I also did 3 years, just short of physical abusive, the emotional abuse was devastating. I was viewed by my X-BP partner as vulnerable. She assumed I was damaged enough by current events to either excuse or ignore her abuse. For the most part, she was right. After seven recycles within those 3 years, along with my gradual recovery from a long term marriage/ divorce, I pulled away for good from the BP (borderline personality/person).
A caregiver by nature, I suspect many around here are. We tend to put the needs of others before our own. pwBPD are likely drawn to us like a magnet, then drain us… They know the buttons to push, both for entertainment and protection, we appear helpless. Having abused us, they lose respect for us. But, most importantly, if they attempt to further the r/s, they can’t. They cannot progress or sustain a commitment beyond infatuation. Some realize this, as mine did from years of experience, the rest grope for excuses, generally projecting their inabilities on us. And we take it.
Sounds like you’ve taken enough! Yes, their effect on us is like a drug, a serious life-threatening drug ... .one whose desire for another hit may always haunt us…
That’s when we need to force ourselves to remember the equal, if not majority of
bad times. If you’ve found someone nice, good, now’s your chance! Keep in mind, ‘nice’ may appear to be moving at a snail’s pace in comparison to
not nice… But that’s good, it’s an indicator that ‘nice’ is capable of deeper, long lasting love. Not-nice, isn’t. Nice is serious, not-nice is reckless -- and reckless is dangerous, where nice is a partner.
No apologies necessary - move forward, sounds like nice is waiting