Four-Name Woman, One Solid Man, and Zero Tolerance for Narcissistic Games
There’s something particularly cruel about a man who walks away from responsibility but still expects to keep control. He doesn’t parent. He doesn’t provide. But the moment I take one more step out of the wreckage he created, he has the nerve to throw stones at the woman who crawled through the fire.
Recently, I had oral surgery, something I’ve needed for a while. I didn’t broadcast it, didn’t ask for help, didn’t even make it anyone else’s problem. But he found out. And in person, he offered that snide smile and a jab that cut deeper than the stitches:
“Good for you. Glad the other guy could do it.”
Later, the texts came. Unfiltered. Unhinged.
“You’re a four-name woman.”
“You’ve got more personalities than last names.”
Let’s get something clear. What I have is a name I chose. A name that represents freedom, stability, and a life built from the ashes. What I have is a husband, a real man, who shows up for all eight of our kids, including the ones my ex abandoned emotionally and financially. Especially the ones who carry the weight of his absence.
And as for those “personalities?”
Yeah. I’ve got layers. I’ve got fire and grace, grit and kindness. I’ve got the version of me that survived abuse. The one who rebuilt. The one who loves fiercely and mothers even harder. If that’s too much for him to understand, it’s because he’s still trying to reduce a woman he couldn’t break.
Let’s Talk About the Man I Married
While my ex sits in his self-made chaos, trying to rewrite the past and dodge accountability, my husband is in the trenches. Every. Single. Day.
He’s not just a stepdad. He’s a father.
He doesn’t ask which child is biologically his, he shows up for all of them like they are. He provides a beautiful home. He makes sure there’s food in the fridge and structure when it’s needed. He offers calm in every storm, protection in every season, and love without conditions or excuses.
When my ex lights emotional fires…through his absence, his gaslighting, his manipulation, my husband doesn’t flinch. He walks with us through the smoke. He holds space for the trauma. He helps my kids feel safe, seen, and loved again. And he does it without ever asking for credit.
That’s the difference. One man plays the victim while causing damage.
The other becomes the anchor while carrying the load my ex dropped a long time ago.
My Ex Parents When It’s Convenient and Only Then
He chooses when he wants to be a father. If he has no food or money (which is often), I’m still expected to send the kids. No one tells him he’s failing them. No one calls it neglect. But I see it. My kids feel it.
So I send food. I send what they need to get through a few days. I send my heart and my prayers and sometimes my kids’ broken pieces, because they fall apart the minute they walk through my door again. Just last night, I had to pick one of them up because she was emotionally wrecked from being there.
That’s not co-parenting. That’s trauma on rotation.
Now He’s Claiming Victimhood Again. This Time for Profit
There was a minor fender bender recently. The kids were in the car and they were completely unharmed. But now my ex is trying to pin every old injury, every pre-existing issue, on that accident. Why? Insurance money. Sympathy. Leverage.
He is twisting reality, using the kids as props, and distorting facts to suit his narrative. Again.
But here’s the real damage: it’s not just about the fraud, it’s about normalizing the lie. Teaching our kids that truth is flexible, that accountability is optional, that parenting is a role you play when it’s convenient.
Entitlement Without Contribution. The Narcissist’s Currency
He contributes nothing. No school costs. No medical bills. No emotional support. He’s not there when they cry, when they fail, when they shine. But he acts like he’s owed explanations, decisions, and praise.
He didn’t even ask about braces until he heard someone else was helping pay for them. Then suddenly he was outraged, demanding to know when HIS daughter would get care, as if she isn’t thriving precisely because he’s not the one raising her.
Her appointment is June 26. It’s already scheduled.
My husband, the man who has stood by her for years now, is the one paying for it. Not him.
That’s the truth he can’t stand:
We’re moving forward without him and it shows.
I Don’t Need to Clap Back. I’ll Just Keep Building.
I don’t answer the insults anymore. I don’t try to prove anything. That’s the thing about surviving someone like him—you learn that no response is often the most powerful response of all.
But that doesn’t mean I’ll stay quiet.
Because my story isn’t just mine, it’s the story of so many women who carry the full weight of parenthood while navigating the fallout of a man who never grew up.
Final Word:
Call me a four-name woman all you want.
Every name represents a chapter I lived through.
A chapter I survived.
A chapter I wrote myself out of.
And this one?
This chapter is called home.
It’s called healing.
It’s called husband.
It’s called rising.
And it’s written in the fireproof ink of a woman who will never go back.
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