her saving all the receipts. She was trying to use our relationship as a sweetheart's cover-up.
Next, they wanted me to look at the cover story in the newspaper. To my surprise, she was the prime suspect of a horrendous crime, accused of throwing a four-year-old child from an apartment building. She argued our relationship demonstrated that she had no reason to target the child because she'd moved on from the child's father. That's when it hit me—she was totally unhinged.
36. Time To Hit The Road
Once, my then-girlfriend and her mother were deep in conversation about how to train and discipline a boyfriend for misbehaviors. I happened to be in the room, overhearing their unbelievable chat. They even mentioned a recent incident, something I'd done that annoyed my girlfriend. Her mother insisted that she would demonstrate the disciplinary action, demanding that it included physically hurting me.
Just to paint you a picture, I'm a pretty hefty guy at 6'3", not one who could be easily intimidated. I promptly refused, choosing to leave the scene and head home rather than engaging in unnecessary conflicts. We were living together at that time, and I was her usual ride home. Given that our house was about an hour and twenty minutes away, I was halfway through when a pleading call came asking me to pick her up. This is when things got super weird.
Returning to her place, I was requested to go inside, and her mother took the opportunity to not only censure me for my prior actions but also for leaving abruptly. I simply returned to my car and continued my journey home. My girlfriend managed to reach home a few hours later with someone else's aid, and we decided not to bring up the episode again.
In my mind, I broke up with her the moment they casually discussed the idea of reprimanding men in my presence. A month or two later, I made the decision real after sorting out new living arrangements.
37. Gaslighting Goober
This man I was dating had a habit of getting his firearms, making sure the safety latch was on, and then mockingly aim at me saying, "Bang"! Every time I would flinch in response, he'd chuckle, commenting, "It'd be amusing if the safety wasn't engaged, right? Right?"
Following that, the very next day he'd try to manipulate me, insisting he never did anything like that the night previous. He was a master at this manipulation trick popularly called gaslighting. It reached a stage where I was genuinely questioning my own mental stability, as he would constantly reject any claims I made.
38. Going Nowhere Fast
This girl was incredibly attractive. She confessed to me, in a playful manner, that she had been following me on Instagram for about a month prior to contacting me, evaluating me. I brushed it off at first, but then a realization dawned on me. We had actually connected on Match.com two months before and although she never confirmed this for some reason, it struck me as odd. Eventually, we met up and ended up spending the night together after our first date.
The following day, she wanted to see me again. I thought to myself, 'fantastic'! Maybe I had made quite an impression. But things had changed. She completely held back any affection and intimacy. Seeing this change, I guessed this might turn into something more meaningful and decided to not make an issue of it, thinking, “Alright, I’m mature enough, I can handle it.”
She continued her visits, day after day. Before I knew it, two weeks had elapsed and she was leaving a good amount of her belongings at my place. She was taking tons of my time, and yet, we were not sharing any emotional bond. She warned me that I needed to avoid breaking her heart because her previous boyfriend had mistreated her for two years, implying that she was deeply fragile and stated she would harm herself.
That's when I suggested we either should emotionally open up or we should slow our pace considerably. I proposed we only see each other on weekends until she felt more comfortable, but moving in together was off the table for now. After this conversation, she ceased all communication with me. Not a word. I ended up sending all of her things, packed in a box, back to her mother's house where she stayed. I never received a despatch acknowledgment or any response from her.
39. She Cashed In And I Cashed Out
I'd been chatting with a girl online. After some time, we decided to meet up for a date. I arrived at her place to pick her up, and noticed she was on her mobile as she approached my car. She slipped into the passenger seat and motioned for me to be quiet as she immersed herself in her emotional conversation with her father, who she hadn't been in contact with for years.
Despite our destination being 15 minutes away, her phone call continued for the entire journey. She was negotiating for some financial help out of a tricky situation. She was rebuilding a relationship with her estranged father solely to coax him into transferring money to her. Briefly, she muted her phone and asked me to stop at the local Dollar General so she could purchase a Green Dot card.
Having never officially met her in person before this, I complied. We pulled up at the Dollar General and she dashed inside, grabbed the card, and still engaged in her conversation swiftly returned. She was visibly upset, managing to shed a few tears for added effect while giving her father the card details. Once the card was topped up, she professed her love and gratitude for having him back in her life.
She ended the call, telling her father she loved him. Yet, the moment she hung up, she began mocking him and revealed to me, "I can't stand him". With an air of nonchalance, she kept away her phone, laughed off the bizarre episode, and proceeded to act like nothing had occurred.
40. Quaking In Fear
There was an incident where I had a seizure. When I regained consciousness, I found him standing over me, shouting and swearing furiously, expressing his embarrassment. And that's not even the end of it—next, he roughly pulled me up, pushed me hard against the wall, and commanded me never to let it happen again. That was the first time he showed signs of such behavior, and I quickly decided that was not okay and left immediately.
41. False Positive
When I attempted to end things with my girlfriend, she told me she was expecting. There were already many warning signs I should have noticed, but this truly was the final straw. She'd show me images of positive pregnancy tests but would never take one when I was around. Despite setting up a doctor's appointment to verify, she secretly canceled it.
At the same time, she was threatening self-harm with suicidal tendencies. I should have been more aware at the time, but I was young and naive. Later, I found out she repeated the same tactics with her next boyfriend. When he tried to leave her, he had her committed under the Baker Act for her own safety.
42. I Wheeled Her Out Of My Life
My former girlfriend's emotions fluctuated wildly between intense dislike of me, experiencing false beliefs, and a complete, all-in, kind of love. The tipping point came one day over something that was relatively minor, yet utterly absurd.
