AITA for telling her I’m not paying child support?

A guy broke off his engagement after cheating on his pregnant fiancée, and both were crushed when the baby was stillborn. Months later, she suddenly insists he still owes child support like they’d discussed before. He shot her down harshly, and now friends and even his own mom are turning against him.

He admits he never wanted to be a dad under those messy circumstances, but the grief over losing the child hit him just as hard. His blunt words are haunting him now, with everyone close to her (and some of his own family) calling him out. Still, he can’t wrap his head around why she’d ask for money for a baby who’s no longer here.

‘AITA for telling her I’m not paying child support?’

It all started with a painful breakup after he cheated while she was pregnant:

But recently, Alice came back with a demand that left him stunned:

Losing a baby to stillbirth ranks among the most devastating experiences anyone can face. Both parents lose a future they’d already started imagining, and everyone processes that grief differently—sometimes in ways that seem baffling to others.

For Alice, demanding child support might stem from denial or a desperate attempt to hold onto something tied to the lost child. Grief expert Dr. Christina Hibbert, author of “This Is How We Grow,” notes that many people cling to rituals or connections related to the deceased as a way to cope, even when logic says otherwise.

Meanwhile, the guy’s sharp reaction makes sense too—he’s carrying guilt from the affair, plus shock at her out-of-left-field request. Still, phrasing it as “pay for a dead baby” was brutally blunt and likely deepened her pain.

Legally and practically, child support exists solely to care for a living child; it doesn’t continue after a death. If she’s asking for help with medical or funeral costs from the pregnancy, sharing that burden would be fair. But ongoing monthly payments? That could signal she’s struggling mentally and needs professional support fast.

Here’s the feedback from the Reddit community:

Most folks online found the whole thing so wild they straight-up called it fake:

Plenty suspected missing details maybe she’s really after help with bills rather than endless support:

Some figured Alice might be dealing with serious unresolved grief:

The rest mostly agreed he’s not wrong to refuse but could’ve handled it kinder:

Real or not, this tale leaves people stunned by the raw mix of loss, guilt, and money drama. The guy has zero legal duty to pay ongoing support for a child who passed, yet his harsh wording earned him plenty of backlash.

In the end, if it’s genuine, both could use time and maybe therapy to heal from the shared tragedy. What do you think: was he totally out of line with his words, or is she the one who urgently needs help? How would you react in his shoes?