AITA for leaving and getting a hotel after my husband threatened to leave for the night during an argument while I’m newly pregnant?

I just found out I was pregnant 2 days ago - only 4 weeks along. It's something my husband and I have wanted for a long time.

Since finding out, I've been battling crippling anxiety because I had an ectopic pregnancy 2 years ago that ruptured my right fallopian tube and nearly killed me. So I am now freaking out about my increased risk for another one.

To make matters worse, I've had horrible sleep the last 2 nights because of my pregnancy hormones and anxiety.

The sleep deprivation got to me today and I snapped at my husband and made a scene outside of a restaurant because I got triggered and didn't handle my emotions. I know this hurt him very bad and I have a history of being explosive and not handling my emotions well.

I called him after calming down and apologized sincerely. I asked him what he needed and he said time and space and I said I understood and gave him space for the rest of the night. I didn't pressure him to forgive me and took full ownership of what I did. All I asked of him is that he communicate with me when he is feeling better and ready to reconnect.

Hours later, I call him to check in to see where he is because it's getting late and I am going to bed/to say goodnight to him. I ask him how he is feeling and he said fine and I calmly remind him that I am hoping for him to communicate his emotions to see if he's ready to reconnect or needs more space and that I don't read his mind.

He got upset at me saying "I don't read his mind" he expressed feeling hurt and criticized and said I said something very rude and disrespectful. I don't think this is rude and told him that but apologized for my words hurting him and told him I wouldn't say that again since it upset him. He kept picking at why I said that even after I said sorry. For context, he often doesn't tell me how he feels and I am left wondering and he just acts differently (often saying fine when he doesn't seem fine to me). I've always tried to encourage him to be more expressive with his feelings.

From my perspective, I had just spent considerable time listening to his side, acknowledging his feelings and apologizing. When I tried to calmly explain mine and said to him "please stop talking" because he often interrupts me, he tells me that if I speak to him like that, he is leaving the apartment for the rest of the night because I keep "bulldozing his boundaries". We agreed with each other that we wouldn't do that or threaten it. And when I point out that being wrong and hurtful to the relationship, he says he has a right to take space.

I felt threatened with him leaving during a high risk pregnancy that might bring me to the ER at any moment if I didn't communicate exactly the way he wanted.

I finally decided I couldn't do it anymore and got so upset by his threat and not making me feel unheard on my side. I told him I was exhausted from fighting, felt so upset by how he treated me, packed my things, took our dog, and checked into a hotel for the night. We agreed we'd try talking again tomorrow evening.

I also want to be honest that leaving wasn't 100% emotionally neutral. I genuinely needed to get away from the conflict and protect my peace, especially while pregnant. But part of me also hoped my leaving would make him realize how serious this has become and that he might acknowledge his contribution or apologize. And to let him see what it's like to do this to each other because he has threatened this multiple times and has previously left during heated conflict without him telling me where he is going.

AITA for leaving and getting a hotel to take space and prove a point? And am I wrong for feeling like threatening to leave for the night during my turn to speak wasn't a healthy “boundary” but a threat to "punish me?"

Posted Aug 28, 2026, 7:36 AM UTC · locked

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