This is my first Reddit post, and I’ve never shared anything like this on social media before because I’m generally a very low-key person. I usually get along well with everyone—both in my personal life and at work. I’ve always maintained good relationships and rarely ever feel hatred toward anyone. However, the experience I’m about to share changed that.
I moved to a new country to pursue my dreams of studying and working. I had multiple options for where to go, including places where I had family support. However, a former colleague of mine, someone I was close to, strongly encouraged me to move to her state. She promised to help me settle in and even said she would pick me up from the airport.
While I was preparing to leave, she suddenly called and told me that if I wanted to stay with her, I would need to pay for a shared room. This caught me off guard because it wasn’t discussed earlier. If I had known this from the beginning, I might have chosen a different location where I had family support. Still, since everything was already arranged, I decided to go ahead and thought we could sort things out later.
When I arrived, she didn’t come to pick me up as promised. Instead, someone else from my home country kindly helped pick me and my husband up from the airport and dropped us at her place. From the moment I saw her, I felt that her attitude had changed.
She showed us where we would sleep, and it was just a mattress placed in front of the living room door, even though one of the rooms in the house was empty. She again mentioned that I would need to start paying if I wanted to stay. Eventually, she let us use the empty room, and I was grateful. I had also brought gifts for her from my home country, which I gave her.
However, things felt uncomfortable. As someone new to the country, I naturally reached out to other friends for information and guidance. Whenever I shared what I learned, she seemed irritated or jealous, as if she expected to be my only source of help.
A few days later, my husband and I decided to go out early to complete some important paperwork. Her roommate offered to help and insisted on taking us, even though we initially declined. Later, she called me angrily, questioning why I went out without informing her and why I involved her roommate. She accused me of being “weird” and sent a message saying my actions made her question why I even came to her state.
That was the breaking point for me. I calmly told her that moving there was ultimately my decision, and I didn’t want any conflict. The same day, I found another place, packed my belongings, thanked her, and left. I also paid her for the days I stayed.
A few days later, she contacted me again about a job opportunity, but I declined. Looking back, I feel frustrated that I trusted her so easily. The experience taught me to be more cautious, especially with people who show controlling or manipulative behavior.
A colleague warned me about her behaviour and described her as a psychopath, but I didn’t take it seriously. I struggle to judge people, and now I can see her narcissistic traits. I had slapped her in my thoughts already, and her partner as well, because there is so much to share.
Part 2: If you want details of the incident!