I assure you, I've had a couple of messier ends, too. It just wasn't a mess because of an additional person.

[Breakups can be bad in so many ways, even if you're a levelheaded peacemaker.]

As for your position... I honestly don't know. Retreat can represent cowardice or sense, after all, depending on the context. And it's not always clear on the ground. If it were me, I might weigh it differently depending on what the likely danger was.

[Someone being hurt emotionally requires different consideration than, say, a party being made tranquil or someone getting executed.