She’s been silent for a week now… What should I do if she keeps pushing me away and hiding the truth?
Emily and I have lived together for three years. During this time, I never once doubted my feelings for her. I was certain she was the one for whom I was willing to change plans, my habits, and our lifestyle. We rented a flat, settled in, talked about the future, and even stopped using contraception because we both understood: we were more than just a couple. We were family. And I dreamed that one day, there would be three of us.
But this week, anxiety crept into my life. It happened by chance. Emily asked me to grab a lighter from her bag, and without thinking, I reached in. I had never intruded into her personal space — her bag or her phone. Respect is the foundation of love. But at that moment, her bag slipped from my hands, and its contents scattered across the floor. Among them was a thin folder with test results. Medical papers, with stamps from a private clinic and a recent date.
When she returned to the room and saw this, something instantly shut down inside her. She turned pale and grabbed the documents as if they were weapons I pulled against her. She didn’t ask, didn’t explain. Just closed off. And from that moment — silence. No word about the doctors or what was going on. A week has passed in oppressive silence.
I’m afraid to ask questions. Not because I don’t want to know the truth, but because she might flare up and run away from the conversation. That’s her nature — if you push, she clams up. And I don’t want fights. I want closeness. The true kind that only happens between people who trust each other.
Could she be ill? Unsure how to tell me? Maybe the tests showed something frightening. Or… maybe she’s pregnant and was planning a surprise? Or worse — is the child not mine? My mind is going wild with guesses. I don’t recognize Emily’s looks, her walk. She used to share every sneeze, laugh with me, and be playful. Now she’s a stranger.
I’m not just her partner. I’m the one who made plans with her, who wanted to be the father of her children. If she’s hiding something, it hurts because I’ve never deceived her. From the start, I said, “Betray me, and I’ll leave. No shouting, no revenge. I’ll just disappear.”
I never eavesdropped on talks, snooped on her phone, or interrogated her. I believed. But now, silence is the worst torture. Every day feels like walking through a minefield. She pretends everything is fine: making coffee, folding laundry, smiling at the neighbor. But beside me, it’s silence. Light as a whisper, burning like acid.
Yesterday, I tried to talk to her. I started carefully, with a joke, as I know how. I asked if she’d like to stroll along the river tonight, like we used to. She replied, “I’ve got a headache,” and shut herself off again.
I’m scared to make a wrong move. One awkward word, and I could lose her. But I can’t wait anymore. At night, I lie beside her, listening to her breathe, praying she’ll become the woman I love again. That we’ll be us again. Not me — and a wall between us.
You might say, “Just ask her.” But how? How do you tell the woman you love, “I feel like you’re hiding something, and I’m scared”? How do you do it without making her think I’m accusing her, but instead understand that I’m worried? That my heart shakes with fear something’s happened to her.
I don’t want to be another man who pressures, shouts, breaks. I want to be her support. But how, if she won’t let me near? Tell me… what do you do when the gap between two people isn’t distance, but silence?
I love her. Love her until it hurts. And I want to believe it’s just fear. That soon she’ll hug me and say, “I was just confused.” But if it’s something else? Can I forgive? Can I forget? Or will this be the moment when “we” turns into “was”?
