Hi, I think a lot of MLC is s desire for attention. It took my employing an emotionally incompetent electrician who was having an ea on-line [aged 55 years old] and whose utterances reminded me strongly of a less intelligent version of my xh!!
A good friend who used to be a primary school teacher said he is like a 4 year old, constantly seeking attention. He would do things wrong to get attention. Honestly. And I came to see my xh in a new light. All the posturing and mean-ness and stupidity are ways of trying to be noticed, and get some sort of response from us. Even if they live a long way off, and interact seldom - they still want attention from us.
The OW gives them lots of it - some positive and some negative, but it is like a drug. They cannot have too much of it.
Trusting - your xh is getting what he wished for, and as the Chinese know well that is tricky!! he is getting to marry the woman he ran off with and it isn't what he wants at all.
He wants a response from you - if you ignore him steadily he will do more and more outlandish things, but the moment he gets attention from you he will try and make you out to be the bad guy in all of this.
Normal relationships are impossible until they grow up and stop being 4 years old emotionally, and very very needy with it
