As someone who has been in similar shoes as Salem, I hope his friends tell him one often unknown fact about narcissistic abuse.

You were NEVER in a relationship. You were targeted. It was abuse from DAY 1.

You're not stupid, Salem.
This is what narcissistic abuse is about. You don't ever stand a chance with a narcissistic abuser. They target you. They trail you for long enough. They monitor your public and private persona. They follow your friends. They begin to mirror your shared interests & then present a version of themselves that doesn't exist