Manipulation
Book One in the "Consumed by Shadows" Trilogy
A Story of Manipulation, Betrayal and the Struggle for Freedom
By Tommy Marcum
He thought it was love. She made him believe it.
What he didn't realize was how much of himself he'd lose trying to hold onto it.
In a small Southern town steeped in secrets and appearances, a chance reconnection sets off a whirlwind romance between a single father and the woman who once haunted his memories. Their chemistry is electric. Their history is undeniable. And for a moment, it seems like the universe has given him a second chance at happiness.
But underneath the charm and shared nostalgia, something darker begins to fester.
As he opens up about his past-the pain of a toxic marriage, his struggles as a self-made entrepreneur, and the trauma of separation from his children-he believes he's finally found someone who sees and accepts him completely. But the deeper he falls, the more invisible threads begin to twist around his life.
Whispers in town.
Unexplainable shifts in memory.
A slow unraveling of relationships, identity, and self-trust.
With chilling precision, Manipulation explores the idealization phase of narcissistic abuse, where affection is a weapon and trust is bait. This is a story not just of deception and love turned sour, but of psychological warfare masked as devotion.
As the protagonist finds himself gaslit, isolated, and doubting his own mind, a terrifying question looms:
Is he imagining it all... or is he being slowly destroyed by the person he loves most?
