Woman’s opinion of brother-in-law comes out

DEAR ABBY » My sister and I have always been close. She’s married to a man I have always thought is domineering and arrogant. I also suspect that he’s emotionally abusive from things she has confided over the years. He refuses to go to counseling and says whatever problems there are between them are her fault. I hold my tongue and try to tolerate him because she has chosen to stay with him.

He recently participated in a marathon and was connected to us and many others through social media so we could follow the entire two-day event from start to finish.

After a day of constant “dinging” on my phone, I found his need for attention over the top and stopped following. My sister was very upset about it. She said she was embarrassed and hurt. When she asked why I stopped, I told her the truth.

Now our relationship is damaged. I apologized and tried to smooth things over, but she’s now fully aware of my true feelings about him after seeing and hearing how he has treated her over the years. Should I have “kept the peace,” as my dear departed mother always said, and continued to keep my mouth shut, or should I have been honest about my feelings?

— Protective of Sis

DEAR PROTECTIVE » Because you say you and your sister are close, I am surprised you held your tongue about her husband’s behavior for so long. You did nothing wrong by tuning out of the marathon updates. You should not have been expected to be held hostage for two days because your brother-in-law’s ego needed bolstering. You did nothing that requires an apology.