Two days ago, my girlfriend (20F) was over at my house. We’ve been together for a while, and I had met her stepbrother (23M) a few times before. He seemed like a regular guy. While we were hanging out, she asked if it was okay for her stepbrother to come over for a couple of hours. I didn’t see any harm in it and said yes. He even offered to bring booze and pizza, and since my parents were away for the weekend, I figured we could just relax and hang out.
I have a younger sister (15F) who stayed upstairs in her room the entire time. When my girlfriend and her stepbrother arrived, we were all drinking a little and having a good time. After a while, her stepbrother asked to use the washroom. I pointed him to the one down the hall, and my girlfriend and I went back to what we were doing.
It wasn’t until we heard raised voices upstairs that we realized something was wrong. My girlfriend and I rushed up to find my sister crying in her room. She was visibly shaken and panicking.
What Happened:
From what I managed to piece together from my sister, this is what happened:
- Instead of using the washroom, her stepbrother went upstairs.
- He walked into her room, where the door was ajar.
- She was shocked and tried to stay calm but asked him to leave. Instead, he stayed and tried to chat her up.
- When she told him again to leave, he closed the door behind him, which is when she started freaking out.
- She tried to get past him to open the door, and he grabbed her, but she managed to get the door open and started yelling.
By the time I got there, he had backed off, but my sister was in tears.
What I Did:
I was furious. I demanded to know what had happened, and while my sister tearfully explained, her stepbrother was stuttering and trying to deflect. I’m pretty sure I threatened violence at some point. My girlfriend tried to mediate, saying I needed to calm down and that I couldn’t just “fly off the handle” based on word of mouth.
But I saw my sister crying, panicking—why would she lie about this? I know my sister, and she wouldn’t make something like this up. My girlfriend kept insisting we could sort this out with a proper conversation, but I didn’t see what there was to discuss. Her stepbrother had clearly crossed a line.
When my girlfriend said, “What if your sister is lying?”—in front of my sister—I completely lost it. I asked why she would even think that, and my girlfriend said my sister “might be making it up for attention.” At that point, I told my girlfriend to get out of my house, and I kicked her stepbrother out as well.
The Aftermath:
Since then, my girlfriend has been calling and texting me, saying I scared her with how I yelled and that I shouldn’t have reacted like that. I thought about apologizing for losing my temper, but she hasn’t apologized to my sister or addressed the issue with her stepbrother.
This morning, she texted me saying there’s “no hard proof” and that since her stepbrother “did nothing,” I should just drop it. She also claimed she would handle her stepbrother herself.
I talked to my sister again to make sure I understood what happened, and she confirmed everything. She told me she was terrified he might have tried to SA her if she hadn’t gotten the door open.
Where I’m Stuck:
I feel like I handled this situation poorly, and maybe if I had stayed calmer, things wouldn’t have escalated the way they did. I still love my girlfriend, and I don’t want our relationship to end, but I don’t know how to move forward from this.
AITA for how I reacted, and what should I do next?