Dear Abby >> I caught my husband talking on the phone to another woman. I heard him say, “Get some sleep, sweetheart,” and “Thank you for being my companion.” When I called him on it, he claimed nothing was happening and he had used the wrong words.

He admitted to whom he was talking, and I called her. She said she was just a friend and had no feelings for him that way. Afterward, I still felt something was going on. That was two years ago, and I do not think the same way about him. Am I right to feel this way?

— Didn’t Buy It in Wisconsin

Dear Didn’t buy it >> People have been known to speak affectionately to each other without an affair going on. However, with the trust between you and your husband broken after what you heard, the time to begin dealing with it was two years ago. It is still not too late for the two of you to have some sessions with a licensed marriage and family therapist, and that’s what I am urging you to do.

Dear Abby >> My sister and I are distanced from each other. We haven’t spoken since the passing of our mother three years ago. Today I learned that she has been diagnosed with stage-3 cancer. Of course, this has hit me hard. I want to reach out, but I’m not sure how to go about it. She has blocked me from her social media and won’t accept my calls. Please advise how to approach this.

— Trying in the Midwest

Dear Trying >> Whatever caused the rift with your sister, it is clearly more serious than “distancing.” If you put your thoughts and feelings in a letter to her, it will let her know that you love her, are concerned about her diagnosis and ready to do whatever she will allow you to do to help. That’s all you can do.

Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.