Sometimes, words spoken in the quiet of night linger in unsettling ways.

After a tense argument, our reader lay in bed and heard her husband lean close and whisper something that broke her heart. The next day, he brushed it off with an explanation, but it didn’t make things any better.

One of our readers sent us a message.

Thanks for reaching out! This is definitely a challenging situation, and we’re here with some suggestions that might make things easier.

Ask him to clarify his feelings.

Instead of focusing on the specific words, try to understand how your husband feels about the relationship as a whole.

Ask him how he’s feeling in your marriage recently and if there’s anything bothering him. This way, the conversation isn’t about proving whether he said something hurtful, but about understanding each other’s feelings and seeing if there are any underlying problems you both need to address.

Look at patterns in the relationship.

Think about whether this is the first time you’ve felt this kind of disconnect, or if there have been other moments where you’ve doubted his commitment.

If this seems like a one-time issue, it may have just been a result of that argument.

However, if there are more times where you’ve felt this lack of connection or hurtful behavior, it may be a sign that you both need to work on how you communicate and express yourselves in the marriage.

Give yourself some space.

It’s totally understandable that you’re feeling confused and hurt right now. Take some time to reflect on your feelings before making any decisions.

Sometimes, when emotions are running high, our thoughts can get clouded. Step back for a bit, go for a walk, or take a day or two to yourself to really think about what’s bothering you.

Consider the context of the argument.

Remember that the words were whispered after an argument, and emotions can make people say things they don’t fully mean. Think about the argument you had earlier, was it especially intense?

Sometimes people say things in the heat of the moment that they don’t actually mean but express because they’re frustrated or hurt.

If your husband truly seemed confused when you asked him the next day, he might have just been venting his anger in a way that didn’t reflect his real feelings.

The people we trust the most can take us aback in ways we never expected.

In this article, our reader shares how her boyfriend tried to help her set work boundaries but ended up making things worse, causing problems with her boss.

Just like hearing something you weren’t supposed to, these moments of unintended betrayal can really test a relationship.