He Called Me Needy, Then Lost

y Gla

and clear. I slammed the door shut, the

mile, looked up from her notes. "Bailey! Good to see

smile. "Just...

e past few years, a relationship that extended beyond typical doctor-patient boundaries. She k

le widening genuinely. "Well, that's

warmth spreading through me. Her appro

w are we feeling today? Any more of those... intrus

some residual sadness, of course. But the panic attacks... th

her face. "That's wonderfu

es he'd called me "dramatic" or "overly sensitive" when I tried to express my fears about his flirtations and his growing distance. "You're making a mountain out of a molehill, Bailey," he'

ve episodes," she'd told me gently, after months of tests and conversatio

ng after one man after another, leaving me with relatives for months, sometimes years, at a time. The desperate need to be "good" a

dy, Bailey," he'd said, a twisted echo of August's words. "You drove me away." That had cemented my fea

ve exploited your tendency to seek validation. What August is doing, his emotional neglect, his gas

e with it. I chose the former. I opened my flower shop, pouring my energy into somethi

lips. "Better than I have in years. The shop is thriving. I'm connec

r progress, Bailey, and your current emotional state, I think it's safe to say

sn't just the end of a relationship. It was

Dr. Evans," I said, my v

live your life, Bailey. You deser