Imagine building a life together for seven years, dreams of marriage, and even supporting your partner’s medical degree. Then you discover she’s been texting an ex. Instead of heartbreak, you feel rage and decide to end everything the next day.
One Redditor kicked out his longtime girlfriend without warning, packed her belongings, and changed the locks, cutting off not just the relationship but her financial lifeline. Things escalate further when she reveals she might be pregnant… potentially with his child. Now he’s asking Reddit: AITA for doing it so abruptly? Or justified in drawing a line in the sand?
Man shares that he ghosts his cheating girlfriend
OP later provided an update
A situation like this taps into deep psychology: betrayal trauma, financial power imbalance, and sudden emotional withdrawal.
Dr. Stephanie Sarkis, a trauma expert writing for PsychCentral, explains: “When a partner breaks trust dramatically, the emotional response can manifest as a drive to protect oneself—sometimes through abrupt, exclusionary boundaries.” In other words, the lock change was a defense mechanism driven by perceived threat.
The OP’s girlfriend had quit her job and depended entirely on him—creating economic dependency, a classic dynamic psychologist Jeffrey Kluger calls “financial bondage,” which can complicate breakup ethics. But experts note: once trust is irrevocably broken, dependency no longer justifies forbearance.
According to 2023 CNBC study found that 65% of couples with unequal financial contributions cite infidelity as a key trigger for separation—regardless of how long they’d been together.
From a legal standpoint, self-help evictions may breach local landlord–tenant laws. Dr. Emily Morse of VeryWellMind cautions: “Regardless of emotional betrayal, civil eviction requires notice and due process. Acting alone could expose someone to legal risk.”
Still, boundary-wise, a cut-off may be essential. Experts suggest a more balanced approach: offer a narrow timeframe to collect belongings and secure housing. But addiction to self-preservation often overrides courtesy.
These Redditors backed the guy, slamming his girlfriend for cheating and using him for financial support, saying her education isn’t his problem
These users think both acted poorly—she betrayed him, but his ghosting was immature or unfair
This breakup’s a betrayal blockbuster, with cheating, a pregnancy twist, and a curb full of belongings! The guy’s rage at his girlfriend’s infidelity fueled a swift exit, but her pregnancy claim and family pressure add layers of drama.
Was he right to ghost her without warning, or should he have talked it out first? And how do you navigate a cheating ex who might be carrying your kid? Share your hot takes below—would you lock her out or give her a chance to explain?
