DEAR ABBY:
I’m 22, and my boyfriend is 21. We’ve been dating for a few months.
At a recent family dinner, his maternal grandfather made an inappropriate advance toward me. While I was helping clear the table, he shoved his hand up my skirt and leered at me. My immediate reaction was to slap him, and he fell off his chair.
The situation caused a huge scene. My boyfriend’s mother yelled at me, and his sisters tried to minimize what happened, calling him “just a scamp.” I left immediately, and now the family is threatening to sue me for assault.
I feel shaken and confused. I’ve ended things with my boyfriend, who is upset because we had a good relationship, and I’m questioning whether I overreacted. Am I in the wrong? Should I apologize?
— SHAKEN IN NEW JERSEY