My Narcissistic Mother Hits On All Of My Boyfriends As She Thinks I Don’t Deserve Them

The Nightmare Cycle and the Fake Boyfriend Plan

My narcissistic mother hits on all of my boyfriends because she thinks I don’t deserve to have them. I’m Emma, I’m 24, and I’ve been dealing with this nightmare for the past six years.

Every single guy I’ve brought home has gotten the full treatment from my mother. The lingering hugs, the inappropriate comments about how handsome they are, the way she suddenly needs to wear her tightest dresses whenever they come over.

But three months ago, I finally decided to do something about it. I was tired of watching potential relationships crumble because my mother couldn’t handle the fact that someone might actually want to be with me instead of her.

So, I came up with a plan that was either brilliant or completely insane. I was going to introduce her to a fake boyfriend.

The whole thing started with my most recent ex, Tyler. He was this sweet, genuine guy who worked as a teacher at the elementary school near my apartment.

We’d been dating for about four months when I finally worked up the courage to bring him home for Sunday dinner. My mother, Patricia, was 52 and still absolutely stunning.,

She’d been a model in her 20s and never let anyone forget it. Even now, she spent three hours every morning on her hair and makeup routine, worked out with a personal trainer five days a week, and had a closet full of clothes that cost more than most people’s rent.

The moment Tyler walked through the door, I could see the calculation in her eyes.

“Oh my goodness Emma, you didn’t tell me how handsome he was,”

she said, pulling Tyler into a hug that lasted way too long.

“I can see why you’re so smitten.”

During dinner, she peppered him with questions about his job, his hobbies, and his family. It was normal getting-to-know-you stuff, except for the way she kept touching his arm and laughing at everything he said like it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard.

“You know, Emma never brings anyone home,”

she told him while I was in the kitchen getting dessert.

“I was starting to worry she’d never find someone good enough for her.”

When I came back with a pie, Tyler looked uncomfortable and my mother was practically glowing. After he left, she cornered me in the hallway.,

“He seems nice, honey,”

she said, in that tone that meant she was about to say something cutting.

“Maybe a little simple for you though. I mean, elementary school teacher? You could probably do better.”

This was her pattern. First, she’d flirt with them to test whether they’d respond to her attention.

Then, she’d plant seeds of doubt in my head about whether they were good enough for me. Meanwhile, she’d start texting them directly, finding excuses to invite them over when I wasn’t around.

It had worked with my last three boyfriends. They’d all ended up confused and overwhelmed by the weird dynamic with my mother, and eventually, they’d just fade away rather than deal with it.

But Tyler was different; he actually told me what was happening.

“Your mom has been texting me,”

he said, two weeks after the dinner.

We were sitting in his living room, and he looked genuinely troubled.

“What kind of texts?”

He showed me his phone. There were messages from my mother asking about his weekend plans, telling him about yoga classes he might enjoy, and suggesting they grab coffee sometime to talk about Emma’s happiness.

“She says she wants to make sure I’m treating you right,”

Tyler said.

“But some of these messages feel weird.”

I scrolled through them, my stomach sinking. She was being subtle, but I could see exactly what she was doing: creating a private communication channel and positioning herself as the concerned mother who just wanted what was best for me.

“I don’t want to cause problems between you and your family,”

Tyler said.

“But this feels inappropriate.”

“It is inappropriate,”

I said.

“And I’m so sorry. This is exactly why I don’t usually introduce guys to her.”

“Has this happened before?”

“Every single time.”

Tyler was quiet for a long moment.

“Emma, that’s not normal. You know that, right?”

I did know that; I’d known it for years. But knowing something is wrong and being able to fix it are two completely different things.

Three days later, Tyler broke up with me.

“I really care about you,”

he said.,

“But I can’t handle your mother. The constant texts, the way she looks at me, the things she says about us… it’s too much.”

I cried for hours after he left. Not just because I’d lost another good guy, but because I realized I was going to spend my entire life alone unless I figured out how to deal with my mother.

That’s when I came up with the fake boyfriend plan. I needed someone who could handle my mother’s manipulation tactics—someone who wouldn’t be flattered or intimidated by her attention.

I needed someone who could give her a taste of her own medicine without getting emotionally involved. The problem was, I didn’t know anyone like that.

Then, I remembered Alex Russo. Alex and I had been friends in college before we’d lost touch after graduation.

He was studying theater then, planning to be an actor, and he was absolutely gorgeous. He had tall dark hair, green eyes, and the kind of smile that made professors give him extensions on papers he’d never actually written.

Alex was also gay, though he hadn’t been open about it in college. We’d stayed in touch on social media, and I’d seen his posts about coming out to his family and moving in with his boyfriend, Marcus.,

More importantly, Alex was the kind of person who loved drama and had zero patience for manipulative people. I sent him a message explaining my situation and, to my surprise, he was immediately interested.

“Oh honey, this sounds like the most fun I’ve had in months,”

he wrote back.