In a viral Reddit post published on r/AmITheA******, Redditor u/altythrow449 (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said she was shocked to see her husband at the same restaurant her family was celebrating at and detailed the heated aftermath of her insistence to include him in their festivities.

Titled, “[Am I the a******] for asking my husband to join us in my sister’s birthday since he was in the same restaurant?” the post has received nearly 20,000 upvotes and 7,500 comments since November 27.

“I was invited to my sister’s (18th) birthday [a] few days ago,” OP began. “My husband didn’t come because he said he had a [dinner meeting] with some clients.”

Continuing to explain that her family was disappointed by her husband’s absence, the original poster said the group was surprised to find that his meeting was in the exact restaurant they’d chosen for dinner.

The original poster also said that, because her husband was already present, she thought he’d be happy to join the celebration—but she quickly learned that was not the case.

“I waved for him and he saw me, but ignored me. He obviously was as much as surprised as I was,” OP wrote. “I stood there and said excuse me…[and asked] if he’d take a few minutes to join me and the family in candle blowing and [saying] happy birthday.

“I insisted, saying it’d just take a couple of minutes and it’d mean so much to my sister,” OP continued. “He sat with us while my sister blew the candles and cut the cake…[then] het got up and walked back to his table looking p***ed.

“Later at home…he was upset and started scolding me in front of my parents saying I embarrassed him and made him look unprofessional,” OP added. “I told him he overreacted since it only took a few minutes…he called me ignorant and accused me of tampering with his work but I responded that ignoring mine and my family’s presence was unacceptable.”

For many couples, time spent together serves as the perfect reprieve from difficult jobs and work-related stress.

But while the old adage advises never to mix business and pleasure, the line between work and home is thin, and can easily become blurred when those worlds collide unexpectedly.

The division between a couple’s respective work lives and their personal life together can be difficult to navigate.

And according to licensed marriage and family therapist Lia Huynh, it is crucial that couples set clear expectations surrounding work.

“When it comes to a spouse’s work, I think it’s always best to err on the side of more boundaries [versus] less,” Huynh told Newsweek.

“Communication is key,” Huynh added.

In scenarios like the one described by the original poster, when one partner needs or wants something from the other during work hours, discretion is imperative.

Despite the commonly held belief that partners should have access to each other at all times, different settings require different etiquette and unless an emergency is apparent, exhibiting patience is necessary to ensure success both at work, and at home.

“If one does not know if it would be appropriate to approach their spouse in a business setting, one should probably just wait it out [to] see if the spouse approaches them,” Huynh told Newsweek.

“If not, one can assume it probably is not a good idea to make contact at that time,” Huynh added.

Throughout the comment section of the viral Reddit post, many Redditors were adamant the original poster crossed multiple boundaries by insisting her husband leave his business meeting to celebrate her sister, and that his lack of response when her family entered the restaurant should have made his need for boundaries clear.

“Congratulations to your sister but work meetings trumps [sister-in-law’s] birthday,” Redditor u/Miserable_Airport_66 wrote in the post’s top comment, which has received more than 56,000 upvotes. “You and your family’s response and lack of support is what is unacceptable.

“You and your parents are adults, it is your jobs to manage your feelings,” they added. “[And] your sister is 18, not 6.”

Redditor u/conmeohaman, whose comment has received more than 32,000 upvotes, took a more direct approach.

“YOU [AND] YOUR FAMILY DELIBERATELY SABOTAGED HIS CAREER,” they exclaimed. “What you did was disrespectful to your husband and his clients.”

“He was working, you knew from the START he was working [and] you could’ve told your parents and guests he was working,” Redditor u/valiga1119 echoed, receiving nearly 11,000 upvotes. “Instead, you went over and interrupted an important dinner.”

“You and your family seem very immature if you can’t recognize that sometimes people are not able to participate in events if they have other commitments, just because you think they should,” Redditor u/siamesecat1935 chimed in.

Newsweek has reached out to u/altythrow449 for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.