Relationship “break” or break up

so my bf decided we should go on a break cause we’ve been going through a lot of trouble & we both have somethings we need to work on in our relationship. When we were first dating and telling each other of our past he told me he had sex with his female best friend while on a break with his gf. Well to me a break is supposed to be when you guys take time to work on yourselves and give each other space but isn’t a break up and he said same it was a “mistake”. anyways I told him if he decides to do something I don’t want to hear abt it because that’ll break me even more then he asked me am I giving him permission to do those things such as having sex & talking to other females & that caught me off guard cus I never said this is what you can do but u know at the end of the day you can’t control someone’s actions. I told him no but if that’s his plan let me kno now cause it sounded more like he already had ppl on a waiting list or something just by asking that. That made me not rlly trust him and instead of a break I’m considering breaking up because ik if I did give him “permission” he would. Sometimes you have to let people do what they want to see what they’d rather do and I have a feeling he wouldn’t have done the right thing. What do you guys think?? ☹️advice pls