The phone rang shortly after. Renzo was furious. He accused her of being selfish, of leaving him and his children without dinner. Valentina remained calm and reiterated her position: it wasn’t fair that she always had to cover these expenses. He insisted it was a simple oversight, that she lacked empathy for the children—whom he had ultimately taken to eat a sandwich in the car.
What others think
Valentina shared her story on a forum, seeking feedback on whether she had reacted appropriately. The response was almost unanimous: yes. The vast majority of users pointed out that she had clearly been solicited for months to finance outings for a man and his children, with no reciprocation whatsoever. Many also advised her to seriously reconsider the relationship itself.
Because an oversight that is repeated every week for nine months is no longer really an oversight.
Setting boundaries is not selfishness — it’s self-respect.
