They said "let's stay friends." You agreed, foolishly. Now they message you every three months. "Hey, just checking on you." "Saw this and thought of you." "Do you remember when we..." They are not checking on you. They are checking if the door is still open. They are leaving breadcrumbs. They are the ex who won't exit. The Nigerian ex is persistent. Social media makes it worse. They watch your stories. They like your posts from 2019. They send "happy birthday" at midnight like it's a ritual. They appear at mutual friends' parties with new haircuts and old intentions. And the temptation! You're lonely. They're familiar. The "what if" is seductive. But the "what happened" is a warning. The cycle repeats until someone blocks someone. Do you have an ex who still lurks in your DMs? And what's the most shameless "I'm still here" message you've received?