From: Emy

Subject: Did I Overreact by Walking Out on My Fiancé After Hearing a Phone Call About Christmas Plans?

I (29F) have been with my fiancé, Mark (34M), for two years, and we got engaged this summer. I was excited for our first Christmas together, but a week before, he told me he’d spend Christmas with his daughter, Ella (6F), and his ex-wife, Jen, as they’ve always done since their divorce. This blindsided me since he never mentioned it before.

On Christmas Eve, I overheard Mark on the phone with Jen saying, “She won’t know until it’s too late,” and learned they planned for him to stay at her house overnight to wake up with Ella. They agreed to exclude me because Jen felt “weird” about me being there.

When I confronted him, he got defensive, saying it was “for Ella’s sake” and accused me of making it about myself. Feeling betrayed, I left and spent Christmas at my sister’s. Mark has been calling me selfish and accusing me of ruining Christmas for Ella.

Am I wrong for walking away after being lied to and exclude