AITA for letting my friend stay with me even though my fiancé said he didn’t want her in our home?

When a close friend confided she was trapped in a toxic marriage with nowhere to turn, a woman opened her home, offering a safe haven for a few months while her fiancé was off working in the US. Her friend, desperate to file for divorce, jumped at the chance, but the plan hit a snag her fiancé, who doesn’t get along with the friend, firmly said no to her staying in their shared space.

Despite heated arguments and his clear stance, she let her friend move in, driven by a sense of duty. His surprise return home sparked a firestorm of anger, with trust strained and demands for the friend to leave. Torn between her friend’s plight and her fiancé’s hurt, she’s caught in a bind let’s unpack this Reddit drama.

‘AITA for letting my friend stay with me even though my fiancé said he didn’t want her in our home?’

My friend wanted to leave her husband but she had nowhere to go so she felt stuck in the marriage. I offered to let her stay with me for a few months since I had the space and my fiancé was working in the US for 5 months.

When I told my fiancé she would be staying here he told me he didn’t want her staying in his home. My fiancé and my friend don't like each other but I thought he would be okay with it since he wouldn’t be here anyway and because I explained how awful her husband was to him.

We argued about it multiple times but I couldn’t just not help her given the situation so I let her stay even though I knew he didn’t want me to. He came home unexpectedly to surprise me and is mad because he found out she’s been living here.

He was going to tell her to leave but didn’t because I started crying and practically begged him not to but he’s still angry at me for going behind his back and letting her live here when he made it clear he didn’t want her in our home.

He wants me to tell her she has a week to leave but I told him I couldn’t because she had nowhere else to go and she only filed for divorce because I said she could stay with me while she saved for her own place so I feel responsible.. AITA?

This home haven saga crackles with good intentions and broken trust. The woman, aiming to rescue her friend from a toxic marriage, offered her home while her fiancé was away, believing his absence softened the impact. His clear “no,” tied to their rocky history, went ignored, and her decision to proceed anyway blew up when he returned, feeling betrayed in his own space.

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Shared homes demand shared rules. A 2023 study by the Gottman Institute shows 64% of couples cite boundary violations—like unilateral decisions—as top trust breakers. Her empathy for her friend’s plight is noble, but bypassing her fiancé’s stance risks their bond. His anger stems from feeling sidelined, not just the friend’s presence.

Dr. Shirley Glass, a relationship expert, notes, “Acting against a partner’s wishes, even for good, signals disrespect—trust rebuilds with accountability, not guilt”. Her tears and plea kept the friend there, but sidestep the core: she overruled him. The friend’s divorce, while urgent, isn’t her sole load—helping doesn’t mean housing.

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Fix this fast: own the breach with her fiancé, no excuses—apologize for the override. Help the friend find a shelter or short-term rental; offer funds or time, not your home. Set a firm exit date, like two weeks, to show commitment to repair. Couples therapy could realign trust. Her heart was right—her move needs a course correction.

Here’s what Redditors had to say:

Reddit split hard, mostly leaning toward faulting the woman. Many see her bypassing her fiancé’s clear boundary as a trust violation, arguing a shared home needs mutual agreement, regardless of his absence or her friend’s need. Her good intent gets a nod, but going behind his back burned her case, with some warning it could tank the relationship.

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Others soften, noting her friend’s dire straits and the fiancé’s cold stance on her plight, suggesting he could’ve bent for a crisis. Still, they fault her for not exploring other aid—shelters, loans—before moving her in. The vibe urges a quick fix: apologize, relocate the friend, and rebuild trust before the wedding bells.

Inconceivable44 − YTA YTA YTA. You both live there. You asked his opinion. You refused to accept his answer. You went behind his back and did what you wanted anyway. You're trying to guilt him into continuing your lie to make you not look like a bigger AH to your friend. Enjoy find a new place to stay with your friend, away from your ex-fiance.

[Reddit User] − YTA. I know you wanted to help, but you should never have agreed to let her stay before consulting your fiancé about that, let alone for such a long period of time. And once you knew he wasn’t comfortable with having her there

I don’t know why you thought you could just go ahead with the plan anyway and have that work out for you. See if you can talk him into at least two weeks’ notice, but you’re going to have to figure out other arrangements for her, because your place was never actually an option.

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fullmoon223 − YTA. You lied to him. What if he did something similar to you?

Beautiful-Act6485 − What is going to happen if you guys get married? He says no to a dog. You get one anyway. He says no to your newborn son getting circumcised. You do it anyway. He says no to...fill in the blanks. You don’t respect him.

You don’t love him. You don’t anything him bc you only care about what you want. If you want a marriage that will work and last...you have to communicate. You have to listen to your partner and RESPECT their decision. You moved someone into his home against his wishes bc you don’t respect him.

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Rohini_rambles − So from his perspective: This woman publicly and loudly insulted him for how he treated you, You took her into your shared home against his wishes, she lives there against his wishes. So in his eyes, you are choosing this woman over him, and she is allowed to interfere with your relationship?

Because now he can't trust you to leave you alone at home, who knows WHO ELSE you will let live there with you when he goes away!! You're letting this friend dictate your relationship. She did it in college, she's doing it now.

She's also unfairly making YOU feel responsible for her divorce, because she's making her divorce contingent on you housing her. This woman sounds like she will drive your fiance away next so she can move in permanently.. YTA to throwaway your relationship like this.

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LadyJekyll − Info: what's his problem with her? Why don't they get along?

Dr007Bond − YTA. You lied.

Jonny-Pasadena − INFO: Who owns your home, or pays rent?

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dumbafblonde − Honestly I hope no one in any of these comments immediate friend group are in an abusive relationship cause Jesus Christ they aren’t getting a lick of sympathy or help from any of you.

[Reddit User] − For all the times this sub tells people to run, someone posts about helping a friend who is trapped in a bad marriage and gets berated for it because her partner doesn't like the girl based on a confrontation in college. No notes, site working perfectly.. ESH You betrayed his trust and went behind his back.

He is pretty cold and unfeeling that he could not be arsed to see why you would want to help someone you care for trapped in a bad marriage. which really ranges in how bad it could be  Her for never apologizing before and especially now when he's a big part of the reason she was able to get out of her bad marriage.

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This home-bound clash spins a tale of heart versus home a woman’s bid to save her friend from a bad marriage hit a wall when her fiancé’s boundary got trampled. His hurt, her guilt, and a friend’s divorce tangle in a trust mess. An apology and a new plan for her friend could mend the rift. Share your thoughts, feelings, and fixes below let’s sort this relationship knot!

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