Daniel is flooded. Jess can see it—his eyes have gone flat, he's giving one-word answers, and his body has physically turned away from her toward the wall.
She keeps pushing because the conversation feels urgently important. She raises her voice slightly, re-explaining her point, hoping that if she just finds the perfect combination of words, he will suddenly 'get it' and apologize.
When the heart rate crosses 100 beats per minute, the prefrontal cortex goes offline. The person isn't choosing to ignore you—their survival instinct has biologically deafened them to nuance and empathy. Continuing to speak to them is an exercise in mutual trauma.
The Flooding Protocol only works if it is built on absolute trust. If you take a 20-minute pause and then 'conveniently forget' to re-initiate the conversation, your partner will never let you take a pause again. They will block the door because they know a 'pause' is just a lie you tell to escape.
You must become meticulously reliable in your returns. The return is what heals the attachment panic.