30/10/2025
People do not fake narcissistic or domestic abuse!
What they do fake is being OK during the abuse.**
Because when you’re living through it, pretending becomes survival. Victims learn to smile through pain, to act calm in chaos, and to look “fine” just to make it through another day without triggering more anger, more control, or more punishment. They hide the truth not because it isn’t real — but because speaking it could make everything worse.
No one fakes the confusion of gaslighting, the quiet fear before every conversation, or the exhaustion that comes from constantly walking on eggshells. No one fakes the emotional isolation, the way their self-worth erodes piece by piece, or the way they question their own sanity just to keep peace in a war zone disguised as love.
What the world often sees is a brave mask — the laughter that hides anxiety, the strength that hides bruises (emotional or physical), the calm voice that hides panic. Victims become experts at faking “normal,” because acknowledging the truth out loud can feel impossible when no one believes you, or worse — when the abuser has already painted you as the unstable one.
So no, people don’t fake abuse. They fake being “okay” because it’s safer that way. Because they’ve learned that silence and pretending often hurt less than disbelief and judgment.
The real strength isn’t in hiding — it’s in surviving, in eventually breaking the silence, in daring to heal after being torn down. Believe people when they say they’re being abused. The scars may not always be visible, but the pain behind that “I’m fine” always is.