My T's response was pretty amazing. After he had me say it again, he then told me he felt helpless and was heartbroken and hurting that he had to leave me for so long. He knew I would not be okay and he said he was so sorry. He said he would never want to hurt me and that he cares about me. His response to my pain was a huge healing moment for me. Honestly, I don't think he would have told me all those nice things if I didn't tell him how I really felt.
I think I felt safe to say it because he was leaving for a long time and for some reason that long break gave me the strength to say what I felt.