Last week, a 52-year-old man and his fiancée, both aged 52, joined a luncheon with 50 other attendees linked to his child’s school.
That afternoon, he and his fiancée enjoyed a few drinks but maintained their composure and kept things calm throughout.
At the party, his fiancée’s ex-sister-in-law made an appearance, much to his fiancée’s dismay, as she holds a strong dislike for her.
He’s been dating his fiancée for five years so far and has never gotten to meet some of her family members, even though they all have kids who attend the same school.
The reason his fiancée has cut off communication with these family members is that they wrongfully took some of her assets and money about 12 years ago.
He believes it’s extremely harmful that his fiancée is instilling her negative feelings about them in her daughter, leading to the child also harboring the same resentment.
“Later in the day, the event shifted from the restaurant to a nearby brewery where we continued enjoying drinks,” he explained.
“The atmosphere was lively, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. As I made my way to the bar, I couldn’t help but wonder about the individuals that seemed to be disliked so intensely by her.”
“I approached them to introduce myself and engage in a brief conversation to understand what was going on. After chatting for about 2-3 minutes, I decided to head to the bar for a drink. I then returned to my fiancée and her daughter.”
Shortly after leaving the event, tensions arose as he returned to the car with his fiancée and her daughter. They began to act rather distant and unwelcoming towards him.
They claimed he was not entitled to communicate with their family members and accused him of disloyalty.
His fiancée and her daughter felt deeply hurt when he approached their family members to converse with them during the event.
When they returned home, everything intensified, and he eventually went to bed. As he lay there, he couldn’t help but reflect on how exhausted he was with his fiancée and the ongoing family drama.
I was exhausted from constantly dealing with this family drama, hearing how much they were disliked, and feeling like an outsider thrust into all these old family issues,” he said.
I decided to leave and check into a hotel. The following morning, she called me, extremely upset and eager to argue. Feeling exhausted and frustrated, especially since I had plans with my kids, I suggested, ‘Could you please leave my belongings at the door? I’ll pick them up later, and we can discuss things another time.’
“I visited her home to collect my belongings, and she greeted me with a cold, hostile attitude. With a frosty glare, she handed me my ring and slammed the door behind her.”
In the two days after the incident, his fiancée regained her composure, allowing them to have a constructive conversation about what transpired.
While they reached a consensus on certain matters, there were still points of disagreement. About a day later, his fiancée requested the return of her engagement ring.
He refused to return it to her, explaining that he needs to be emotionally prepared to give it back. He emphasized that it isn’t something to be exchanged or returned simply because of a disagreement
“I still have it,” he said. “It leaves me feeling numb now. The happiness I felt when I first gave it to her has vanished, and I’m not sure I want to give it to her again.”
“I struggle to understand how someone who genuinely values a relationship could throw a ring at their partner and then, just two days later, profess their love and ask for it back. Am I being unreasonable in my reaction?”
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
