I would be concerned that he admitts putting you into some "sick test" .... that does not sound like a healthy place for either of you to be.
However I have been and stayed in a relationship that was not healthy as well because of my love for him and also because I could see him trying to get better... working on himself and his recovery and I held hope that with time it could work out. However I did not see any manuplation on his part... confussion yes but not once did I feel manuplated by anything .... let alone his telling me there was a "sick test"
For me I tried to weight how I felt... was I happier/healthier when I was with him, or did he bring me chaos and hurt? Was what I was doing healthy? Did I see actions that showed me that he was trying? It finally came down to no, it was hurting me too much, so I put boundries into place and finally stuck to them. Im happy to say that we are working on the relationship and within my boundries and today I see the action being taken .....
That is my experience but that is not to say it is not hard work..... and no, they will not understand. Matters of the heart rarely make sense... but it has gotten easier the more I love myself and stop accepting the unacceptable.