Chapter 67

CHRISTOPHER

‘Psychopaths won’t often fall in love in the same way normal people do,’ Christopher read aloud to himself in his empty office, ‘but they can still fall in love.’

Too vain to wear reading glasses and having run out of disposable contact lenses, he inched his face closer to the computer screen to gain a better view of the text.

‘Psychopaths prefer to become involved in time-limited, sexual liaisons on the condition that they are the ones pulling the strings,’

he continued. ‘These flings don’t often lead to further contact, because psychopaths see their sexual partner’s eagerness as promiscuity. Yet they’ll justify their own similar actions quite easily. In their minds, they can cheat and engage in intercourse with multiple partners, but if their partner does the same, they place themselves as superior and take the moral high ground.’

Christopher nodded and couldn’t see the problem with that. He thought back to Holly, a girl he’d dated back in his early twenties.

She had the audacity to take revenge on Christopher’s infidelity by doing the same herself and she couldn’t understand why Christopher had severed all ties with her, even after he broke her nose.

He took a swig from one of a dozen cans of Red Bull he’d purchased from a newsagent on his return from leaving the Polaroid on Number Twenty-Two’s chest. He’d later become annoyed with himself for taking his eye off the ball and visiting a shop that might have had CCTV cameras.

‘The only way to successfully engage in a relationship with a psychopath is to achieve a balance in power and control,’ he continued reading. ‘Psychopaths make intense, talented and passionate lovers, but if they begin as the dominant partner, this is a pattern that will continue. When they understand they can dominate

their partner or if their partner has relinquished control, they frequently lose interest and look elsewhere for sexual contact. There are, however, some psychopaths who enjoy sharing their partners with friends. For them, a partner is an acquisition whom they can lend as they see fit.’

Tori was like that, Christopher recalled. She’d reluctantly attended a swinger’s club at his insistence and he watched as, one by one, seven men had sex with her that evening. He’d begged her to do it, informing her it would arouse him and strengthen their relationship.

Tori was so young and naive, she’d believed him. Afterwards, in the car outside her house, he’d called her a filthy slag and ended it.

One by one, Christopher made his way through a mental Rolodex of women he could recollect having sexual relationships with and he’d treated almost all of them in the same demeaning manner. He’d marched through life dominating his affairs and manipulating his partners to carry out whatever new deviancy excited him. But the only person he had not degraded or abused in any way was Amy.

Outside the bedroom, he reserved the slight upper hand as he had his secret, which he was not ready to share, but, inside, they were equals. And it was his realisation of this that made him want to know more about relationships with psychopaths. A web page entitled ‘So you think you’re in love with a psychopath?’ explained it all.

He scrolled down to read on. ‘Once a psychopath is allowed to have double standards, then the relationship is likely to fail. The partner is not their equal and cannot expect to be treated like one. It is a fruitless endeavour to try to regain their interest. The only way a romantic relationship can flourish is if the partner does not allow themselves to become manipulated and preserves their self-respect.’

Christopher jiggled his feet up and down, unable to keep himself still as he recognised a lot about himself, and in turn, about Amy.

‘Because Match Your DNA studies only date back a decade, conclusions have yet to be made to determine the scale to which a psychopath can feel love for his Match. But early indicators reveal the attraction could mean a psychopath is as able to love another person just as deeply as a non-psychopath.’

Christopher let out a long breath and sat back in his seat, rubbing his eyes. So he was capable of falling in love. It was proof that,

buried among all his urges, his maliciousness and his cruelty, there was still some normality to him.