Trust is not a fixed trait in a relationship—it’s a living system that can be damaged, repaired, and even strengthened over time. When trust is broken, the rupture can feel overwhelmingly painful, and certainly destabilizing in a relationship, but it doesn’t have to be permanent.

You are sitting with a group of friends at lunch, and one of them spontaneously brings up some new information about someone that could not join your group that day. The news is shocking, and you feel sick to your stomach the moment they began to disclose such awful news. The biggest problem is this person they were talking about has become a very dear friend to you.