you’re not overthinking it. that's a familiarity hook — using the old nickname is meant to trigger nostalgia, lower your guard & slide past the boundary you already set. healthy people respect silence & boundaries. toxic people circle back when they want reassurance, control, or attention. you cut them off for a reason. that reason didn’t expire just because time passed.

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That is straight manipulation. They know they can’t get you back using logic or ethics so they are desperately appealing to your emotion.

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