Driving me crazy

This is for a ball joint or tie rod I assume?

If so, sounds like you got the nut broke loose initially then the taper from the ball joint broke loose before you could finish unscrewing it???

That can happen when the rust in the expose md thread past the nut are not clean, still very rusty or the thread are damaged.

All good reason to have a rust penetrant that not only break bolt loose, but is a superior lubricant too so you can complete the job and loosen the bolt all the way out.

I use Justice Brothers JB80 lube. It's great for both those reasons.