The Narcissist’s Unpaid Slaves (A Job Nobody Applied For)

 

I didn’t realize I’d been promoted.

One day I was in a relationship.
The next day I was an unpaid employee.

No contract.
No salary.
No lunch break.
Just vibes and exhaustion.

---

Job Title: Everything

Responsibilities included:

• Emotional regulation (his, not mine)

• Ego maintenance

• Crisis management

• Reality distortion cleanup

• Apology production (even when I did nothing)

• Reassuring a grown adult hourly

Benefits:

• Anxiety

• Confusion

• Loss of personality

---

Working Hours: 24/7

Emergencies occurred:

• At night

• On weekends

• During my peace

• Whenever I looked relaxed

Nothing triggers a narcissist faster than you being calm without them.

---

Performance Reviews Were Unhinged

Feedback included:

• “You’ve changed”

• “You’re too sensitive”

• “Why can’t you just be normal?”

• “You’re the problem”

No matter how hard I worked, I was always:

• Doing too much

• Not doing enough

• And somehow responsible for everything

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Pay? Absolutely Not.

Instead of money, I was paid in:

• Breadcrumbs

• Occasional approval

• Temporary affection

• Promises of “potential”

Spoiler:
Potential does not pay rent or calm your nervous system.

---

The Resignation Moment

One day I realized something radical:

I could quit.

No notice.
No exit interview.
No explanation.

I simply stopped reporting for duty.

---

Life After Quitting

Shockingly:

• The world continued

• He survived

• My anxiety disappeared

• My personality returned

• Joy walked back in like,

  “Hey. You free now?”

Yes. Very.

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Final Truth

If you feel like:

• You’re doing all the work

• You’re exhausted all the time

• You’re managing someone else’s emotions

• You’ve forgotten what peace feels like

Congratulations.

You’re not in love.
You’re volunteering.

And the funniest part?

You don’t owe them two weeks’ notice.

You just leave.

Joy starts paying immediately.