If neither of you want to give up, keep fighting for each other. You deserve to be happy and fulfilled! However, due to childhood things that happened to you it is harder to mentally and emotionally digest this kind of challenge. But, if you BOTH love one another then you will do whatever it takes to work through this. I learned that I had PTSD quite a long time ago and I began seeing a counselor. I learned so much about myself and about other people. The best things I took from counseling was the confidence I gained through working through EACH and EVERY situation that I could recall that caused me pain, discomfort, and mistrust. These dissections have taken years to think on, work on, analyse, and gain understanding. Your FEAR is normal. But, your response to anything that reminds you in the slightest way of the traumatic incident will trigger you to panic!!! Even if the initial emails you found or however you found out about it was the worst part. Your 1st reaction is PANIC and when you try revisiting the topic it gives you the same panic causing you to lose the REALITY of the situation again. So, then you need reassurance, reminders, comfort, and security about the issue ALL over again. Please know that these feelings you are having ARE normal to a degree. But, more importantly there is a way to get yourself back to “normal” again. It really depends on what you want to do about it. You could talk to a friend who is UNbiased about the situation, you could seek counseling, you could try doing team building things together like hiking, going on a walk in an unfamiliar place and rely on each other just the two of you while on an adventure(one person carries the water the other person carries the food, one person uses a map the other watches for wild animals! You really can work things out, I know it. Get yourselves out of your comfort zones together! Go build on your beautiful life together! If these things are still difficult because he is passed the point of TRYING then I wouldn’t say you need a break but that you should look into working solely on yourself. We are capable of overcoming these obstacles. It could take a few days, months, years.. One thing I KNOW is that YOU ARE WORTH IT. You are worth the time, effort, and love. And, it all begins inside YOU. “There is light at the end of the tunnel”.. even if you cant see it now… AND, “The grass is greener where you water it” <3