"....ooookay."

What do you say when someone, in what's supposed to be a professional setting, tells you something a little too personal? A student asked me for advice on whether to change her phone number. It turns out her boyfriend/husband was away and is coming home, and she'd been unfaithful during his absence. Now she's worried this "new guy" might keep calling.

She was a bit more detailed in telling me her story. Again, I'm not all innocent and naive, but in a professional situation, you're not your usual "casual self".

I was a little shocked, and when I realized I may have been quiet for a half second too long when she said "Oh, I'm sorry, did I shock you? It's just that I don't want any drama."