I thought he didn’t know I was awake. The room was dark, the house silent except for the sound of his breathing. We had argued earlier—one of those tense, unresolved fights that leave you exhausted but still wide awake. Then, just as I was drifting off, I felt him lean close. His lips brushed my ear, and he whispered words I’ll never forget.
My heart stopped. The words were soft, but they cut deeper than anything he’d ever said to my face. I lay there frozen, pretending to sleep, while my mind raced. Was this how he really felt? Had he been hiding this from me all along?
The next morning, he acted like nothing had happened. When I finally worked up the courage to ask him about it, he brushed it off. “I was just upset,” he said. “I didn’t mean it.” But the damage was done. Those words, spoken in the dark, had already taken root in my heart.
Now, I can’t stop wondering—was this a one-time slip, or has he been feeling this way for a long time? If I’m honest with myself, there have been other moments. Small things—a dismissive comment here, a withdrawn silence there. But this? This was different.
Maybe the fight had pushed him to say something he normally wouldn’t. Or maybe, in that unguarded moment, he’d finally told the truth. Either way, I can’t unhear it. And I don’t know what to do next.
