That sentence contains at least five follow-up questions she WANTS you to ask. Where in Florida? What brought you here? How long have you been in the area? What do you miss? How does it compare to here?
She handed them to you on a silver platter. And you said, "Oh cool. I come here every week. I love this band. Ummm... pretty crowded tonight."
She smiled politely. Nodded. And never texted you back.
I was that guy for years. Talking too much. Listening too little. Panicking about my next sentence while she was literally feeding me the answers.
Then I found 22 rules that fixed the whole thing. Rule number one: shut up and listen. She'll tell you exactly what to say.
She calls you when her car breaks down. When she needs help moving. When some guy she's actually dating treats her badly.
You're the listener. The reliable one. The guy who would treat her so much better, if she'd just open her eyes.
She won't. You trained her to see you as the low-effort option — the friend who requires zero risk and zero investment. Every favor dug the hole deeper.
The "22 Rules" break the pattern. You'll stop auditioning for a role she already cast and become the man she chases instead. It starts with Rule 1.
aimchase said:Thanks for all your comments guys,
It's ok, I have no intention of getting back with her, playing her games, sex revenge, or anything else mentioned.
The biggest thing that you have all taught me is that I can't lay all of this on her. Yes, she is a complete whacko but you're right, why the fvck did I let it happen, where was my own self respect?
The strange things is that i'm quite renowned for not taking any sh!t from people, yet this person got right into the core of my soul. She's actually done me a favour as she's exposed an inner weakness, an insecurity that I was never aware I had. I'm truly introspecting myself now and am learning day by day, yet had this have not happened, i'd probably have never been at this stage in my life.
It's a huge chapter and one i'm going to grasp to make myself a stronger person. I owe you guys a huge amount of gratitude for that, you woke me up and stuck a handful of Colombian coffee up my nose. I truly thank you for that.
There wasn't need for recordings of the visit to the kids, I just focused on them and had a great time with them. She was very distant and kept out of the way (this is due to me recently exposing her lies). I left as soon as the children went to bed. I was polite, courteous, and just walked out.
She called me today at work to ostensibly talk about our eldest child. She went on for about five minutes, to which I listened and agreed to take the actions discussed in respect of our child. I then thanked her and closed the call. She went humble and quiet as I said goodbye, playing the hurt victim who needs me. I wasn't having any of it, the b!tch is history. I said my goodbyes and put the phone down.
I'm aware that she'll likely up the tempo in a desperate attempt to win control again, playing all sorts of needy games, but my path is really gaining strength now.
I have read a fair few parts of the DJ bible and have found it interesting. I'm not so bothered about the PUA tips as i'm already quite confident in my ability to game women, but reading material on changing to an Alpha mindset, having self respect etc is of huge interest. If anyone can point me in the direction of some quality threads, i'd be grateful.
All the best
Aim
It´s baffling because you think you´re dealing with an adult, this is the biggest mistake you can make.Observe; don’t react. Everything your wife, girlfriend or ex does that drives you up a wall is purposefully designed to hurt and get a reaction from you. She controls you like a puppet on a string by getting you to engage in the content of her verbal attacks, silent treatment and/or passive-aggressive jabs (e.g., saying something cruel in a sweet tone of voice and then accusing you of being oversensitive). Therefore, take a mental step back when she starts the fun and games and simply observe her machinations for what they are.
Her covert and overt attacks are the adult equivalent of a 5-year old who calls a grown-up a “doody-head,” pouting, saying a bad word or tormenting you by saying the same stupid phrase over and over again; “I know you are, but what am I? I know you are, but what am I? I know you are, but what am I?” When you show a 5-year old that they’re getting to you, they escalate the behavior—just like your abusive wife, girlfriend or ex.