How to love a narcissist

I was I a very emotionally abusive relationship with my ex for over a year. After our break-up, I wanted to participate in a small exhibition with this photo (but with his face visible) as a sort of tribute to our love, titled: 'Liefdesverdriet, verdriet voor en door de liefde' - (translates as: 'Heartbreak, sadness for and because of love'. I realized I had to ask his permission because of portrait rights and I already knew his answer without telling him. We weren't talking to each other so I had to look him up. Firs he said it was okay, but I could feel he wasn't ready with me. When I got a message from him the next day, saying he wants to talk, I knew it even more. So three days later we met again and I told him they were already hanging up the photo, he flipped. I had to call the organization and tell them I had to change the photo. So, scratched off my ex his face of the photo, scanned it and hung this one instead. It felt great, to scratch off his face, that's why I scratched his face off of every photo.