Future Faking Explained — A Survivor’s Guide

Future Faking: When They Promise You Forever, But Deliver Confusion

A RAWON Playbook blog by Parita Sharma | SEVEE

Dear you,

If you ever found yourself dreaming of a future that never came…waiting for things they said they'd do...believing in a version of the relationship that only existed in their words...

You may have been future faked.

And I say this with warmth — not judgment. Because I too once held onto timelines, "one day" plans, and emotional promises that never showed up. What hurt the most wasn't that the future didn’t happen —It’s that it was never real in the first place.

Let’s name it. Let’s walk through it. Gently, together.

What Is Future Faking?

Future faking is when someone paints a beautiful picture of your future together — marriage, travel, kids, retirement dreams — but has no real intention of making it happen.

They use these promises to keep you close, obedient, forgiving, or emotionally hooked.

It’s not a plan. It’s a power move — one that feels like hope but leaves you empty.

Signs You’re Being Future Faked

• They talk big — “We’ll move in soon,” “We’ll start a family,” “We’ll travel the world”, "I will never drink again", "I will never be hard on you, mentally or physically", "Next time - I promise, you will have no complains", — but never follow through.

• You find yourself waiting for their future instead of living your own present.

• Whenever you question them, they delay with excuses: "Just give me time," "After this project," "You don’t trust me?", "I am also a human, I can make mistake", "One more chance, you have always been kind and gave me chance", "I need your help", "You are the only one I share with", "You know how much I love you",. (Add Yours _________)

• You feel guilty for asking them to show up for the things they promised.

If their words feel like a dream but their actions feel like avoidance — trust the mismatch.

Why Do Narcissists Use Future Faking?

Because your hope is their leverage.

Hope keeps you from walking away.Hope makes you ignore the discomfort.Hope makes you silence your gut.

To a narcissist or manipulative partner, future faking is a low-effort, high-impact way to keep you close without offering real intimacy.

They’re not building a future — they’re buying time.

How It Feels (And Why It Hurts So Much)

It feels like heartbreak in slow motion. Like betrayal in a velvet box. You weren’t just losing them —You were losing a future you believed in.

And that grief is real.It’s not silly. It’s not dramatic. You mourned a life that was promised, even if it was never delivered.

SEVEE Says: Let’s Come Back to the Present

You were not foolish.

You were faithful.

You listened to words and held on to hope — because that’s what kind people do.

But now, let’s shift. Let’s stop waiting for the life someone once painted for us — and start creating the one that’s real.

Book a session with SEVEE

You deserve truth, not timelines.

Steady love, not stolen years.