She rang me at the crack of dawn one morning, fervently describing a scenario where she had partially parked in a disabled parking space. Evidently, someone had taken notice and had tapped on her window in order to flag it.
In response, all I said was, "Did you know that parking that way could lead to a $200 fine?" Her reaction, however, was way over the top. She accused me of siding with the unknown person and even went so far as to claim I was the head of a fictitious revolution against her. Apparently, my comment had sparked a declaration of communication cutoff about anything work-related.
The disagreement was ultimately about me pointing out a possible consequence of her parking decision. Naturally enough, our relationship came crashing down in the very next minutes, as this was just the latest in a string of irrational behaviors.
43. Power Hungry
We once had a heart-to-heart, discussing whether we'd ever want children. He expressed a desire for kids down the line, but I was firmly against it. His reasoning? He loved the idea of how children look up to and practically idolize their parents. He wanted to experience that level of ultimate influence.
He also pointed out that kids, especially when they're younger, tend to be quite naive. He was excited about the prospect of making up stories and falsehoods, knowing his future children would trustingly believe him. That kind of power and control over others really appealed to him.
I found this unsettling. The thought that his main motivation for wanting kids was to manipulate their thinking was deeply troubling. Our relationship didn't last; he's now a married man with two kids of his own.
44. Post To Post
When I was still quite naive, my boyfriend began to make my personal information public. He was sharing everything, my entire name, where I lived, and lots more for anyone to see. This was already awful. Then, worse still, he began to share distressing images and videos; he was hurting himself and gobbling down bottles of pills.
That's when it clicked—I needed to distance myself from him.
45. Long Distance Looney
I found myself in a long-distance romance once where my girlfriend had very strict rules about my viewing habits, particularly anything risque. To keep tabs, she had me put remote access software onto my computer and would sporadically check what I was watching, just to be certain I was keeping my end of the bargain.
Moreover, she had a habit of delving into my social media accounts too. She would often go through my Facebook messages unprompted to verify that I wasn't being unfaithful. Looking back, I can't tell you how relieved I am that I walked away from that situation.
46. I Made A Quick Departure
During my journey, as soon as I arrived in Boston, I was flooded with a series of progressively tense text messages. They began with a simple "Hey" and escalated to "WHERE ARE YOU! DON'T IGNORE ME"!
I promptly responded, "I was on an airplane. Do you remember dropping me at O'Hare just THREE HOURS AGO?" We'd only been together for a couple of weeks, and although there were hints, this was the incriminating evidence I needed to end things.
47. Scene And Heard
I had to board a bus. The walk from my university's entrance to the bus stop spanned a mile. The public space was my chosen location to break up with my girlfriend, hoping it would deter her from creating a spectacle. This however, backfired completely. In front of roughly 30 bystanders, she wailed and implored me to reconsider, but I held firm. Despite this, she trailed behind me, causing quite a commotion with her pleas, tears, and shouting.
When I got to the bus stop, she actually tried to shove me in front of an oncoming bus. I shot back at her, "Are you trying to take my life?" She replied grimly, "Only if you're not with me". After this ordeal, she somehow broke into my house and plastered it with our pictures.
Following this event, my phone was bombarded with her calls, during which she was yelling about ending her own life. Additionally, she began flirting with my pals, succeeding in kissing my ex-best friend.
48. Eat And Run
One evening, I visited Buffalo Wild Wings with a group of friends and mentioned this to my girlfriend. I noticed a few of her friends arrive and sit at a neighbouring table, but they never ordered food. They simply sipped water and occasionally looked at our table.
As my friends and I wrapped up our meal and exited the restaurant, I spotted my girlfriend's vehicle in the parking area. The driver’s seat was completely reclined. I could vaguely make out that my girlfriend was sitting there, apparently trying to stay unnoticed. This confused me and my friends and I decided it was best to leave. Then, things took an unexpected turn.
When we started to drive off, her car sprung to life and she began tailing us through the parking lot. I texted her right away, trying to understand what was going on but, she insisted that she was hanging out with her mom. I ended the relationship shortly after this strange incident.
49. I Relieved Him Of His Duty
I was formerly wedded to a man with serious psychological issues. He inferenced that he was heading to the forest with the intention of committing suicide. Accordingly, I got in touch with law enforcement, indicating my suspicion that he was experiencing a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder relapse, a result of his military service. The professionals intervened, confiscated his weapon, and disclosed to me a shocking truth—he had NEVER SERVED IN THE MILITARY.
This revelation came to me four years into our marriage. I documented the physical evidence—the holes in my walls, which assisted me in acquiring a restraining order and finalizing a divorce. The judicial system is not forgiving of those who falsely claim military service as a justification for cruelty and emotional exploitation. His following wife, regrettably, experienced a similar ordeal before also choosing to divorce him.
50. Hung Up On Her Ex
We found ourselves heading home on the train after a lovely date. To my surprise, I turned to see her.
She was tapping away, trying to gain access to her ex's Facebook page. I casually asked her about what she was up to, and she candidly confessed she was logging into her former flame's Facebook. She further explained it was just a routine check to ensure he was fine since he'd never bothered changing his login credentials.
This routine check evolved into a detailed scan of his current activities and private conversations. Puzzled, I questioned why she couldn't just view his profile as one would usually, to which she responded that he'd blocked her. When I suggested reaching out via text message, if it was such an issue, she revealed her number was also on his blocklist.
At that moment, my mind was buzzing with many more queries. However, seeing her becoming irritated and defensive, I decided to drop it, especially since we still had quite a journey left until our train ride home was over.
.Sources: Reddit
