During a recent episodic bickering with my girlfriend, she fatefully said "I hate you."

It was not the content that affected me profoundly but her expression of it. I told her, in response, "That's a heavy word." And there continued on the typical massages and kissing. But I feel torn up about it.

1. I did not sleep that entire night, because the possibility was running through my head that she meant what she said.

2. It affected my work, because most of my work-hours are during the weekend (I mean as far as physical work goes; I do pedicabbing and driving during those hours)

3. I am just over feeling homesick, and perhaps the timing was bad.

What I decided to do was to stop contacting her. I received a handful of text messages, two phone calls and a voicemail (short) which said very little and very quietly. Still, racking in my brain is whether or not 'I hate you' has any consequences. Does it count as verbal abuse?