My blood runs cold.

     "Please stop calling me. I don't have a mother." I quickly hang up the phone and run to my room.

     "Baby?" I hear Zameer call out before I slam my bedroom door shut.

     I begin to hyperventilate before tears roll down my cheeks.

     Man, this woman just never gives up.

     My phone begins to ring again as I just decline it.

     And then it rings again.

     And again.

      And aga- you get my point.

     I grab my phone and pick up.

     "What! What do you want from me?" I yell out.

     "Please, I just want to talk."

    "Boohoo. I want a million dollars." I move my finger to hang up before she speaks again.

     "Please. I-I got rid of Marcus. He-he hit me. I should've believed you, I know I should've. I just- I was stupid. I'm so sorry baby. Please just come over for Thanksgiving or something. I really want to meet my grandbaby." She sniffles.

     I freeze and try to read the tone of her voice to see if she was just manipulating me again, but she seemed genuine. Normally I would've hung up, but when she said he hit her, I just couldn't.

     "I'm definitely not coming over for thanksgiving. I'm not letting Echo waste a holiday like that. Maybe sometime next week. Maybe. I still don't trust you. I forgave you a while ago, but not for you. I did it for myself. I'm not gonna let what you did to me dictate my life, but you lost every ounce of trust I ever had in you. I'll think about coming. But it's most likely a no."

     "Oh my god! Thank you so much, baby! I'm glad your even consi-"

     I hang up before she gets to finish. All these years and her voice is still just as annoying.

❀❀❀

     "And are there any questions or concerns you have?" Echo's doctor asks.

     We made it to her doctors' appointment and she's surprisingly behaving like an angel. But she still reaches for me every now and again.

     "Uh yeah actually. She's become overly sensitive to anything and everything, she's very clingy and cries when someone she trusts isn't around her, she never sleeps in her room, she takes being scolded horribly, she consistently asks me if she doing good in normal things like eating and just simply watching TV, and she's always scared that I'm going to leave her. I understand this is probably normal because she is a toddler, but it's just so strange. Like I've seen the way other toddlers act and it's nothing like this. It's like she gets anxiety. Is that normal for a 4-year-old?"

     "I'm going to be honest, Miss Balewa. This doesn't seem 'normal' for her age. Normally babies at 7 months start to become more independent and realize that they're their own person. From what you've told me, she should probably be tested for DPD or separation anxiety. But I feel like most kids have some sort of separation anxiety so maybe DPD may be more accurate. You know what DPD is right?"

     "Well, somewhat. I haven't really done any research on it. I learned to stop googling symptoms after it told me I had breast cancer when I was pregnant."

     "Well, DPD stands for Dependent Personality Disorder. It's normally easy to spot the signs which include, behaving overly submissively, heavily relying on friends or family for decision-making, needing repeated reassurance, being easily hurt by disapproval, fearing abandonment, being unable to be alone, etc. Does she have a babysitter? How is she in school?"

     "Well yes, her babysitters' name is Jackie. But, it took her quite a while to be able to stay alone with her. I couldn't do anything by myself because Echo would cry herself into a panic. And for the school, she seems to be fine. The school hasn't called and when I called and asked how she was doing, they just told me she was fine."

     "Hm." She says before writing something down. "And what school does she go to?"

     "St. Andrews Elementary school."

     Her face whitens before she gulps.

     She rolls her chair over to me before leaning over to my ear.

     "Look, don't tell anyone I told you this because I could get into legal trouble, but that is the worst school you could ever send your child to. My niece went there for kindergarten, and she had to get therapy for the way the teachers treated her. They neglect those children. When we tried to sue the school, they won the case because of a lack of evidence. You might want to take her out as soon as possible."

    My heart dropped at this.

     I stayed silent for a few seconds before we heard a small whimper, and we both looked over to Echo.

     "Mommy." She whines, making grabby hands towards me.

     The doctor looks at me and nods in confirmation before I walk over to Echo and swoop her up into my arms.

     "What's wrong baby?" I coo at her while kissing her chubby cheeks.

     "Nufin'. I just want mommy." She says before tiredly wrapping her little arms around my neck.

     The doctor coos at her before rolling her chair over to us. I sit down where Echo was seated and rock her back and forth.

     "Echo, Sweetie, can we ask you some questions? I promise you can stay on Mommy's lap and I'll give you a lollipop afterward!"

     "Okay." She says, nodding her head sweetly before turning herself around in my lap.

     "Who are your favorite people in the world right now!" The doctor asks while clicking her pen.

      "That's a silly question! Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Nie-Nie, Jackie, Nura, Shay, the man who sleeps outside of my home, the lady who sits at a desk in the lobby at home, the elevator man, my stuffies-" She rambles.

     The doctor writes something down before looking up at me.

     "Daddy? In her files, it shows that she doesn't have a father?" She questions.

     "Well, my boyfriend is her father figure so she calls him daddy."

      "Ah. Cool. Next question." She says, turning her attention back on Echo after writing something down on her paper. "Do you like school?"

     Echo goes quiet.

     "Baby?" I question her.

     "I- I not allowed to say anything." She mumbles, looking down and playing with my fingers.

     "Sweetheart, this is a safe place. We promise." The doctor says.

     "I-I don't wike it. They- they're really mean to me." Echo says, tearing up.

     "Who? Who's mean to you baby?"

     "M-my teacher. I don't wike school at all. I just wanna lay wif you but every time I ask to go home,e s-she makes me s-sit in timeout and s-she yells at me and c-calls me a b-bad word." Echo says, full-blown crying at this point."

     What?

     I know not-

     How did I not notice.

     I'm a terrible mother.

     "What bad word does she call you, sweet girl? You don't have to say it just say what it starts and ends with."

     "W-well it starts with a-an N and ends with an R I fink." She says, cuddling her little body further into mine.

     ...

     What.

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hi you guys! sorry for the long wait, I've been so busy recently lololol. but anyways, sorry if I got anything wrong abt DPD. I did lots of research on it before I even started writing this story so if the information is incorrect, then please lmk. also, give me ideas for filler chapters! please vote and comment. I love you all! also i lowkey hate my writing in this chapter but it's whatever<3
p.s shoutout to @rara_025 for making me a cover!

^their amazing cover