Behind the Scenes: Meet Thomas, Sara’s Love Interest in Success Is The Best Revenge

Thomas

“You can't take my happiness.

You can't take my love.

You can't take my joy.

You can only try to steal them, but you will fail.”

- Sara Matthews, Success Is the Best Revenge

Note: For those unfamiliar with Success Is The Best Revenge (SIBR), Sara's story is based on my life.

Introduction

We've all been there. You're enjoying the conversation in an online chat room, and you get a message from a man you know as intelligent and charming. He woos you with the right words, powered by charisma and charm, and because you have just ended your twenty-year marriage, you let your guard down inch by inch to let him into first your business, secondly, your life. Little did Sara know that Thomas was an absolute bastard who would manipulate her before he left her with nothing but her empty checkbook, bruised ego, broken heart, and shattered dreams behind as he went on with his life unencumbered by others' feelings or expectations of him as a human being.

He's intelligent, charming, and good-looking.

Thomas is a villain. He knows it, and you know it. But what makes him one of the best?

First off, he's brilliant. He has a degree in database design and administration from the University of East London and has traveled throughout Europe, giving him a worldly presence. His British accent is an immediate magnet. He knows how to use his looks to his advantage: his dark brown eyes can turn into pools of melted chocolate when he wants them to; the dimple on his left cheek makes him look boyish and innocent; his full lips give off an air of sensuality as though at any moment they might break into a smile or pout in disapproval depending on what Thomas wants from Sara at that particular moment in time...and let's not forget about those long eyelashes!

You might think someone with such an impressive resume would be content with themselves. Still, no, Thomas has an insatiable need for validation, which leads us on our journey toward understanding why he is often angry.

He knows how to make Sara feel insecure.

Thomas is a master of manipulation. He knows how to make Sara feel like the only one who understands him and will use this to his advantage.

He will tell her that he is the victim of a conspiracy or that people are out to get him, and he needs her help to fight back against them. He might even go so far as saying that the police won't listen because they're part of this conspiracy too! To some extent, these claims may be valid--but Thomas will always take it too far and twist things around so that everything seems worse than it actually is.

He's an expert in emotional manipulation.

Thomas is an expert in emotional manipulation. He knows how to make Sara insecure, and he'll do it by gaslighting her, making her feel like she is crazy, and playing with her emotions. If you've ever had an experience with someone who makes you question whether or not what happened was real, then Thomas is the villain for you.

Thomas is also a narcissist who thinks highly of himself and has an inflated sense of entitlement. He sees himself as superior to others because he believes that he deserves special treatment because of his intelligence or talents (or lack thereof).

He has a way of making Sara feel like he's the only one who understands her.

You've probably felt this way about someone in the past. Someone who knows your weaknesses and how to use them against you, someone who knows what you want to hear and will say it just because they can. And then there are times when that person also makes it seem like he is the only one who understands you, which is why Thomas is such a compelling villain.

Thomas enters Success Is The Best Revenge through a business partnership with our protagonist, Sara Matthews. Sara had just ended her twenty-year marriage, a divorce she did not want, and was out on her own, working to make a success from her website development business. Thomas enters her life, empathizing with her and making her feel like a woman again. 

Leaving him is hard because he tells you it's your fault.

It's hard to leave him because he tells Sara it's her fault. He blames her for everything and makes it seem like he is the only one who understands how hard things are for him.

He tells her that she is overreacting when he yells at or belittles her in front of others, which becomes increasingly frequent as time goes on.

He tells her that other people don't understand what he has been through--but no one else has been through what he has either!

He tells himself he is a victim--so even if his behavior is terrible towards others (including Sara), they must have done something wrong too!

He doesn't give a flying f . . .

Thomas is a narcissist. He's also a sociopath, psychopath, and abuser; he gaslights his friends and family; he is a con artist who lies to get what he wants; he's an addict of control who will do whatever it takes to get his next fix.

Conclusion

Sara tried several times to leave this toxic relationship behind, and each time she left, she went back. That is, until Thomas was deported from the United States and unable to return from London. North of Normal, the sequel to Success Is The Best Revenge, follows Sara on her emotional and mental well-being journey.

Does Thomas sound familiar to you? How have you dealt with a person like Thomas?

I welcomeappreciate your comments.

Thank you for reading to the end,

Kathy