TikTok creator @cellow111 shared a video that received nearly 930,000 views and more than 1,290 comments about her relationship with an ex-boyfriend whom she described as an emotionally manipulative “pathological liar.” She said that after the relationship ended, she realized he had lied to her about several aspects of his life, including his personal trauma and career.
The creator, Annie, explained that she met her ex through a mutual friend. She said their relationship began after they bonded over experiences she believed they had both gone through, but later realized he had fabricated his trauma.
Annie said she had experienced significant trauma as a child but had learned to hide it well. She said her ex was the first person she ever opened up to about those experiences, which made her believe their connection was especially meaningful.
@cellow111 Story time on my ex relationship ?
♬ original sound - Annie Zheng
According to Annie, her ex would also fabricate situations that caused her to worry about him. Because she considers herself a caring person, she said she would become concerned about his well-being whenever he told her something was wrong.
The relationship was long distance, and Annie said they only saw each other about once every six months. As a result, they spent much of their time talking over FaceTime.
Annie said that during the final three months of their relationship, her ex claimed he had started a company and was its CEO. She said he used the supposed business as another reason to limit the amount of time they spent together, which made her miss him even more.
She later realized that he did not own a company. According to Annie, the time he claimed to be spending building the business was actually spent playing video games online.
Annie said there was no reason for him to pretend to be a successful CEO because she did not care about a partner's material possessions.
Annie Says Her Ex's Lies Continued to Affect Her After the Relationship
Annie said the experience has made it difficult for her to trust another man and believe that he will treat her well or be honest about his career.
She said she had been so invested in the relationship that she believed they would eventually get married and move in together. Now, she said she is much more cautious about who she allows into her life.
Annie also said she occasionally remembers other lies her ex allegedly told her. One example involved a $5,000 reservation he claimed to have made for them, which she said he later used to make her feel guilty after she had to cancel a trip to see him because of work.
She said the experience has continued to affect her emotionally.
Reactions to the video focused on the fact that she didn't deserve to be manipulated in that way. Other commenters share their own experiences with manipulative exes.
One commenter wrote, "Genuinely sounds like a bad guy, no one deserved that. Like, genuinely, if you're in a relationship don't lie please. Cause tbh someone broke my heart gave me false hope which tbh really broke me."
A separate commenter tried to encourage her and remind her that she was free from his manipulation. They wrote, "Look at it this way: he's most likely out there rn thinking about how badly he fumbled, meanwhile you were able to move on."
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the details of Annie's relationship, which are based on her account shared on TikTok. Annie, who posts under the handle @cellow111, has not publicly identified her ex or provided independent evidence supporting the claims described in the video.
