Checkmate

(Verse 1)
They ask me why I can't move on
Why I'm still caught in the storm
They don't understand the game
The twisted web, the burning shame
(Pre-Chorus)
How do I explain the ghost I chase?
The love I lost in this empty space?
A person built on lies so sweet
Now shattered dreams beneath my feet
(Chorus)
It's not a regular break-up, no
This scar runs deeper, down below
A narcissist's hold, a twisted art
Tore my world and soul apart
Checkmate, they whisper, the game is won
But the battle rages, it's not yet done
(Verse 2)
I look in the mirror, don't recognize
The person staring back, behind these eyes
Conditioned, changed, a different soul
Lost in a story, out of control
(Pre-Chorus)
How do I explain the guilt I bear?
The weight of saving, the constant care?
The anxiety that chills my bone
The loneliness of being alone
(Chorus)
It's not a regular break-up, no
This scar runs deeper, down below
A narcissist's hold, a twisted art
Tore my world and soul apart
Checkmate, they whisper, the game is won
But the battle rages, it's not yet done
(Bridge)
Empty promises, a flicker of hope
A fragile dream on a slippery slope
Even knowing the lies they spun
A part of me still believed, outrun
(Verse 3)
The anger burns, I can't let go
Of knowing I was a puppet, in their show
Manipulated from the very start
A broken heart, a shattered art
(Chorus)
It's not a regular break-up, no
This scar runs deeper, down below
A narcissist's hold, a twisted art
Tore my world and soul apart
Checkmate, they whisper, the game is won
But the battle rages, it's not yet done
(Outro)
Trauma lingers, a haunting shade
A price I paid, a love betrayed
Unless you've walked this shadowed mile
You'll never know, the narcissistic trial.

 Melancholic,Emotion