OP, the problem is, there’s been a first time now, and if he gets away with it then what’s to stop him from thinking you’ll put up with it? Then if he ever does it again it’ll be a second time, and then you’ll be one of the women who comes on here saying ‘he hit me once before, but it wasn’t hard and I didn’t think he’d do it again.’
When I was much younger I slapped my XH. It wasn’t hard, just a cuff round the head, but I definitely meant to do it. I was immediately horrified at what I’d done and apologised straight away. It was completely unacceptable and I realised the second I’d done it. I swore never to do it again and I didn’t.
My XH however was violent towards me several times but he never said sorry. He always did it in anger and he always meant it. He was only sorry the second or third or fourth time, I can’t even remember, when I’d had enough and was packing a bag. He cried and apologise and swore never to do it again. He did do it again, and again he wasn’t sorry until I started packing again. I didn’t walk, because I didn’t want to throw away my marriage and I was worried about what other people would say. I didn’t want to be the 20 something who was already divorced. He’d always do it again, and in the end he was never sorry because he knew there were no consequences.
I understand this is difficult, and you don’t want to throw away a perfectly good relationship. I think the fact that he hasn’t apologised yet is worrying. If he’d been immediately mortified at what he’d done, or was sending you apologetic messages first thing this morning then maybe I’d think it was a silly mistake, after all we all make them. But he hasn’t done that, and the fact that he hasn’t tells you he doesn’t really see it as a problem. He’s probably not even thought about it since he did it. He did it though, and he meant to do it, and it wasn’t intended as a joke because you weren’t messing around, and you aren’t laughing.
Many posters are telling you to LTB, and honestly I think the same, although I realise it’s rarely as straight forward as that, but you really should think very carefully about what’s happened. There’s been a first time now, and he doesn’t seem perturbed by it. If it happens again, and there’s nothing, including him to say there won’t be, it won’t be the first time it’ll be the second and you’ll have already stayed with him once.
Please don’t minimise this. You’re not being a drama queen. Ther person who is supposed to love you hit you in anger. It doesn’t matter that it wasn’t hard, because next time he might be angrier and less in control, and chances are he won’t have the fact that’s it’s in public to consider. He hit you, in anger, and he did it in a public place. That is not the sign of a partner who can or will control themselves.